Sameer interview in Screen

Beyond 500

Rajiv Vijayakar
Posted online: Friday, July 07, 2006 at 0000 hours IST

It pays to keep track of your work. It was because Sameer, son of the late veteran lyricist Anjaan, had kept a record of the films that he has done that he realized that the latest film he had signed - none other than Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya - was his 500th Hindi film. Hardly had he realized this that Madhur Bhandarkar and music director Shameer Tandon approached him for the third in Madhur's Mumbai trilogy, Traffic Signal."This became my 501st film!" exults the writer who took off in 1982 with Usha Khanna's Bekhabar.
In many ways, 2006 is a landmark year for contemporary Hindi cinema's most prolific writer. It is his 25th year in action, he is an integral part of the astounding Himesh Reshammiya phenomenon, and is set to release his book as well as commemorate his illustrious dad on the occasion of his 10th death anniversary later this year.
"My ambition is to beat my idol Anand Bakshi-ji's record and yet become choosy now!" says Sameer.The young-at-art lyricist takes them off for a candidspeak with Screen. Excerpts. 500 films in 25 years, plus other work. How do you think you managed it?
It's all God's will, and His and my parents' blessings as well as my golden luck in getting the best associates among filmmakers and music directors. My wife and my children too have played a major role, understood my workaholic temperament and the demands of this profession. Nothing is known about your family.
Well, my marriage was arranged by my parents. I have two daughters, one of whom is in college, and a son who is in kindergarten. My wife has led the life of a very traditional homemaker, but she is the backbone of my success and the anchor of my family. In my own way, main unnke liye waqt churaa letaa hoon. What changes do we see in Sameer the lyricist after 500 films?
Not just 500 Hindi films but also 20 Bhojpuri films and more albums than any other lyricist! (Smiles). I was planning to curtail work for two years and now I am going to do it. In a way it will be easier now, because work has reduced and become dissipated. Except for Himesh Reshammiya and me, there is no team around as was the case with Nadeem-Shravan and Anand-Milind with me, my father with Bappi Lahiri and Kalyanji-Anandji or Anand Bakshi with Laxmikant-Pyarelal.
Besides, the days are gone when a music director would sign 30, 40 or 50 films. Today he can have just about 10-12 releases every year - if he is able to be prolific. So today, apart from Himesh's work, I have only a few other assignments. I recall you saying that about 15-20 filmmakers refuse to work without you.
Yes, main usska bhi rastaa nikaal rahaa hoon without hurting anyone, especially my permanent associates. It is a matter of adjustment and maybe better organization where I can oblige them and still not feel burdened. Your list of filmmakers is almost comprehensive.
I think that the true indicator of an artiste's success is how much he is repeated by a banner or a director, because that is almost entirely dictated by your work- quality and comfort zone. Yes, joint success does have a role, par agar kaam accha hua hai aur acchi tarah se hua hai then it is natural that you will want to keep working again and again. When relationships are formed, even hits and flops cease to matter. And this is only possible when you are down-to-earth and focus only on work rather than manipulations. This is when they return to you even if they go elsewhere and even if they score a hit or two with others. I have seen this happen with seniors and I feel nice that it's often been the same with me. Which music directors would you say have a major role in your success?
Each of them right up to Himesh Reshammiya have had a special role in my life. My earliest successes were with Anand-Milind and Nadeem-Shravan, and Nadeem had paid me the ultimate compliment when a journalist asked him why he did not work with others by stating that for him I was bigger than Bakshi-ji and Majrooh-saab - it showed how much he valued me. When A-M and N-S had professional problems, it was Anu Malik who bailed me out with a chain of films together - and that is something that I can never forget or hope to repay. During this phase Jatin-Lalit were also very supportive and we did great work together as well. Even the music directors with whom I did just a few films all contributed to my career, whether it was Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Bappi Lahiri, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy or now Ilayaraja with whom I am doing Bharatiraaja's 100th film Cinema after working on Hey! Ram. You have been the low-profile but constant and equal part of the current Himesh phenomenon. But there has been no hype about you.
You have to understand one thing: it is Himesh Reshammiya as a singer jisne hungama kiya hai- as a composer he has been doing great work since Tere Naam three years ago! It is Himesh the singer who is taking centerstage, just the way Kishore Kumar would for a 'Khaike paan Banaraswala...'(Don) along with Amitabh Bachchan. Kalyanji-Anandji and my father cannot hope to get the same credit. That's how it has always been.
