Ten years ago, she was known as the choli girl. Music composers Laxmikant-Pyarelal had got this little known folk singer from Rajasthan to record for a Subhash Ghai film, Khalnayak. The controversial number, choli ke peechey kya hai made Ila Arun an instant hit.

Thereafter, she came out with about a dozen chart-busters such as Bicchuda, Nigodi and Banjaran. She also made occasional appearances on the screen and sang for some potboilers like Lamhe, Dalal, Mohabbat ki Arzoo and Batwara. And then there was lull.

Ila Arun now stages a comeback with her new album Haule Haule — a path-breaking effort in Indian folk music that draws upon the genius of south Indian music composer, Karthik Raja. The latter is the son of the legendary Illayaraja.

"My last four albums were composed by Lalit Sen," informs the singer. "This is the first time I have worked with a south Indian composer who is amazingly in total grips with the nuances of north Indian folk traditions. For me, the experience was like a pilgrimage-cum-voyage of discovery!"

Karthik’s magic is evident from the opening bars of the title track, haule haule and sets the pace for remaining numbers beginning with O mere bairagi bhanware. At present, this mellifluous long song is ruling the air waves in almost every countdown show from Bombay.

"But his tour de force is an adaptation of a Bhutanese folk song, meetho laage, " Ila points out. "He has gone even beyond the beauty of the original. The song makes an amazing amalgam of the musical styles of Bhutan, Tamil Nadu and my home state, Rajasthan."

Born and brought up in the state capital of Jaipur, Ila moved to Delhi to join the National School of Drama as an acting student in the mid-seventies. Her contemporaries were Neena Gupta, Aneeta Kanwar and Rakesh Pandey who took to films and later migrated to television.

Ila however, stuck to the Delhi stage and in the time, came to be known as a "singing actress". But her biggest achievements lay in popularising the tunes of Rajasthani nomads — the banjarans. Even today, in her colourful ghagra cholis with mirrorwork and junk jewellery from top to toes, Ila is identified more as a banjaran than a city dweller.

"I used to take the bus from Delhi during week-ends to visit my parents in Jaipur," recalls Ila. "That was when I did all my research on Rajasthani folk. I used to spend hours outside the tents of those nomads listening to their songs and recording them."

Bombay happened when her cousin, Lalit Sen migrated to join uncle Jatin Sen as a music composing duo for Hindi films. By then, Ila’s brothers Piyush and Prasun Pandey had also moved to the city to chase their dreams in advertising.

"Initially I could feel the resistance to my songs because I did not sound like Lata Mangeshkar or Asha Bhosle," narrates Ila. "Right then, I had decided not to be a copycat like the other female singers of the time. I figured out that if I had to make a name for myself, it would be on the strength of my own voice."

It was a hard decision to take because the coarse, rustic voice was scarcely suited to playback. She herself admits that no heroine would have wanted to be heard in a hoarse voice. So when the choli number from Khalnayak became a hit, she was most surprised.

"The thing about us Indians is that we haven’t got over our herd mentality," she explains. "I was amazed at the number of sound-alikes who came up after me and all of them were getting opportunities for playback singing. Anyway, by then, I had already started recording for non-film albums."

Ila attributes her success to the way she has been able to integrate modern techno music with folk melody. "People accuse me of compromising the essence of folk tunes," she clarifies. "I say nothing in the songs has been tampered with. It is only the packaging that is different."

She picks up a song, lalua lalua sab koi pukare from her latest album. A patriotic number addressed to Indians settled abroad to return to their homeland, it is composed of calypso beats and alaaps to create a feel of the traditional and modern.

"Such numbers are very popular abroad," she points out. "So in every album, I make it a point to carry a message for the Indian immigrants, saying that their country needs them back. But would you believe it, my biggest fans are not foreigners or NRIs, but the humble nomads of the Rajasthan desert!"

In an era when artistes change music companies for every kind of reason, Ila Arun believes in loyalty. Her latest album Haule Haule is her fifth enterprise in an eight-year relationship with Tips. And yet Haule Haule has some major differences as compared to the last four. “To begin with,” says Ila, “The time span in between this album and my last album, Khichdi, is the longest ever - over two years.

