MUSIC DIRECTOR | INTERVIEW

He has completed 15 years in the industry as a film music director and 22 as a musician. “Time flies!” smiles the composer. “Is it really ten years since I worked with Saawan (Kumar)-ji?”
Aadesh Shrivastava has just released Saawan - The Love Season, his second film with filmmaker Saawan Kumar after the 1996 musical Salma Pe Dil Aa Gaya that also introduced singer Richa Sharma. Aadesh has also the distinction of introducing Sunidhi Chauhan in Shastra.
The boy who came down from Jaipur played as a musician for almost all the big names in the industry and later turned arranger as well. He got his break in a small film, Khatra, which hit the screen in 1991. Aadesh’s output includes Humko Ishq Ne Maara, (the telefilm presented by Yash Chopra), Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai and Dev and his evocative background scores (in films like J. P.Dutta’s Border (1997) and Dushman (1998).
But hits talk louder than work, which is why Aadesh Shrivastava has never reached the league of the top three despite the chartbusters like “Paro...” (Shastra), “Sona sona...” (Major Saab) and “Shavva shavva...”(Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...). In Baghban, Aadesh actually got Bachchan to sing three hit songs flawlessly! Yet even after that 2003 hit, success in a commercial sense continues to elude the creator of “Rang deeni...” (Dev) and the awesome background scores for films like LOC Kargil and Paheli. In a freewheeling interview to Screen, the music director speaks of the highs and not-so-lows of his career. Excerpts

What was the brief Saawan Kumar gave you for his latest film?
Saawan-ji called me out of the blue and said that he wanted to come and see me. He left behind a song whose mukhda was far from conventional in metre - ‘Maine pyar kiya tujhe reason se/Bas love hi hai reason/Saawan saawan saawan the love season.’
Two days later when he heard the tune I had made for it, was amazed that such a musically uncongenial mukhda could be composed to such a melodious tune! The music of the film has a light contemporary air about it, but despite the youth, there is no compromise on substance. I would call it sensible young music which is not made with the aim of making transient hits, being trendy and including R & B, hip-hop and whatever.
In almost all cases, I made the songs after the words, all of which have been written by Saawan-ji. This was in direct contrast to Salma Pe Dil Aa Gaya, in which most of the songs had been written by other lyricists, including Ravindra Jain-saab.

There is one song by Sajid-Wajid. Isn’t this a kind of reversal from the time you would come in for one or two songs into others’ films?
Let me clarify three things: one, Salman Khan wanted Sajid-Wajid to do his song as he has a special rapport with them. I was told about this by Saawan-ji and everything was done honourably and with my consent. As Salman-bhai himself is raving about my songs for him in Babul and has even sung for me in the film, I know that he has not done this due to a lack of trust in me.
Secondly, whenever I came into others’ films in the past for specific reasons, I too insisted on everything being done formally and properly. The idea was never to bag a film or a banner or to steal a filmmaker away from a colleague.
And lastly, all this is going to stop soon. I am the vice-president of the association of music directors and we are now going to stop this practice of filmmakers bringing in other music directors when they have first signed someone for the entire film.They must trust us - or take someone else.

Despite your accomplishments you are not in the big league. Why is that?
I do not agree with the statement at all. B.R.Chopra, Ravi Chopra and Govind Nihalani have repeated me. I have worked with the best of filmmakers. I have always kept getting work on merit without the support of fake hits. I have had the privilege of Chetan Anand-saab choosing me after Madan (Mohan)-ji passed away. The film was never made but they released the score as an album and I still get compliments for it.

So many of your good songs have not worked.
Exactly. Today, good songs are simply not promoted. Everyone from the music labels to the film industry keep remaining under the delusion that the song they see most frequently on TV is a hit - par woh gaanaa baahar kahin sunaayi hi nahin deta hai!

What is the root cause of this phenomenon?
Look, I have been in the industry for more than 22 years. The atmosphere has become completely vitiated over the last decade or so. There is a lot of enmity among music directors rather than the constructive rivalry that was there earlier. There are so many people who have come in who have very little talent and ability - and that becomes very dangerous when they also get success.

