Salim Merchant is like that magician during our childhood who had us throw back our head with gleeful abandon and clap enthusiastically as he sprung out a surprise with the mere wave of his wand and his little black hat of tricks.
Refreshingly honest about his musical choices, his patriotic spirit and his stance to never work with controversial Bollywood director Madhur Bhandarkar ever again, the music composer – who makes one half of the award-winning Salim-Sulaiman duo – doesn’t feel the need to mince words in a film industry where relationships and nepotism determine your bread and butter.
The composers clearly have not much to worry about considering the career milestones they hit much early on in life. A Daytime Emmy nomination for the US TV show The Wonder Pets, collaborations with Lady Gaga and Enrique Iglesias, a Hollywood project with Sold, an official song for FIFA, composing music for London’s West End… the list seems endless.
Quiz the talented composer and singer on whether he has many more miles to go before he can sleep, and Salim responds cheekily: “Well, our first public concert in Abu Dhabi certainly finds its way on to the bucket list.”
The brothers will be performing in the UAE capital on August 18 for the Namaste Abu Dhabi! gig at the Emirates Palace auditorium, in honour of the Independence Days of Pakistan and India. (The countries celebrate their Independence Days on August 14 and 15 respectively.)
Ahead of the two-hour, 40-minute set, Salim gives Gulf News tabloid! a sneak peek into what the brothers have in store for their legion of fans, along with spilling a few secrets about their biggest hits, including composing Aivayi Aivayi from Ranveer Singh’s Band Baaja Baraat from the backseat of a Delhi taxi cab.
On their UAE concert…
“This is our first public concert in Abu Dhabi, as we’ve only ever done private corporate events there. We are excited because we have a large fan-following here, and it has always been on our bucket list to play for an Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi crowd. And of course, let’s not forget the local Emirati community who love Bollywood music.”
Salim promises all their monster hits, including Kurbaan, Band Baaja Baraat, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Fashion and more.
“The Emirates Palace is an intimate venue and we like to engage with our audience on a personal level when performing,” he says. Think calling a lucky and unsuspecting fan on stage to jam with them.
Although, there won’t be any surprise dedications on the spot for the brothers. Says Salim: “Our set is very well planned, considering we do 85 to 90 concerts annually. After Abu Dhabi, we are headed to the US where we have a concert on August 20 in Houston. We know the pulse of our people and that is what we put out there.”
The set, he reveals, is split into different sections: their biggest hits, a Punjabi danceathon and a retro element that pays tribute to their musical influences, including music composers RD Burman, Madan Mohan and more.
“We invite people on stage. We have our devotional moments. We talk about women empowerment, world peace. We say a prayer for the armed forces,” he adds.
In fact, the duo have released a song, which goes live today, titled Mera Desh Hi Dharam (My Country is My Religion), which is a special dedication to the Indian Armed Forces. Although the performer was a little hesitant to reveal details about the track, he was very firm that no patriotic song, including the title track of Chak De! India, would find its way into their musical set here to avoid offending their fans who come from across the border.
On the message of music
Last year, as the political climate heated up between India and Pakistan with director Karan Johar forced to deliver an apology for employing actor Fawad Khan in his film Kapoor and Sons, Salim-Sulaiman went ahead to collaborate with Pakistan’s living legend Abida Parveen for Noor-e-Illahi.
The ban of Pakistani artistes in India continues even today, with actors Fawad Khan and Mahira Khan, banned from working in Bollywood.
How do the brothers respond to such limitations?
“I believe music transcends castes and communities,” responds Salim. “We like Abida Parveen so we worked with her; we love listening to her as we do Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan. We hope to collaborate one day with Ustad Ghulam Ali Khan.
“Look, politics and red tape have always been a problem and remain so. As a citizen of my country, I can’t go against the stance that has been taken. But I also believe that people in Pakistan love the Indian culture and vice-vera. We are all born with the same love for music. Borders only know to separate people. But our hearts remain connected.”
On working with Amitabh Bachchan
After their tour, the music composers will be heading back into the studios to work with veteran actors Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor for the upcoming film, 102 Not Out.
The movie, which is based on a Gujarati play, sees Bachchan play a 102-year-old, with Kapoor his 75-year-old son. The plot revolves around Bachchan’s character attempting to break the oldest person record, which is held by a Chinese man in the film.
