Sanjay perfects music-Saawariya

Lyricist Sameer and music director Monty Sharma took a year to create music for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya. In a free-wheeling chat with Shama Bhagat, Sameer and Monty talk about the film and its "passionate" music they have created together.

On Saawariya, the title track:

Sameer: I wanted to play around with the word Saawariya and kept insisting that we should compose a title track. It was very romantic and musical, but Sanjay never liked this word. He felt it was too feminine. He was wondering how we could justify it. But when we composed the song, he liked it a lot. He was wondering about its picturisation and how to create a situation. But I give credit to the entire team.

Monty: The entire credit goes to Sameerji. If he hadn't insisted, the track would have never happened. Sanjay was sceptical, but Sameer was very confident about the title track.

On Sanjay as a director:

Sameer: Sanjay is a director, who takes interest in every department of filmmaking. He understands poetry and music very well. I took two days to write one song and he was surprised that I could pen a song so quickly. But I told him that I had 25 years of experience. He was always sure about what he wanted.

Monty: Initially, we had composed 14 songs and kept working on them. Though none of the compositions were rejected, they kept evolving. He had new options everyday. It took us two years to decide on 10 songs.

Challenges:

Sameer: There were challenges since Sanjay gives and wants the best. There was no fear but a lot of excitement. I had already worked with Monty as an arranger. I was excited to hear the kind of music he had created. It was soulful, melodious and close to my heart. While working, I realised that he knew the mathematics of music.

Monty: Sanjay's films are magnificent and I had one of the best lyricist in the industry. So, I had to put in my best but Sanjay and Sameer never made me feel like a newcomer. We interacted a lot during recordings. We worked till we got the best. Even the visuals were mind-blowing.

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