But though flukes do happen, how can such people sustain?
Many of them do not, but by then other similar people take over! My question is - why not promote the right kind of song? Today’s films are light, but songs based on raags are being made even today, and not just by me. If you are promoting a fast song, why not promote and repeatedly play the good or the raag-based song equally? Why do we hide or suppress it? Why not see how it fares against the ’trendy’ one with the public?
Take the case of Chingaari. They are hammering ‘Dunk maare...’. I am not against this, but why not also give equal exposure to ‘Kitni sardi...’, a composition for which Pandit Jasraj personally called up to congratulate me, stating that he found it very unpredictable in its phrases. After years of going through all this, I have made my choice: I would rather get the respect of knowledgeable, guni musical people, legends, and those who matter to me rather than the hollow fame of delivering a hit that is made to pander to the latest trend and the lowest common denominator? I am simply not interested in my songs making youngsters dance frenziedly in the pubs! I am no half-baked musician who plays on a briefcase or on a table - I am fully trained and groomed. I do not want to defile music, or to cheapen myself so that I can get more films and more media-hype. Job satisfaction is very important to me. Today, quite a lot of producers are shocked and disappointed that I do not have a stock or a music bank with me!

But that’s not possible for someone who is into music all the time.
Very true. So the truth is that I literally have hundreds of cassettes in which I have recorded thousands of compositions! They are neatly tabulated with notes of the dates on which I composed them. But they are not for use today! Why should I seek refuge in something I made some weeks, months or years back when my mind and music have evolved since then and are still evolving? I am still charged enough to compose fresh tunes for the lyrics I have been given. Let me think of returning to my stock if and when my creativity begins to burn out!

Do you think that music has also been affected by a paucity of talent in among composers?
I do not agree that music directors lack the requisite strengths. I think that Ismail Darbar is doing a great job. Luck also has a major role along with time. Jatin-Lalit could not have split at a worse time - their music has the solidity that comes only from a really talented person with a strong musical base. Viju Shah suffered because he happened to have hits only with Rajiv Rai. There are other talented peole too, but they have chosen the way of selling products rather than bringing greater honour and respect to music and to themselves.
As a musician, I can never do two things - demean my knowledge, my training and my gurus like Laxmikant-Pyarelal and R.D.Burman, and secondly go to a producer with a particular tune that I have made and tell him, “Sir, yeh hit tune hai!”

You have recently recorded a song with Ghulam Ali. How did that happen?
It was the director who wanted him for a song. I have known Ghulam Ali-saab for a while because Javed-saab and I are planning an album with him. He loved the composition that I made for him for the film Ashq - Love And Tears.

It must have been a high for you that Amitabh Bachchan’s comeback was not for a shot but for a song recording with you.
It was! He was as charged as ever and you could never have believed if you did not know it, that he had been so ill. He just told me, “Aaj shaam ko baithte hai” and came in to rehearse at 8.30 p.m. and was there till 1.30 at night. The song is an energetic one for Babul. He came in for three days and even inscribed his personal best wishes on the wall of my studio.

You have a fantastic and very deep rapport with him. How did it begin?
Well, he knows me now for over 20 years from the time I would play for L-P, R.D.Burman and even Anu Malik later. He called me to help out with a song for Major Saab and later I did its background score. It is of course just a coincidence that we are both Shrivastavas from UP and that our ancestors came from the same village called Band. Today Amit-ji tells me that he feels very comfortable in my music room, the way he once was with Kalyanji-Anandji.

How do you rate him as a singer?
He is plain fabulous. I use his voice as much as possible for two reasons: one, that his vocal and physical energy level seems to be increasing with the years, and two, that he can bring the punch as well as the emotional expressions in all the three octaves, which stems from his brilliance as an actor. Secondly, after Kishore Kumar passed away, no one else has quite matched his vocal timbre.

Tell me something about your flair for doing background scores. Didn’t you feel upset when not a single award nominated you for your tour-de-force in Paheli?
Today, with very few exceptions like Monty Sharma’s fabulous job in Black, there is nothing that can be really termed genuine background music. Musicians are tempted with money to churn out something very economically for the producer! A musician cannot replace a composer who gives the film a graph, an identity and a mood. L-P and Ilayaraja were not fools to use 100-150 musicians. As for losing out for Paheli, I am glad that all the awards went to Monty, because the music touched your heart. I had used the perfect blend of acoustics and traditional instruments to give a contemporary sound arising from classical roots. But those things are not appreciated today.

What is the secret of good background music?
The thumb rule is `When the artiste is performing, the music should not.’ No one follows that today! I can make the audience weep with just one alaap or a violin piece - I don’t need to give heavy music there. You have to understand a scene and the film in totality, make markings and then compose, using due discretion and judgement.

