SHANKAR MAHADEVAN

By Meenakshi Shankar

Whoever thought that a "Maa" song would be so popular…so much so that it's out there as a caller tune on most of the cell phones! It is truly a soul stirring song – unlike any other songs that have been sung. Meet the man behind the revolutionary 'maa' song that has created waves in the industry, Shankar Mahadevan in an exclusive with Meenakshi Shankar

A singer with fire in his voice'- that's how Tabla maestro Zakir Hussain had once described Shankar Mahadevan. But if were to define him in a word, we would shrug our shoulder and say it's impossible!

Truly it is – because how do you define a man who is multi faceted and yet, so modest! We expected starry tantrums and were shocked that we got none of those. What shocked us were apologies from the maestro himself for being so busy! Probably someone needs to educate Shankar Mahadevan that it is ok to throw starry tantrums!

For a man who is riding at the helm, he comes across as someone who is still hungry for knowledge. He calls it the 'unquenchable thirst'. To him, music is like the galaxy…breathless and infinite. But then, he says, "Every musician feels the same. There's always another barrier to be broken, another milestone to be conquered!"

Going by the industry buzz, his song Maa broke all barriers. But he modestly says, "I've sung the song from my heart! I agree that's difficult because any accomplished singer would tell you that singing without jazz is really difficult. Your voice is so attuned to showing off; it's difficult to bring in the simplicity. It's akin to asking a scientist to learn the basic formulas." Maa in 'TZP' clicked because it was a simple song. Unlike the history that Bollywood cinema's witnessed with the numerous Maa songs, where so much of melodrama was shot in, the whole meaning of what a mother is gets lost! The song becomes too filmy and too over the top!

So post 'TZP', we would assume that the singer's taking a break! But far from that, he's already strumming his vocals and working with his band of boys on 'Rock On', in which Farhan Akhtar makes his debut as an actor. In the pipeline, he's also working with Amol Palekar and Zoya Akhtar's releases.

But does he ever get bored of listening to his own music? "No, absolutely not. Because we do not do stuff that is repetitive, boring or melodies that sound the same all the time. Kajra Re was different, so was Mitwa! And the latest is 'TZP'! We wouldn't be here if we were boring," he adds with mischief dancing in his eyes! And likewise he also does not get involved in the song. "It's amazing to see what a director's take is on the music. Like I always say, 'a song can bend a seat' – the same way music can bend a picture and vice versa. It depends on a director's sensibilities. He listens to different kinds of music."

Talking about his equation with working with Aamir Khan, he says, "That man's a genius! Yes, Karan Johar's the demanding director of all, but with Aamir, he takes particular interest in every nuance of the music. If he does not know, he will not hesitate to ask. That's the Aamir for us! He made us comfortable and there wasn't any friction!" He adds, "Our only worry and cause for sleepless nights before 'TZP' took off was – what do we do to get on board as music director for the movie!"

So who's competition because in one of the interviews he mentioned Himesh Reshmiyaa is getting too repetitive! And Shankar being a stickler to what he says does not deny that! But he adds that Himesh's still a crowd puller. But, like every industry wala, he goes on to say, "This industry's big! And there's space for everybody to play their field!" Vishal Shekhar, Rehman, probably those are my benchmarks!" Commenting on the industry, he goes on to add, "It's a wonderful place to be in right now! It's educated and more receptive to trying out new genres! But, then like two sides to the coin, there's this whole shady element to it too! But then, that's what balances us and keeps us going!"