Secondly, all the four albums earlier were arranged by Lalit Sen. This is the first time I have three arrangers - and the beautiful thing is that two of them are major talents as composers - Jawahar Wattal and Kartik Raja. They have done five and three tracks respectively and the ninth track is done by Mani. It is an honour to me that two proven composers agreed to arrange songs for me. For as you know, I prefer to write and compose my own songs.”

Ila Arun also had to go to Delhi for her sessions with Wattal and to Chennai to work with Kartik Raja. “This itself broadens your perspective. I feel a change in my personality, I feel enriched. The trip to Chennai especially, where Kartik’s studio is adjacent to his home, was an extraordinary experience. I interacted with his legendary father Ilayaraja as well. For me, it was like a pilgrimage-cum-voyage of discovery!” She promises that her next album will get going within six months and will be completely traditional

The Fraulein of folk can’t help raving about Kartik, who she knows ever since she recorded a song in Grahan way back in 1996-97. “What a genius he is!” she exclaims. “There is so much newness in his approach. When he said that he would not mind doing my arrangements, I was delighted.” The title track and O mere bairaagi bhanware are Kartik’s compositions and are being aired on the TV channels. “But his tour de force is what he did with my adaptation of the Bhutanese folk song as Meetho laage. He has gone even beyond the beauty of the original. The song thus merges the musical styles of Bhutan, Tamilnadu and my home state Rajasthan into an amazing amalgam!”

Wattal, of course, was strongly recommended by Tips and Ila was aware of his formidable track record with Daler Mehndi, Shubha Mudgal and other artistes. “He brought in the perfect aroma of Northern folk, quelling my apprehensions about whether we could work together, because I had never met him.” Wattal has done five songs, two of which will also be made as videos. The highlight among his songs is Lalua Lalua sab koi pukare which is aimed, Ila says, at the NRIs hailing from Eastern UP. “The idea was in my mind ever since I read a newspaper report that one Mr. Pandey, who belonged to Azamgarh, UP, rose to become the Prime Minister of Trinidad. When he visited his home town he was so moved that he began to cry. Every album of mine has at least one song with a social message, and this one is no different. Composed with calypso beats and alaaps, the song sends a message to immigrants that your country needs you - so come back to us, even though we have our faults!” “The idea was in my mind ever since I read a newspaper report that one Mr. Pandey, who belonged to Azamgarh, UP, rose to become the Prime Minister of Trinidad "

Ila wanted to do the complete album with either Wattal or Kartik Raja but now she is happy that she has three arrangers. “It was largely their tight schedules that prevented them from working on all the eight tracks. But now there is greater variety in my package. Besides, when things were uncertain, I even did one disco-type number with Mani, who is known for his pop approach. So my album has ended up with a new, fresh sound that is a mix of the traditional and the modern. Ila is all praise for her brothers Piyush and Prasun Pandey for making the upbeat, fresh videos (choreographed by Saroj Khan) and of course for the unstinting support of the Tauranis. “I dedicate this album to a woman’s romance!” she says.

She promises that her next album will get going within six months and will be completely traditional. Her passion for theatre (as actress, singer, writer and producer) continues unabated and she has recently adapted three new plays laced, as is always the case, with social comment.

She has recently sung for a Tamil film directed by Priyadarshan with music by Vidyasagar. But in Hindi films, she isn’t getting too many offers, but says, “I would rather have it this way than sing a multitude of songs which do not really exhibit or challenge my abilities. For there is much more to Ila Arun than cholis, chunaris and ghagras!,” says the fiery singer who has sung chart-blazers like Bicchuda, Nigodi kaisi jawani hai, Dilli saher mein mhaaro ghaagro among her own creations, and Choli ke peeche (Khal Nayak), Gutur gutur (Dalal), Darwaza khula chhod aayi (Najaayaz) and other hits in Lamhe, Karan Arjun, Auzaar, Muhabbat Ki Arzoo, Cheetah, Naraaz, Trimurti, Batwara and Mr. Romeo in films.