It might come as a surprise but I don’t spend all my waking hours listening to music. There can be times when I switch off completely and don’t go anywhere near my music system. I still like listening to old masters like Fleetwood Mac, Eric Clapton, Bono, Mick Jagger, R.D.Burman, Rafi Saab and Kishore Kumar, they bring that smile on your face on a bad day.
Loy (Mendosa), Ehsan (Noorani) and I usually make good music. But that doesn’t mean I am completely unaware of what’s happening around us. In recent times I particularly enjoyed listening to A.R.Rahman’s sounds in Yuva: they had a refreshing quality about them. I think Fanaa was one of the best numbers in the film, it was very young at heart. The thing about Rahman is that he never sounds monotonous, and one of the reasons why Yuva was always on top of the charts was only because of Rahman.
When we talk about good music in films, my vote goes to Jatin-Lalit for Hum Tum: once again they prove they are among the most talented musicians in town. One of the tracks I really loved was Chak De, it had an infectious charm. Rishi Rich is very interesting, and deserves more opportunities in India.
I checked out Fuzon the other day, they have an amazing presence. I am not surprised to hear that they are ruling the charts. I have no patience for remix albums, no matter how pretty the models are. I hope people become more discerning and good music sells.
As told to Somashukla Sinha Walunjkar