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interview:
ndtv - shreen - june 2000
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“...I
try to break the conventional way of having a track.”
interviewed
by shreen, ndtv
Is
it true that, when singers come to your studios to record and later when
they hear the final of product, there is a huge amount of difference?
The
difference is there but not for all the songs. In some of the songs I try
to break the conventional way of having a track and ask the singers to
sing freely without any inhibitions, and there comes a point when the song
elevates and at times by nearly 300 percent. I think we have a couple of
songs like that in “Taal” which are slightly wild, singing wise.
There
are rumours that you terrorise your singers?
No.
I think they are very comfortable with me. Yes, initially when they come
in, they think who's this guy but once they start singing, it is very easy
for them.
How
long do you normally take on a song, for instance how long did it take for
the songs in “Taal”?
We
started working on the songs for “Taal” in 1995 and the first song
took 45 days, the second one took one week, then it became faster. I think
it was because I had to compose Hindi lyrics.
So
now are you well versed in Urdu?
I
wouldn't say well versed but I am nearly at it.
Does
that make a great difference to your music?
Definitely,
there are much better nuances of Urdu poetry and stuff like that that I
understand now.
So
would you say this particular album, "Taal" is particularly
influenced by that?
In
fact, this album has influenced my other films, because working on this I
have gained more Hindi knowledge and more North Indian music knowledge
because the film required it.
When
you talk about North Indian music what is that particular stream that you
are hinting at?
It
is a Kashmiri and Punjabi mixed kind of a thing with an international kind
of background. Moreover, it is folk, classical and western all mixed
together, just to suit the film.
After
a director comes to you and explains the film to you, do you work
independently beyond that?
Usually
a director first talks about the script and then he tells me as to what
kind of music he wants and I get a fair idea of what he is looking for.
The director then tells me about what he liked in my previous work and
what he didn't. So I know the Do's and don'ts and once you start working
on the first song you realise that it's taking shape.
Do
you keep in mind the actress and actors on whom the song is going to be
picturised?
It's
more important to keep in mind the character, if I think about the actor
then it will sound the same for the actor for whichever film I am doing.
For instance, in "Taal" Anil Kapoor plays a very different kind
of a character and the music is to suit his role.
Since
you are working on simultaneous projects, does it sometimes bother you
that some of your sounds might overlap?
The
director takes care of that, as they are mostly particular of how their
films sound.
Do
you always listen to the director?
Yes
of course. The main thing is that I give them a lot of choices, and when
they hear my tunes I am not inside the room with them, so they can choose
whichever one they like. I heard some people say that I just give one
tune, which is not true.
What
has been the biggest influence on your music, through the years?
I
think working with Mani Rathnam. Starting with him uplifted my energies
because whenever I work with him he wants the best and something
international, so you don't sleep for days. It's the same tension when I
work with Subhash Ghai. He also wants something original, classy and
international.
As
you said songs could take 2 days to 45 days, so what is it about a song
that convinces you this is it?
Instinct
wise you know, it’s working even if other people don't agree. On the
other hand, if they say its working and I don't feel right then I keep
working on it and they feel very irritated. Finally when they realise that
yes there was something, which was missing which I found out, they also
accept it.
Do
you have this reputation of being difficult to work with?
Yes
difficult for the product but not as a person.
So
what's next after “Taal”?
Film
wise, after “Taal” I am doing “Pukar” “Thakshak” and Earth.
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