Planet M
Melody maker Shankar Mahadevan on his own universe
| From a heart-broken lover's despair in Tanhai to the flirty Pretty woman to the foot tapping Kajra re , Shankar Mahadevan's music transcends all moods and genres. His association with Ehsaan and Loy has been an invaluable gift to Bollywood with the trio churning out chartbusters by the dozen!
A confirmed foodie, a shop-a-holic, travel buff, this engineer turned musician is a self-confessed family man.
Currently on a roll, the talented Shankar chats on all things close to his heart.
How did music happen to you?
I am from a middle class South Indian family, and in middle class South Indian families, music is a part of the culture. Everyone learns something related to music- instruments, dancing or singing. For me it happened at a very young age, when I was around 4 years old. I started playing the harmonium without any formal training and that's how I got noticed and my family decided to teach me music. I learned the veena, I learned singing, but at the same time I pursued my education also. I completed my graduation in Engineering and in fact, worked for 6-7 months. Alongside, a lot of music was happening and I was pretty busy with music even when I was working. So, I had to make a switch at some point and I decided to give up engineering for music.
You are a singer as well as a composer. Which of the two jobs do you prefer?
It is difficult to say what I prefer. Primarily, I am a singer. I started singing from a young age. Basically, I am a musician and composing just happened by chance. It's an inner thing. You always want to be a creator. When you are a singer, it's a different kind of a high and when you are a music director, you create stuff and it's another kind of a high. You can't compare both. Both are equally important to me, both are my babies.
But don't you think with your foray into composing, singing has taken a back seat?
No it has not, I'm singing in all my films and also for regional films. It is keeping the singer inside me pretty busy. And besides, when I come to think of it, who's the one music director that I would like to sing for, I don't know whether I am really interested in going and singing for anyone else, unless it's a Rahman (A.R. Rahman), to whom I still go and sing for. I really do not see anybody else. I sang for Vishal-Shekhar, who are my close friends, but that's an informal thing. I really don't feel like singing for anyone else unless there's someone really kick-ass.
Which is your one most treasured relationship?
Oh, it has to be my wife. We are married for 14 years and before that I knew her for 10 years, so that is something I treasure a lot. My wife means everything to me. She shares every aspect of my life. Literally we've grown up being with each other. We take all our decisions mutually. And then ofcourse, our products - our kids, they're the most valuable things for me. I believe in spending time with my family - my wife and my kids, as those things are as important as my work. My idea of leisure is spending time with my wife and kids. So, I have divided my time.
What kind of songs do you listen to?
I listen to a wide genre of music. There are times when I am listening to, say Pink Floyd, I may suddenly switch to Carnatic classical or Hindustani ghazals , or some jazz group or some punk group. I listen to all kinds of music and that is the only way a musician can grow. I have a long list of favourite musicians. There is one in all forms of music, if you are talking about film music, I like the Burmans, Madan Mohan, Salil Choudhary; if you are talking about Jazz, I like Chick Corea's work, Miles Davis, John McLaughlin... I work with John McLaughlin, I am a part of an international band named Shakti that comprises of Ustaad Zakir Hussain, John McLaughlin, U. Shrinivas and V. Selvaganesh besides me. If you talk about classical, I like Pt. Bhimsen Joshi, Bade Ghulam Ali Khan.
How easy or how difficult is it for you to give different and original tunes every time?
It is very difficult, that's why we do limited work. I can't do twenty films at a time, and one shouldn't do also. It's very important for me to do other things. I am quite active with my international band, Shakti , then I do a lot of shows, not only in Hindi but in Tamil also. Many of my songs are very popular in Tamil and Malyalam. If you think of Kajra re here, there's an equivalent or even more popular song in Tamil or Kannada. That's a totally different market where people do not want to hear a Kajra re or a Breathless , so that's another life altogether. It's a huge market with some good, quality music. And it's very important for me.
Shankar's collection - A song for every mood
Romance - Abhi Na Jaao Chhod kar...
Anger - The title song of Lakshya .
Hate - Some hip-hop number.
Friendship - Dil Chahta Hai or Rockford . |
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Anupamaa
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi 2