What is your own outlook on your career now?
Look, when I first came to Mumbai I would sleep on platform 15 at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus. With my hard work and the blessing of so many people I have achieved a certain level. I do not want to negate all this by running after money and transient fame. I want to be the sun that rises, sets and rises again, not a star that sparkles with borrowed light from a Pakistani track or a Western CD! I like genuine criticism even more than genuine praise. I love being praised for composing `Baghban hoon main...’ in Raag Malkauns by those who appreciate it - this matters more than the song hitting the top of the charts for a few weeks.

You are composing albums for your wife Vijeyta and sister-in-law Sulakshana Pandit.
Yes, they are talented ladies who need a break. Sulakshana-ji will be singing a devotional album.

Finally, could you tell us your most prominent memories of the late Laxmikant and Pancham and also of your guru in background music, Pyarelal.
I knew Laxmi-ji for 11 years, but I never heard him utter one word against anyone, including those who had harmed L-P. He was always cheerful, and unique in his approach: he would just strike a chord and unleash a tune that would live forever in seconds. Pyare-bhai taught me the essence of chords in the easiest way possible, and told me that he was available 24/7 for me if I ever needed guidance! As for Pancham, I remember his affection when he was down and a junior music director refused to accommodate him for some urgent mixing he had to do. I was a musician for that music director and had told him that we would be happy to accommodate him. When I touched his feet he was truly touched at the contrast.

Are there any other giants that you worked for?
Yes, Salil Choudhury! I was just 17 when I played for a film for which Salil-da was only doing the background score, I think it was Chehre Pe Chehra. He actually came over to me, asked me a few questions and then tuned my drum set personally! I was so overwhelmed.

MUSIC GURUS: Adesh Shrivastav, Himesh Reshammiya, Jatin Lalit and Ismail Darbar, who will train 48 contestants for a new version of "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa", with programme's anchor Shaan.

To provide a platform to aspiring singers, Zee TV will bring its viewers a revamped version of its popular "Sa Re Ga Ma Pa" programme from this Thursday.

The channel, which is celebrating 10 years of this musical programme, has now roped in some of the leading music directors from Bollywood -- Adesh Shrivastav, Himesh Reshammiya, Ismail Darbar and Jatin Lalit -- for its new competitive series, "Hero Honda Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2005".

Under the guidance of the music directors, 48 contestants selected from 13 cities across the country would compete with one another to impress the judges -- Jagjit Singh, Ghulam Ali and Shiv Hari.

As head of the "gharana", each maestro will be allotted eight aspiring singers whom they will have to groom for the challenging programme. The winners, a boy and a girl, will walk away with a music contract and an opportunity to sing for a Zee tele-film.

Speaking at the launch in Delhi on Monday, singer Shaan, who will anchor the programme, said: "The cedibility of each music director will be at stake as they would not like singers trained by them getting eliminated."

While Darbar said the contestants must constructively utilise the opportunity offered to them by going in for voice modulation and improving their diction, Reshammiya -- whose songs in "Tere Naam" became chartbusters -- said that contestants interested in finding a foothold in Bollywood must realise that if they imitate legendary singers of the bygone era then their voice would not suit the current crop of actors like Hrithik Roshan and Salman Khan. "I will not encourage the contestants to imitate yesteryears' singers like Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi. Of course these legendary singers could be a source of inspiration, but the contestants would have to sing in their original voice. To sustain interest among the viewers, the programme's endeavour will be to promote genuine talent," added Reshammiya. -- Madhur Tankha

-- Madhur Tankha

The temperature on Zee TV's talent-scouting contest Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge has been rising by the week, what with the judges -- Himesh Reshmmiya, Jatin, Lalit, Aadesh Shrivastava and Ismail Durbar -- forming their own caucus of favourite students, or gharanas, as they were politely called.

But politeness was thrown to the winds during the shooting of the popular show when two of the judges lost their cool and hurled abuses, as viewers -- including producer Gajendra Singh -- gazed in horror.

"The confrontation with Ismail Durbar had been building up ever since we started judging Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge," says Shrivastava. "His (Durbar's)attitude is high-handed and arrogant and unacceptable to the other judges. He has no respect for anyone, not even for those boys and girls who come from far-flung places like Assam and Manipur with dreams of becoming singers. Ismail addresses them so rudely on camera, contestants are reduced to tears. I told him to be more considerate. But he's beyond reason," he adds.

The flashpoint reached two weeks ago during the last stint of the show's recording when Durbar made fun of Shrivastava's knowledge of classical music.

