Arrogant…nasal….full of himself…are just some of the adjectives that follow this music director turned singer turned actor encounters wherever he goes.  “My shyness is misconstrued as my arrogance. I am a firm believer in God, I think destiny is bigger than any challenge.

In that case, how can I be arrogant about my achievements? In the last seven or eight years, people have been saying a lot of things against me like I am arrogant and a nasal singer and such…I do accept that I sing through my nose. I am not trying to defend myself, I am just being myself.

I would like to think that 99 per cent of people are with me and only one per cent is against me. I am trying to win that one per cent,” he says. Wasn’t his arrogance that made Asha Bhonsale comment that she wanted to slap him? “Yes, Ashaji wanted to slap me. Ashaji slapped me.

She thought I said RD Burmanji also sang through his nose.

What I meant to say was at high pitch suron ki kuch shrutiya nasal ho jati hai. I soon asked for forgivness, and she has been kind enough to give me the rights of ‘Mehbooba’ and also sing with me for the song in my film,” he says. Himesh says jealousy from peers is bound to exist, but he tries to deal with it by being a good human being. He says, “I have changed my profession so often and by God’s grace have done well, so jealousy is bound to be there. You can’t please everyone, but I am trying to.”

Himesh says his film, ‘Aap Ka Suroor’ whose release co-incides with his mother’s birthday needs all the blessings that he could ever get. “It is like an agnipariksha for me, and I am very anxious. We have made a film which is an out and out entertainer, lets see how the world reacts to it,” he says.