MY Inspiration Is To Find Myself Again: With films like Rohit Shetty’s Chennai Express, Siddharth Anand’s Bang Bang, Karan Johar’s Gori Tere Pyar Mein, Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Milan Talkies and Farah Khan’s Happy New New Year to their credit there is no looking back for music composers Vishal –Shekhar. However Shekhar Ravjiani of the duo says that there is more to life than just composing music. The music composer has just released his second Marathi single Saavli recently. The song has been appreciated by one and all and Shekhar has got more than Seventy Thousand hits in just two days on you tube. We talk to the composer turned singer about his new journey in bollywood. Your song has been highly appreciated and Shah Rukh Has also sung some verses we heard? How did it happen?: I am humbled by the appreciation. It has been unbelievable. I have to thank my director friend Ravi Jadhav who has written the lyrics of the song. Incidentally it is the first time he has written the lyrics. I was shocked that so many people have viewed it. I have got so many fan mails right from Israel, Afghanistan, South Africa, Iceland, Russia and East Africa” says Shekhar.Shah Rukh Khan has always been a great friend. He came to meet me for Chennai Express I told him that I have sung this song and recorded it. He evinced keen interest and wanted to see it. I also revealed that the proceeds of this song would go to an NGO Maniketan a home of 300 little girls. When he came to know the cause he immediately agreed to be a part of it. He narrated a few lines of the shayari written by Amitabh Battacharya. Shah Rukh has also tweeted about it. “My friend/ Music director singer and generally a good guy” “ What is this NGO all about?: It was introduced to me by Ravi Jadhav. I wanted to give the proceeds of the song to some NGO. He suggested this NGO. He lives in Thana and he knew about this home which consists of 300 girls. These girls are looked after and given education and are looked after till they get married. The girls have been abandoned by their families. The collections are good. We have also given it as downloads and ringtones now so I am glad that I will be able to do something good for them. When did your passion for singing start?: I started writing my own songs 13 years ago. I have written so many songs for me it was a routine. I didn’t know what to do with them. Will you sing and compose them too?: Maybe I will compose a few of them and sing a few in the future. I have no plans of reviving them now. I have been given a format by directors so far and I accordingly. It is all according to their choice. How did this album happen? I was enjoying composing but I decided to do something and last year I started composing a tune for myself. I wanted to do something for myself. I have a platform so why not make use of it. Ravi Jadhav the director of Balak Palak happened to come and meet me. I asked him for the name of a Marathi lyricist. He asked me what it was for. I told him I had composed a tune and wanted someone to write Marathi lyrics for me. He said he would write it for me. He is a big name in Marathi cinema and he has written for the first time. I told him to coin words in a way that I would sound like a Marathi singer. I worked hard on it. I practiced as I loved challenges. I learnt the words. It is a very Jack Johnson very acoustic and guitar based song. Your first single Saajani had also been written by Ravi Jadhav. How did Sunidhi Chauhan come into Saavli? Saajani was a huge hit on you tube and competed with Dhanush’s Kolaveri Di and that’s what inspired me to do Saavali. I had composed a song Haravali pakhare for Marathi film Balapk Palak. Ravi Jadhav the directed suggested we do a video for this ong. He integrated scenes of Balak Palak as visuals for this film. I showed the song to Sunidhi Chauhan when she visited me and asked her if she would like to be apart of the song. She agreed and sang a few lines. Why a song on Marathi?: I can speak basic Marathi. In school I was fairly good inn the language. Later I stayed in Nasik for four years in Tapovan where we had a grape orchard. I had a lot of friends there. In Marathi music I love Ajay Atul’s work. Singing in Marathi was a challenge for me. After this I am planning my third single in Tamil and the fourth in Bengali and fifth in Malayalam and so on. The proceeds of all these songs will go to Maniketan . But you are a Kutchi any plans to do a song in your mother tongue? Have you heard their folk?: I am a Kutchi and want to do a song in my mother tongue. I have not heard their folk yet and don’t want to as I don’t work with fixed notions in my head. Do you plan to incorporate your song into any Marathi film?: I don’t mind provided they do something for my NGO Maniketan. From where do you draw inspiration for your music and songs? “Inspiration comes from life. I started with a groove on percussion. I sit on the harmonium. I have no structure. My inspiration is to find myself again. I give it hundred percent and people love and appreciate it. I believe that when you compose things from your heart it will work for you. I had written, composed and arranged one song ‘Dil se door na jaana ‘from Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi. I usually pen down my lyrics and write poetries too. We have heard so much about you and Vishal where and when did your association with Vishal Begin? We are close friends and we enjoy working and fun thing for us. We look forward to composing newer tunes everyday. Our music is going to grow higher and higher. There is no stagnation I am introducing my own expertise in another area. We have been together for so many years now. We met when I was working for MAD films and would do jingles for them. I was working with Raj Kaushal and I met Vishal in the same studio. He was working on another film. We met and showed each other our music and we did the title track for Pyar Mein Kabhi Kabhi together for the first time and there was no looking back ever since. When and what age did you start learning music? :I belong to a business family and have been trained under Ustad Niyaz Ahmed Khan. I was also trained under Jagjit Singh who was a family friend. I learnt Piano from Xaviers. It was my hobby. I was staying and it was my friend who introduced me to Mukul. I was singing and doing music for jingles. At that time I had gone with my friend for the Saregama Auditions. We were sitting in the audience and would look at the contestants and would be amazed at their talent. I had just done six months of training from them. Students of Pt. Bhimsain Joshi and Suresh Wadkar were participating. My friend forced me to give an audition. I sang the song ‘tu hi re’ from Bombay. I got selected. I was shocked. I was giving a tough fight to Aditya a student of Hridaynath Mangeshkar. My parents were in London. I called my dad and told him that I was selected but I was not sure I would win. Dad said “winning or losing was not important be happy in what you are doing and learning. I lost by five points. The winner got 95 points.” Now that you have made a debut with your album any plans to act in films?: I have got many offers but no I will not act. I am destined to do this. For now I am enjoying my stint as a singer and composer” he concludes. Interview by Shama Bhagat, Source: Page3
