As I write this, Noor E Khuda from My Name Is Khan is playing in the background. Shankar Mahadevan's soothing voice combines with the lilt in Adnan Sami's, creating a magical atmosphere. My foot taps with the tune and I wonder why critics in India have had mixed reactions to this Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa) album. While some consider that the trio have a winner on their hands, others categorise it as average.
tabloid! spoke to its creators to find out why they decided to change track with this album from the usually funky stuff they do.
Tell us about the music of My Name is Khan. How different are the songs from one another, and why is Sajda the only popular track?
Mahadevan: I wouldn't like to say how different the music is. I feel it's up to the listeners to decide whether they want to identify with the song or not. All we'd like to say is that we've gone with the script of the film and created something we're really proud of, and it's music that is purely from the heart.
The rest is up to the listeners to decide how different it is. It's you who need to hear it and tell us.
Which song did you most enjoy composing?
Noorani: Every song is an experience in itself. There is something different that happens in each song and that's what makes the experience fun. So I'd say we enjoy all songs, though we feel Noor E Khuda with Shankar and Adnan [Sami] is our favourite [on] this album.
You've done many films with Karan Johar and Shah Rukh Khan. How has your experience been working with them?
Noorani: Well, Karan is very sure of what he wants, musically speaking. He [has] a very good sense of what goes down with the public and almost every time we've worked together, it has worked. Shah Rukh, though he's co-producer of the film, hasn't interfered with our work, probably because he's very busy with other things and feels he can leave it to Karan.
Just as a character is often created keeping an actor in mind, is music composed keeping the character in mind?
Mahadevan: No, we create music keeping the script in mind for if the song works with the script, it will definitely identify with the character.
Do lyrics play a big role in creating a good melody?
Noorani: Lyrics don't really play a role in creating a good melody, but they do enhance a good melody. In [a] sense, if you have a good melody but terrible lyrics, it will fall flat. Luckily, all the lyricists we've worked [with], even [on] My Name is Khan, have lifted the melody many steps up.
Where do you draw inspiration from for your tunes?
Mahadevan: Inspiration comes from various sources. When you're composing melodies for a film, it comes primarily from the script and the director — what he wants and what are the types of music he listens to and what satisfies him. We read the mind of the director and work according to it for, at the end of the day, he is the captain of the ship.
Which of your more than 50 films was your easiest composition?
Noorani: The film that we really nailed was Dil Chahta Hai, because the creativity flowed in a very different way. We composed all the songs in two days, with the lyrics and everything done. But, we do face a lot of challenges too. Like Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna was tough to compose for.
What happens when there is a clash of opinion amongst the three of you?
Mendonsa: I think if you distance yourself for a day or two and then step back into the recording room, hear the song again, you get a better perspective on it. It's actually one of the processes we follow — we write and come back to it after a month or two, sometimes three, and listen to it again and get a better objective on the song.
Most of your songs have been remixed. Do you think original compositions should be twisted like this?
Noorani: Internationally, DJing is a very powerful art form, though it's not seen the same way in India. This is because the west is very open to new technologies and expanding it. You'd be surprised to know to what levels some guys can mix and create grooves. But in India, we think remixing is putting a beat on the song. I think what one needs to do is re-look at the term "remixing" and its context.
How much is Indian music different from western music?
Noorani: Well, it depends [on] if you look at Indian music as a holistic thing. From the classical point of view, it's completely different. But if you look at Indian film music, there are some similarities in the sense that there are many western influences in it.
How much do you think Indian music has been recognised in the western world?
Mendonsa: It's a very slow process, even though there are a lot of ambassadors. Pandit Ravi Shankar, for example, took pure classical Indian music to the world and then there are others. Part of it is also a marketing game, how it's packaged. Slumdog Millionaire was a lovely medium for A.R. Rahman to exhibit his talent, though he's done brilliant work right from Roja. But those didn't really receive the recognition he deserved. So, what you need is to understand how the business works.
Mahadevan: I think you got to do the right film at the right time, for the right purpose, viewed by the right kind of audience, and with the right kind of marketing, placed in the right position. So when all of these parameters come together, you know, it works for you.
Any creative field requires a lot of focus and often you would have to de-link yourself from the rest of the world. What do you miss most at that time?
Noorani: I don't think we really miss anything. I think this music is what makes us part of this world as opposed to detaching from it. I feel it's what you draw upon, what influences you. It's not like we become reclusive, we're very much part of the scene.
Mendonsa: Part of the process is the feedback you get from your fans — both positive and negative. But the true test is when you're on stage performing: that's your actual audience and immediate feedback.
Mahadevan: I think you're talking about the state of mind. Well, you can be at peace in the middle of the biggest traffic jam or you can be totally disturbed when in tranquil surroundings. So, in that sense, it doesn't matter whether you're detached from society or within it. It's about how peaceful you are with yourself to create that music.
Who are your favourite composers/musicians?
Mahadevan: Well, we like A.R. Rahman, Vishal Bhardwaj, Vishal Shekhar, Ilyaraja, Samir-Salman, Amir Trivedi — lots of them.
Noorani: Internationally favourite composers? I could talk to you for two hours easily.
You are the most popular music composers in Bollywood today...
Mahadevan: No we aren't the most popular, we're one of the popular ones.
OK. What more would you want?
Shankar: We'd like to raise the bar for the quality of music that people listen to and also give them something fresh, so that they also get accustomed to listening to quality music. That's it.
Album Review: My Name Is Khan
The Sufi theme has been well adapted by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The tunes are catchy, yet soul-stirring. In fact, the songs seem to blend together, giving the impression that it's one long composition. That's the feeling you get when listening to a Sufi concert where ballads seem like one long song, only with differing tempo. I feel that's what Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have tried to capture in this album.
All singers, from the maestro Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to Shankar Mahadevan, Adnan Sami, Shafqat Amanat Ali, Richa Sharma, Shreya Ghoshal, Rashid Khan and Suraj Jaggan have rendered each number beautifully.
You are on a high with Sajda when Noor E Khuda's soft tones bring you a few notches down. The tempo rises again with Shafqat Amanat Ali's Tere Naina before you are forced to take a calming turn with Allah Hi Reham again.
Rang De is the only song that does not go with the theme and tends to stick out like a sore thumb. It seems like a leftover from one of their last compositions, Rock On.