But Himesh Reshammiya the composer has played a very major role in my career: it was he who called me one day and with great respect and gentleness told me that we had to change with the times. It was he who cajoled me into thinking of new, younger colours and avenues, because he had shrewdly guaged the changing audience. He told me, "I am telling you this because I am changing my music and I know that I can do this only with you and no one else!" Shaayad yeh ooparwale ko manzoor tha that I should re-invent and think young, and come to share his success. How do you explain the Himesh phenomenon?
While theories are running wild, no one has cottoned on to the main reason - which is Himesh's strongest point. And what is that?
That whatever he does, he has never left melody! All his songs, irrespective of how they are packaged or filmed, have a foundation in raags or folk. This is something Himesh has never abandoned and never will. Nadeem-Shravan had the same belief. They veered audience tastes towards strong, Indian melody when things were going in a contrary direction. When you work with Himesh, what is the process like in comparison to others?
Well, it's not as if there is a specific brief. We have developed a solid comfort zone, which always happens when people work a lot with each other. Ab to aisa hai ke woh kuchh gungunaane lage to main unnko shabd de sakta hoon! Our tuning is perfect because our thoughts are in complete tandem.
There is another great advantage here. Having worked so much we realize exactly what we have achieved together aur kab aur kaise aage jaana hai ya kuchh alag karna hai. To Himesh, as I said, goes the entire credit of keeping one step ahead! We are now trying out world music, because he realizes that one has to move on and change before trends do. How easy or difficult is all this for you as a lyricist?
Yeh sab to bahut hi tedha aur mushkil kaam hai. Himesh has composed every kind of song and tried out the styles of his seniors. He now knows that he has to carve his own style for keeps. And today's demands are not as simple as composing a song for the words or writing to a tune. If I have a great folk catchphrase, we have to see how it reconciles with a mix of raags and something that appeals to today's generation! Yeh teen cheezon ka saath mein khayaal rakhna is something that can only be done by spending extensive time discussing and experimenting together. Neither he nor I can do this in isolation. But a different score like Banaras did not work.
Yes, and Himesh in particular was upset about this- because I think we had successfully met the challenge of being different yet commercial. It was a difficult, demanding brief, and when such things do not work, the incentive to raise the bar and try new avenues can be affected. We could have traversed a new, more solid road had the film and the songs worked. But these things happen.
We are therefore very charged about Apne now, which I call a 3-D film because it stars all the three Deols- Dharam-ji, Sunny and Bobby! Because they are associated with Punjabi music we have decided not to give a single song with a Punjabi base, and yet make it a musical experience for three stars with essentially non-musical images! Which are the non-Himesh films that you feel charged about?
Aadesh Shrivastava has done some very impressive work in B.R.Chopra's Babul. Pritam's music in Dhoom 2 is better than even Dhoom - I think that the score will create another sensation like the predecessor. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and I are working on two major projects - Nikhil Advani's Salaam-E-Ishq and Sajid Nadiadwala's and Sajid Khan's O Baby, which is very special to me because it reunites me with Sajid Nadiadwala, with whom I had an unbroken association from his first film Zulm Ki Hukumat in 1992 to Mujhse Shaadi Karogi, in which I wrote one song.
As for Saawariya and Traffic Signal, I expect them to be milestones. You had written a song for Bhansali's Devdas and done Madhur Bhandarkar's Aan. What made them return to you?
That's a question they can answer better! But Sanjay Bhansali told me that he was very influenced by my song in Devdas. He told me that he had spent months listening to 'Mohabbaten lutaaoonga', my song for Indian Idol, and one of my songs in Tere Naam and could not think of anyone other than me for this romantic story. He told me that he wanted very simple but meaningful songs. The music by Monty Sharma is very different and hopefully will be a trendsetter.
By contrast, Traffic Signal is totally commercial music. My brief was songs that blended masti with philosophy, just like a 'Yeh hai Bambai meri jaan...' (C.I.D.). Madhur had planned just two songs before, because his films tend to avoid music, but now the film has five full-fledged songs, including one at a beggar's marriage! Madhur gave me a completely free hand and the music will be something to look forward to in this year.