‘I love some crazy songs’

‘I love some crazy songs’

His music has won you over but when you meet Shankar Mahadevan, he charms you with his humility. The singer-composer, along with Ehsaan and Loy, was in Pune recently to perform at the foundation laying of Gera’s World of Joy (child-centric homes).

While interacting with the media, Shankar said that he has come to the city in various avatars. “I have come here as a classical singer. I think, I am the only Bollywood personality who has also sung at the Sawai Gandharva Bhimsen Mahotsav. I have also performed as a fusion artist with Zakir Hussain and Shakti, the band. I have sung bhav geet, natya geet and bhajan. Every time, I have performed here, the audience has been so receptive. Pune listeners are serious listeners,” he said. 

BOLLYWOOD COMPOSITIONS
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is now gearing up for the release on their next — Chhapaak, starring Deepika Padukone and Vikrant Massey. The Meghna Gulzar directorial is based on the true story of acid attack survivor Laxmi Agarwal. “The character of acid attack survivor is being played by one of the biggest stars of our country — Deepika Padukone. When a big star plays such a character, the message reaches out ten-fold,” Shankar said. 

The first song of the film, Nok Jhok was released recently and got a huge response. “At a time, when old songs are being remixed with lots of melody, Nok Jhok has just a voice and a guitar playing. It comes as a breath of fresh air,” the vocalist said, adding that they try to create music with honesty and sincerity.

As to how important giving hit songs is for composers, Shankar said that getting a hit song is OK. “A hit song will come and go but songs like Ae Watan (Raazi) and Maa (Taare Zameen Par) will be played for the next 100 years. We are proud that we are a part of these songs,” he said.

After being in the business for more than two decades, what motivates them to work on a project, we asked. The script, came the reply. “The script and the people we are working with. When we start working on a project, we are developing a relationship of almost two years because normally the films we do, are of a bigger scale. When people understand the aesthetics of good music, that excites us,” he pointed out.   

REMIXES
When the discussion moved towards today’s music, which is catchy but fails to stay and connect with the listeners after a certain point, Shankar said that he has nothing against music that’s wacky. “I love some crazy songs and that’s a different section of music. But I have a problem when music is musically mediocre. When musicians listen to it, they are like, ‘What is this?’. That annoys me. If you do a catchy song with crazy lyrics, even I will dance to it,” he said. 

Sadly, remixes have become an integral part of films. Shankar believes that there is a limit to remixes. “You can’t rely on remixes to promote your film. What is happening today is that you just take one song which has become a huge hit and use that again and again. Some of the recreations are bad. There is a kind of sanctity to the old compositions. If you compose something mind-blowing, it’s still fine but you can’t have it in every film just because it worked in one film. Does it mean, you are not trusting the music composers of today to come up with original content? Why don’t you give them a chance? Just because you have the power and money to put in, you don’t give a chance to young people?,” asked the singer who listens to different genres of music. 

LEARNING FROM HIS CHILDREN
The singer said that he learns a lot from his sons — Siddharth and Shivam. Both his sons are talented singers. “They are today’s kids and updated with what is happening musically, what is working musically, what I am supposed to listen to and learn. If we don’t move with the youth today, they will move ahead and you would be sitting in one place and rejoicing your past glory,” he said.

Any piece of advice he shares with his sons and students on how to survive in the industry? Shankar said that it’s a complicated industry and these are the complicated times. “But it’s also an easy place because you can make your own identity -- you have the whole digital world to you, make use of it. But do not shy away from excellence and thrive for it,” said the artist, adding, “Also, there is no replacement for hard work.” 

He said that singers have to be excellent. “If you come to me with your demo, I should be blown away by it and that’s what I tell my students. You should remain in your listener’s memory. Have patience and perseverance.” 

He said that budding singers should be listening to good music, which becomes their bench mark. “And if you can, learn Indian classical; that really helps.” 
      
TURNING AUTHOR
The singer is writing a book for those who do not understand music. He has already written seven chapters but the book has got delayed, he added. “Actually, I got the idea of writing the book here. Many years back, when I met Kumar Gera, he told me, ‘Shankar, why don’t you write a book on music for dummies?’ But I wasn’t comfortable with the idea. So, I am writing about demystifying music and it’s for people who don’t understand and don’t know anything about music. I had not thought about that but it was he who instilled the idea in me,” he concludes.

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