What effect did your late father’s musical career and his lack of commercial success have on your musical upbringing?

 

My father Sardar Malik never got to work with the top producers and directors, in spite of giving excellent soundtracks like Saranga. Late 1960s onwards he was practically without work. His lack of success despite having so much talent made me realize the grim realities of the film-industry. I had started pursuing music since the age of seven and I promised my father that one day I would make him proud by working with all the top banners. I am happy that I could fulfill that promise during his life-time. Now that he is no more, I realize that I still have miles to go.

 

In the late seventies, you entered the film-music industry when legendary singers like Mohd. Rafi and Kishore Kumar were still active. How was it working with them?

 

I started composing for films as a sixteen year-old boy. That was the time when composers like R.D.Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, Rajesh Roshan and Bhappi Lahiri were ruling the roost. To convince the producers to get work was a big challenge with all this competition. Still I had full faith in my ability and talent and I was always willing for hard toil. These qualities served me to get opportunities to compose some memorable songs like Rafi-sahab’s Mohabbat Rang Lati Hai, Kishore-da’s Tera Chehra Mujhe, Ashaji’s Sohni Meri Sohni and Lataji’s O Radha Tere Bina. Working with these great artists, who were institutions in themselves was a great learning experience for a young lad like me and even though I might have just composed only a few songs for them but those songs were the foundations on which my music was built.

 

You also made two of the biggest superstars sing in your music (Amitabh Bachchan in Toofan and Shahrukh Khan in Josh). How was that experience?

 

Both Amitji and Shahrukh are not only great actors but also thorough professionals who enjoy what they are doing and both give their 100% to everything. Working with them on songs like Don’t Worry Be Happy and Aapun Bola Tu Meri Laila was a real pleasure.

 

After three decades as a composer in Bollywood, where do you see the present-day film-music heading?

 

Melody was the strength of yesteryear composers like Shankar-Jaikishan, Roshan, Madan Mohan and Salil Choudhury. Over the years, the focus has now shifted to sound-designing and sound-production. Everybody is doing that and at times, even I have fallen prey to these tendencies. Technological advances now allow us to do work of ten days in one hour but obviously the quality of such work is not the same as before.

 

But in future, I would like to bring back the melody and blend it with sound designing. I feel the world is now ready for revival of melody and I would like to play my part in that revival.

 

You are one of the judges in the TV- music contest- Indian Idol. Don’t you think relying on SMSes to choose the winners is a flawed method of selecting the best singers?

 

I agree that the format where anybody can send any number of SMSes to choose the winner can sometimes eliminate good talents based on regional or any other personal bias. But as judges we always strive to guide the audience to choose the winners carefully and we have had some real good singers coming through this contest.

 

Coming from such musical contests, some singers like Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chouhan have made it big in Bollywood but there are some like Sanjeevani, who even sang for your film Kareeb but couldn’t make much headway. What is the recipe for success for such newcomers?

 

Apart from talent, Bhagya (Luck) plays a big role in making any newcomer tick. Not losing your focus, keeping your head on your shoulders, constantly honing your skills and enjoying what you are doing are the things which have helped me survive in this industry for thirty years and that to me is the recipe for success for any newcomer.

 

Why does a talented composer like you need to borrow foreign tunes?  

 

In film-industry, many times you have to oblige demands from producers or music companies to use popular foreign tunes and I agree that I have done that in my career. But why single me out? Shankar- Jaikishan were influenced by Abdul Wahab’s music; Roshan- sahab used Pakistani qawwalis; R.D.Burman and Bhappi Lahiri used Western tunes and Nadeem-Shravan have regularly used Pakistani tunes in their music.

 

I would like to state one thing here- Anu Malik is the most original composer of all! This constant criticism has always kept me on my toes and I have been extra-careful not to copy. Show me any other composer who has given as diverse and as original albums like- Border, Refugee, LOC- Kargil, Fiza, Fida, Soldier, Aks, Filhaal and Baazigar. That’s my challenge!

 

So where does Anu Malik go from here?

 

In my career I have achieved many milestones like winning Filmfare- Awards (Baazigar, Fiza, Main Hoon Na) and National Award (Refugee). My composition Chhamma Chhamma was used in Hollywood film- Moulan Rouge. Time magazine mentioned how my song- Sexy Sexy Sexy Mujhe Log Bole created furore in Parliament. I was the first one to come out with a completely original English pop album in India.

 

I believe in keeping rediscovering and reinventing myself. Shirish Kunder’s Jaaneman where I am working with lyricist Gulzar and J.P.Dutta’s Umraojaan where Javed Sahab is writing the songs are two new projects which will show a new Anu Malik and bring back the age of melody in 2006.