‘Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan’ would be lapped up so widely across
the board and that our music would go this far. ‘Do Dooni
Chaar’ and ‘Isi Life Mein’ were our first movies as music
directors. It was our maiden break and both the flicks I
remember, had happened to release together. So our journey
somehow kicked off with these two features.
Do you subscribe to the present-day trend of actors
doing their own playback? Which actor do you
think has done most justice to his/her assigned
song?
We are delighted with the fact that actors are taking a shine
to singing. Why not! We are nobody to judge or decide who
can sing and who can’t. If actors are lending their vocals with
good responses in return, then that’s certainly wonderful.
It is open to the people’s court and the verdict tilts towards
actors making a difference over the microphone. For there
are numerous people who are embracing this idea which
is discernibly on a rising graph. Fact is, we are a nation of
billion people, so we can’t restrict anyone from taking the
plunge into something hatke. There are a lot of people who
like the way Alia Bhatt sings or love the way Salmanbhai
has sung our Hangover track inKick. Also actor Riteish
Deshmukh did a Marathi song with us. People hero worship
the stars and actors, who they consider their idols. So if they
are liking this quality of their favourite performance artistes,
what’s the harm!
Many singers have taken to acting and they have been
applauded for their performance skills. Singers like Himesh
Reshammiya and Honey Singh have been accepted when they
took to acting. See, this is a period of multitasking. Therefore
anyone at free will may explore the varied options at his/her
disposal. Today all are hell-bent to step out of their cosy shell
and prove their mettle to the world. I mean who would have
fancied Salman Khan’s Hangover to gain so much popularity
everywhere, albeit the actor has superbly done full justice to
the song. It did turn out really well.
Tell us something about your forthcoming
Bollywood scores?
We have already done one movie with Tiger Shroff in which
Kanika Kapoor has sung a song. Our whole team has been
revived once again with this film called Munna Michael. You
will hear it as soon as it releases. There are many projects in
the pipeline but we would like to talk about only those that
are nearly on the verge of seeing the daylight. In Bollywood,
you are either contract-bound by a project or not sure until
it matures and you get to sign on the dotted line as things
keeping shifting very fast. You can’t take far-fetched ideas
for granted over here. And honestly, we don’t believe in
divulging the details unless something concrete pans out.
Your trio with music director Anjjan Bhattacharya
broke after 13 long years of successful joint-
ventures. Any specific reasons for parting ways
with him?
Anjjan is still a brother. It is very rare that you opt for
separate routes and yet remain on good terms. We bade
goodbye to him on a healthy note with sheer positivism.
We remember having joined hands together in 2010 and
ever since, forged a strong bond. Our first movie as music
directors was Do Dooni Char and then we split in 2015. So it’s
been five long years of musical partnership and a beautiful
journey together.
Anjjan is a very sweet guy. And he had his solid ground
to move on as a soloist. Everyone wants his own entity,
characteristic traits and individuality to come through his
music because each has his own style. And Anj jan was no
different on this score. We totally respected his decision in
the way like your own sibling comes and tells us you that he
wishes to have his own business and leave behind his mark
on it. We don’t think anybody should have a problem with
this or even attempt to spark unnecessary controversies
surrounding it. We did let him go but not before a happy
farewell and a bear hug. We promised to be always there for
him and vice-versa. And that’s how it has been.
Did you undergo any technical tutelage in music?
Is it necessary for every musical aspirant?
No, we didn’t learn anything formally as such. Professionally,
we would assimilate all the subtle nuances on the field itself.
You see, our life is totally driven by passion with which
I perceive, you can absorb almost anything on the earth.
During our preparatory time, say 20 years ago, when we were
seriously shaping up as future music scorers to translate
our dreams into reality, there were hardly any good music
schools available or proper career counsellings to guide us all
the way. We were clueless about our forthcoming pursuits.
And choosing music was not a lucrative job avenue for us
then.
When finally the craft took us into its fold and we started
getting work, climbing the steps of a music school or
enrolling for a course was way too late in the day for us.
But we stuck to our guns and had very quickly imbibed
what was required of us. We opened up our own studio and
have realised that the best way to learn is via practical
experiences. However in today’s time, the scenario has
visibly become very competitive. So it definitely pays off
if you are well equipped with some form of training or the
other. This is because there is no excuse for errors and one
must stand a step ahead of others to lead the charge. It’s good
that people are starting early these days and so most come
ready to face the volatile nature of this industry’s ways. Thus,
there will be less wastage of time if one enter the sector as a
young fresher as the early bird catches the worm.
Do you find the concept of multiple tunesmiths
toying with the same movie comfortable? Or
does it hinder one’s creative space and individual
sensibilities?
Multiple tunesmiths aboard a single project are working
wonders. It kind of commenced with us with the movie Boss.
(A.R.) Rahman sir’s song was there and ours too. Even some
other music directors pitched in with their scores. We think
this is a great concept as it churns out a colorful album with
different flavours and aromas. We also love the idea that
our name gets affixed with different brands. I think it’s a far
better proposition if your name flashes out in 10 different
films, instead of you doing 10 songs in only two films. Instead
of a couple of banners and two posters, the number burgeons
to a dozen diverse ventures. The work-base also amps up as
you get to contact different directors, producers, stars and
technicians. This is truly satisfying for us. You see, right
balance is the key to life and variety on one’s graph adds
more spice and dimensions to it. If this was hampering the
composers’ creative liberties, then they wouldn’t be really
hogging for it. The trend is definitely working and the proof
lies in the concept’s prosperity.
The
Score Magazine
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