Interview : Pritam on his music!

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vinnie

@vinnie-thepooh

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Posted: 18 years ago

Interview : Pritam on his music!

2006 belonged to Himesh Reshammiya for delivering so many soundtracks but not lagging behind was Pritam, who delivered hits after hits over the months. Each soundtrack revealed a new side of him, standing diverse from each other. 'Ankahee' boasted of quality, while 'Gangster' and 'Woh Lamhe' touched soaring heights and 'Pyaar Ke Side Effects', 'Dhoom 2', Apna Sapna Money Money', and 'Bhagam Bhag' had him emerge over the top. Pritam steals the limelight and here's a chat on his music.

Excerpts from the Interview:

2006 indeed has been an exceptional year for you. With Bhagam Bhag you emerge on the top once again.

'Bhagam Bhag' is my favorite currently. The year has been really good for me. 'Woh Lamhe' was raging but now I would place 'Bhagam Bhag' over it. People around say that my score for Priyadarshan's for 'Garam Masala' was better, but I believe it is 'Bhagam Bhag'. I would rank the songs in descending order Title song, Khudkhushi, Tere Bin, Signal and then Afreen, which is a situational number. But I count that public opinion matters the most.

The music of 'Apna Sapna Money Money' was very energetic. What's your opinion about it?

True it was fun filled and the response that the soundtrack garnered took me by surprise as well. 'Guitar' has got a fantastic response from the western and northern belt of India. Audience in single screen theatres went frenzy clapping and cheering with the track. The response of the track indeed made me feel high.

You got a good turnover with the music of the films, but why do you think Ankahee and Naksha were non-starrer?

I have no idea why the music of both the soundtracks didn't sell when they ought to. From the super successful year, the response for the music of both the films hurts. The scores were appreciated but may be the promos didn't excite them enough to come in touch of the album. 'Ankahee' was a disaster but 'Naksha' worked on parts. Also the music was released close on the heels of the release of the film. 'Ankahee' lagged good promos. 'Aa Paas Aa' is one of my finest composition but many are not even aware that such a track exists. The film failed to click and the music shared the ill fate. I was very excited about the track 'U and I' from Naksha but the music video hit the screens only 10 days from the release of the film. I was touting it as a super hit while many didn't hear the track even. My hard work and efforts were wasted! The same happened to the soundtrack of Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, which is one of my favourite. Factors like orchestra, backing vocals, singing and even marketing contribute to make a song a hit or a flop.

Which are the tracks according to you were unexpected hits?

Hmm, well if I had to pick one song that surprised me turning to be a big hit its 'Pyaar Karke Pachtaya' from Pyaar Ke Side Effects. Also 'Kiss Me Baby' from Garam Masala in spite of poor execution worked may be due to Adnan Sami factor. Again I was certain that 'Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai' from 'Gangster' will work wonder and Anurag was betting on 'Bheegi Bheegi', but it was 'Ya Ali' which stole the show and changed the destiny of the album. 'Dhoom' was expected to be a hit with the hype and publicity and I knew the tracks would click no matter good or bad. People expected the title track 'Dhoom Machale' to be a hit but I had some apprehension about it in my mind. I was certain that the music of would work if the film clicked. And though it has received flak from critics but the audience liked it. It has been good success and 'Crazy' is a chartbuster.

What's in store this year?

Anurag Basu's 'Metro', one of the most challenging assignments I am working on. There is this band, which is the pillar of the film, and I have been going crazy searching for an all man band that I need to create for this film. This band features as a part of the film and is seen throughout. There will be six rock tracks for the album and it'll be the USP. Anurag and me are making sure that we come with the best songs for the film. We have auditioned more than 35 people to make a band comprising of 3-5 men. It has turned out to be quite an uphill task.