"He implied that he was the master of the ragas while Himesh, Jatin, Lalit and me were just novices who knew nothing about classical music. He forgets I'm from a musical family. I've used classically trained voices like Richa Sharma and Hema Sardesai, and used ragas in my tunes whenever possible. When Ismail made snide references to my abilities, I couldn't take it any more. I ticked him off good and proper. We'd have probably gone further in our fight but I don't come from the same background as he does. I held my peace. But we decided we would not sit on the same platform as Ismail Durbar. Thank god the camera wasn't on when this happened.

"I felt he insulted (flautist) Pandit Hari Prasad Chaurasia when he commented about one of his (Chaurasia's) disciples, 'Yeh sab ki bansuri bajaa dega.'  Wasn't that a dig at the famous flautist? Ismail is always making such comments. His war cry, 'Yalgaar!' (attack) makes him sound like a padosi from the neighbouring mulk. I told him that. And what are his credentials? He played the violin in the third row of Jatin-Lalit's orchestra before Sanjay Leela Bhansali discovered him. His only claim to fame is Bhansali's Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas. The worst mistake he made was to fight with Bhansali, his mentor. All his other scores have failed miserably. He bragged that he discovered Shreya Ghosal when everyone knows it's Bhansali who found her."

Aadesh is unsure about returning to judge Sa Re Ga Ma Challenge. "I have other commitments. I'm supposed to sing my own composition based on the Vedas at the opening of the Berlin Film Festival on September 21. I can't be frittering away time in fighting over lost causes. I believe in the power of a music contest like Sa Re Ga Ma to foster new singing talent for our film industry. In fact, I'm using two contestants from the show -- Himani from Faizabad and Rajiv from Chamba -- to perform a thumri in Kalpana Lajmi's Chingari. Though the soundtrack is done, I felt it wasn't complete without a thumri."

The album begins with Come On, Come On, Baabul’s answer to Baghban’s Meri Makhana Meri Soniye. Amitabh Bachchan lends his vocals to this track and is accompanied by Sonu Nigam, Vishal, Ranjit Barot, and Aadesh Srivastava. Unfortunately, the latter three are indistinguishable and only lend support to Bachchan and Nigam. Picturized on Amitabh Bachchan and Salman Khan, the song is an attempt to fuse pop, rap, and bhangra. The song is mediocre at best – it will undoubtedly be a pleasure to watch on screen and will be played endlessly at wedding receptions, but what makes the song slightly cringe-worthy are the unnecessary English lyrics and interjections. Though not an accomplished singer by any means, Bachchan’s vocals are perfect given the type of the song. Nigam sounds incredibly nasal in the initial parts of the song, but demonstrates why he is he among the best as the song progresses.

The next song strays from the pop genre and enters the field of romance. Sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, Keh Raha Hai is instantly appealing mainly due to its simple melody. Nigam sounds wonderful and Ghoshal provides perfect company. A mid-tempo song, it attempts some variation with occasional layered vocals, which only add to its appeal.

The pace speeds up for the next song, Har Manzar, which is likely featured on John Abraham. Sung by Kunal Ganjawala, it is one of those typical “stage” songs that seems like it would be sung by a Hindi pop star. Ganjawala is his usual self and does a fine job with this song. The song is occasionally accompanied by a chorus of female singers, crooning English lyrics in the background. The song is featured twice on the album, the second time as a remix version that is actually more entertaining than the original.

Baabul slows down with the next track, which is undoubtedly meant to be the theme song for the film. Kehta Hai Baabul has a very ‘ghazal’ feel to it and is sung by Jagjit Singh. The song focuses on a father’s sadness and fear of loneliness after his daughter marries and leaves him. Its touching lyrics and classical arrangements make this song one of the more technically superior songs on the album. Its slow tempo and sad theme may prove to be a deterrent for those searching for the usual pop-bhangra variety. But those who have an immense appreciation for songs like the ones recently featured in J.P. Dutta Umrao Jaan, will definitely value this track. Singh is the perfect choice as his voice provides the necessary grief that this song exudes.

Kunal Ganjawala returns for Bebasi Dard Ka Alam, a song that enables him to display his versatility. He seldom goes overboard with his vocals and actually puts forth a touching rendition of a song that conveys a man’s desire to have his love share her sorrows. The song is somewhat reminiscent of Murder’s Bheege Hoonth Tere, also sung by Ganjawala. The lyrics are surprisingly meaningful, which can often be lacking when Sameer is the one with the pen in hand.

