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After providing background scores for films like Border and Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham... and hit tracks in Chalte Chalte, Baghban and other films, Aadesh Shrivastava moves to the next level as a composer
What is this project with Wyclef Jean about?This is for his new hip-hop album Carnival II that is released worldwide by Sony Music. I have arranged three tracks for him, of which I have also sung with him for one. My portion is in Punjabi and the song will be used as a commercial for Motorola with Wyclef, Abhishek Bachchan and me jamming in the track When Hollywood meets Bollywood. Another track by Wyclef and Acon has made it to the US Top 20.
What's special about this album is that through it and the concerts we presented, the bhangra has got worldwide appreciation. We have already done 25 shows. How did this happen?
I was in New York for work when a friend of mine told to check out a particular recording studio for it. After working there for a while, the engineer asked me if I wanted to meet Wyclef, for it was he who owned the studio. He was then looking out for collaborations and so was I. We clicked instantly. Haven't you done some international work before this?
Yes, I have. I worked on a project with Julia Fordham and donated 2 songs in Hindi and English. By that I mean that the royalties went to Ashington High School in London, which was raising funds to rebuilding a school destroyed by the Tsunami in Pondicherry. The music was published on Virgin's Empty Chair niche label and we managed to sell 2500 CDs on the first day for 25 pounds each. Even for this, we performed at big name venues and today an inscription in stone mentions Julia's and my name at the Pondicherry school. The kids in UK even greeted me and thanked me for my help. It was a very elevating experience. What else is coming up overseas?
I now have agents and attorneys in place in USA, which is how one works there. My agent there is Amos Newman. I am now scoring music for Uru Patel's Hanuman, a film directed by Chuck Russell who directed The Mask. I am composing songs in English, Hindi and Sanskrit besides the background music for a film from the team that made the blockbuster 300. And what about back home? Which are the projects that you have on hand?
I have just wrapped up Hari Puttar and am scoring music for a major animation film from Contiloe Films called Mahayoddha Rama for which Javed Akhtarsaab is writing the lyrics. I have a few more films too. But right now my major musical project is Hanuman Chalisa with AB Corp. I am planning a big-scale launch of this project and maybe my own music label. Hanuman Chalisa is composed afresh by me and is being sung by Amitji himself with 22 leading singers that include Kavita Krishnamurthi Subramaniamji, Hariharanji, Roopkumar Rathod, Sonu Niigaam, Sadhana Sargam, KK, Shaan, Kunal Ganjawala, Kailash Kher, Sunidhi Chauhan, Richa Sharma, Shreya Ghoshal and others. It is traditionally said that the recitation of the Hanuman Chalisa can never be complete without six other segments and we have included all of them among which are Ram Stuti, Sankat Mochan, Sita Ram Jaap, Hanumanji Ki Aarti and Veer Banka. Despite the hit music of Baghban and Baabul, Ravi Chopra did not work with you again.
I was occupied with my international work for a long while. But we will be working together soon. Why have you tapered down your work in background music?
There are constraints of time. Background music needs a lot of thought and work. You have been a fixture with Sa Re Ga Ma Pa on television. But though TV gets you lots of money and recognition, doesn't it dilute your focus as a creative composer, or even make you complacent?
I have not experienced anything like this. One should just be mentally prepared and in any case, it only needs one day in a week for the duration of the show. I was not particularly enamoured by Voice Of India but Sa Re Ga Ma Pa has always been an exhilarating experience and the season that is on now is the best, in terms of the atmopshere as well as the talent that has come in. I have already recorded with one of the contestants and Shankar Mahadevan has done so with another. If you have watched the show, you will see that we mentors are all for the best talent, so that music can benefit. We are not promoting just contestants from our gharanas. And who says that controversies can boost TRPs? Sa Re Ga Ma Pa boasts of the highest TRPs despite any rows - staged or real! All we want is that the dignity of a music show should be preserved! How do you four guys get along?
Believe me, we are very thick with each other and our friendship and meetings now extend beyond the show. We had a meeting even before the season began and mutually agreed that we would avoid fights and conflicts and if there were areas of differences, we would discuss them behind the scenes.Himesh is very intense and I respect and fully concur with his stance that the music composer is supreme vis-a-vis the singer. He told Pritam that his composition Dhoom machaa le would have worked with any singer because the song was so strong. Pritam is such a sweet, cool guy. I also respect Shankar Mahadevan so much, We are all united, and we agreed unanimously when the show's team wanted to change the format because of some loopholes that were responsible for eliminating good talents. And how is the atmosphere outside the show within the composers' fraternity?
It's getting really fantastic. The chheena-jappi era of manipulations and grabbing films is over. Everyone's educated, loaded with work and respects his colleagues. We keep meeting frequently since I am the vice-president of the Cine Music Directors' Association (CMDA). You had a problem with Adnan Sami at a recent film party.
Yes, and I must add that it was nothing personal but a matter of principle and laws. As vice-president of the CMDA, my mission is to make our association strong, and all active members are completely behind me on this crusade. We have already informed the filmmakers that a music composer or singer must be registered with their respective associations.
The problem is that Adnan is working here without being a member, and the committee will register him as a CMDA member only when he shows the apt legal documents, which he is not doing so. There is also too much interference from third parties. See, it's like this: when I go to the USA, I am duty-bound to follow the laws of that country. My activities on their land depend on whether I have a work permit, a business visa or a tourist visa. In India we also have clear-cut laws, but when we try to implement them, there is pressure either from a politician or a producer or someone else! But now we are becoming very strict. We will take the help of the police if need be.
It's common knowledge that artistes from Pakistan in particular work here for trifling sums because they get global exposure. But when they make it, they are shameless enough not to mention even the name of our country that has given them all the name, fame and money to even buy properties! My point is: Why summon them if they do not respect our Nation? Why give them work when Lata (Mangeshkar)bai, Javedsaab and Jagjitji are refused work permits in Pakistan? And why neglect the phenomenal talent that is already there in our country and among non-resident Indians?
Udne Ki Aasha