Says Salim: “We have already recorded three songs for it. A fourth will be recorded with Amitji and Rishiji. We are waiting for Amitji who is currently busy shooting. Once he’s available, we are hoping to get both of them into the studios.”
Describing the film’s soundtrack as ‘vintage’, Salim compares the music to Barfi!, with an old-world charm that composers such as Salil Chaudhary brought to the table with Ajeeb Dastaan Hai Yeh.
On past and future glories
After their Bollywood film with Bachchan, the duo will also be working on Aivaary with Sidharth Malhotra and Manoj Bajpayee, along with The Accidental Prime Minister, which as Anupam Kher in the lead.
Salim adds: “We are also hoping to start work on an Australian film next year.” Although, the composer was hesitant in divulging further details on the project.
Quiz him about his international collaborations, which include Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, along with Enrique Iglesias’ I’m a Freak and the FIFA World Cup 2010 anthem, and Salim just responds with a contagious laugh. “We never knew the reach of Indian music until we collaborated with Gaga. Indian music is huge outside India, and by this we don’t just mean the UAE.”
On his favourite kind of music
The self-confessed fan of — wait for it — Justin Bieber, says he has a thing for all things vintage.
“I love the music composed by Madan Mohanji. You just have to hear his music to know what I mean. I think AR Rahman is also complete as a musician, but if I had to pick my favourite from today’s times, then it would be Ustaad Zakir Hussain [the tabla maestro],” says Salim. “He has been our guru, mentor and remains a dear friend.”
Ask which is his firm favourite from his own compositions, and Salim says: “That would have to be Yeh Hosla from the film Dor [2006]. When I first hear the complete composition, I cried. That has never happened to me before or after.”
The stories behind their biggest hits….
Aivayi Aivayi from Band Baaja Baraat: Says Salim: “This was inspired by a cab driver in Delhi. He was driving through traffic while constantly talking on the phone. When I asked him why he couldn’t put his phone away, he replied with Aivayi [Just because]. I had never heard this word before; it is very North Indian. Somehow, it resonated with me and when we were composing for Band Baaja Baraat, the word just aptly fit Ranveer’s [Singh] character.”
Haule Haule from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi: The title of the song was inspired by the movie’s director himself, Aditya Chopra. Says Salim: “Adi was narrating the film to us and he described a scene where Shah Rukh Khan tells his Taani partner [Anushka Sharma] that Haule Haule Ho Jayega Pyaar [slowly, slowly, you will fall in love]. That line itself was the hook we needed.
“I remember, we started composing that song at 2pm on the same day and by 10.30pm we had the song ready.”
Night Ki Naughty Kahaani from Heroine: A song that elicited a strong reaction in Salim, as he responds: “I don’t like it. I don’t feel good about this song at all.”
The song had courted controversy with its objectionable lyrics, which female activists called derogatory and labelled it as an invitation for stalking and abuse.
Salim continues: “I don’t ever want to work with Bhandarkar again. He pushed and pushed. We had composed the song with different lyrics and he pushed those words into the song. Mr Madhur Bhandarkar only thrives on controversy. He did with Heroine and he did it again with his latest film, Indu Sarkar, which is anti-Congress. There was no foundation to that film’s story. He is sensationalist, pure and simple.”
Shukran Allah from Kurbaan: “Thank you God. That is the literal translation of the song,” explains Salim. “[Filmmaker] Karan Johar was narrating the premise to us, where Saif Ali Khan is going to the mosque to say a prayer of thanks for finding his life partner in Kareena [Kapoor Khan]. The premise was so pure that we decided to pen a prayer as a love song.
“Honestly, we were scared a little. Because the song was so authentic. We bared our souls for it.”
Aaja Nachle title track: “This only reminds me of Harshdeep Kaur. We had worked with her, actually a total of five singers before we ended with Sunidhi Chauhan,” reveals Salim. “We wanted something different considering it was Madhuri Dixit’s comeback film.
“Earlier, we had composed a whole different sound for the track, a classical rendition. But everyone suggested we stick to a safer comeback track and so we altered it to go the commercial way.”
Don’t Miss It!
What: Namaste Abu Dhabi! with Salim-Sulaiman is organised by Oberoi Middle East Events.
When: August 18, from 7.30pm onwards
Where: Emirates Palace, Abu Dhabi
Tickets start at Dh100