The sixth song is undoubtedly my favorite of the album. Entitled Baawri Piya Ki, it is sung by Sonu Nigam who nails every note perfectly. Haunting, yet sensual, it is heavily influenced by classical Indian music, but with a slightly modern touch. For the most part, the song has a very slow, soft feel to it carried by the sounds of a tabla and piano, but it gradually builds up to a rather impressive orchestra in the middle. Aadesh Srivastava does an amazing job utilizing Nigam’s vocal range to its fullest extent by having him provide both the lead and background vocals. Sameer impresses once again on this album with his lyrical ability – a song like this only confirms that when the need exists, he really has a handle over his art.

Srivastava utilizes one more genre in the next song, namely that of a ‘qawalli’. Gaa Re Mann features Sudesh Bhonsle, with support from Alka Yagnik, Kavitha Krishnamurthy, and Kailash Kher. Bhonsle has traditionally been a staple playback singer for many of Bachchan’s songs, mainly due to his resemblance to Bachchan’s voice. He does an adequate job, but it is the ladies that actually shine on this track. Krishnamurthy is a welcome change, as she seems to have disappeared from the Hindi music scene of late. It is interesting to hear Yagnik only once on this album as she usually dominates most of the albums she is featured on; however, she excels with whatever she is given and complements Krishnamurthy well. The picturization of the song should be highly anticipated as it likely to feature all of the major actors/actresses in this film.

The album slows down once again, this time for a ‘bidaai’ song. It is sung by one of India’s most underrated singers, Richa Sharma. After “Agle Janam Mohe Bitiya from Umrao Jaan, this is a second feather in Sharma’s cap. She completely takes control of the song and exploits her vocal instrument to its maximum. Her rendition is poignant and is especially impressive as the song has very little instrumentation.

After a couple of remixes (Har Manzar & Come On, Come On), the album closes with Vada Raha, a short, melancholic version of Keh Raha Hai sung by Sonu Nigam. Clocking in at less than 2.5 minutes, the song is mainly music with few vocals, leaving very little to be critiqued.

Baabul is definitely worth the purchase for Hindi music aficionados. The album offers just about everything, from pop to bhangra, from a bidaai song to a qawalli, from romantic songs to classical pieces. It is well balanced and features a great array of vocalists, each of whom perfectly suits the genre for which they were chosen. Aadesh Srivastava is given the opportunity to shine and does so quite successfully. Even Sameer proves that not every album requires Javed Akthar or Gulzar to offer songs with eloquent lyrics

Contributed by Mandeep Bahra
 

Sameer has risen above his recent puerile 'poetry' and come up with some half-way decent lyrics for this Yash Chopra presentation. Music director, Aadesh Shrivastava seems to have been inspired by brothers-in-law Jatin-Lalit, as the entire album is reminiscent of their style.

The interesting thing about this soundtrack is that all the songs are sung by newcomers from what the cassette jacket describes as, "the popular television programme- Meri Awaaz Sun" (never heard of it!). The lack of big name singers may put people off, which is unfortunate because the newcomers impress and there isn't an off-key note to be heard on the entire album. 'Jadoo Hai Yeh' is a simply 'magic' duet sung by Manohar Shetty and Arpana Shukla. Shetty sounds like a cross between Amit Kumar and S.P.Balasubrahmaniam, while Arpana sounds similar to Sadhana Sargam. The duet is rather mellow and definitely has the 'Yash Chopra' influence. 'Aap Se Pyar Hai' is a sweet melodic duet by Manohar Shetty and Pritha Mazumdar, who sounds like Chitra. Before things get too 'mushy' along comes 'Jhoom Jhoom Chuk Chuk'. Newcomer Shivdutt Singh handles the R.D.Burmanesque number impressively and does an encore in the duet version with Arpana Shukla. The title track, 'Humko Ishq Ne Mara' resembles 'Yahan Ke Hum Sikandar' from Jatin-Lalit's JO JEETA WOHI SIKANDAR, and appears in two versions. One is a duet by Manohar shetty and Pritha Mazumdar and the other is a group song by no less than seven(!) singers (Pritha Mazumdar, Manohar Shetty, Amruta Samant, Chintamani Sohni, Medha Paranjpe, Chandrabushan and Ajeya Trivedi). Aadesh Shrivastava has looked back to the '60's for inspiration in 'Tara Rara Rum' sung by Subrajit Dutta and Pritha Mazumdar. Subrajit sounds similar to Vinod Rathod and handles the tough notes skillfully. 'That Was Yesterday' by Subrajit Dutta and Arpana Shukla rounds off the album. This song is okay but the singers sound very uneasy singing in English and as a result the song loses most of it's appeal.

Although I have made comparisons to established singers, the similarities are very subtle and so all the newcomers on this album have the potential to create their own identity in the realm of playback singing.