Mithoon Sharma, popularly known as Mithoon, has proved his mettle once again by staying true to the legacy of Sunny Deol and Ameesha Patel- starrer Gadar 2. A decade back, the singer-composer-lyricist had recreated the same magic with Aashiqui 2, that became a turning point for the Indian music industry as well as singer Arijit Singh. In an exclusive interview with News18 Showsha, Mithoon spoke about recreating two iconic songs from Gadar-Ek Prem Katha along with soulful and haunting original melodies in the form of Tu Jhoom, Khairiyat and more. Excerpts:
Congratulations on tremendous response to Gadar 2 and it’s music. How are you processing all the love that is coming your way?
I am honestly not able to process everything right now because I think that’s quite a historic moment, not only for me but for the Indian cinema at large. I’ve been seeing reports from very credible sources about how the numbers are record-breaking for the entire industry, both Gadar 2 and OMG 2. After COVID, there was a lot of conversation about OTT and people not coming back to the theatres. And I am such a theatre fan and an old-school Hindi film buff. This has come as such a gift from the Almighty and I am very happy with my soundtrack.
You created the same magic for Gadar 2 that you did for Ashiqui 2…
When Anil Sharma came to me with Gadar 2, he had a story. And I had to set that story to music. Similarly, when Mohit Suri came to me, it was a love story about RJ and Arohi. So I try to see things in that context. I try to focus on the work and let work do all the talking.
Considering there were like 4 versions of Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava in the first album, what was your approach to make your version fresh and at the same time nostalgic for the listeners?
The thought behind Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava was very simple. I have publicly taken a stand against remakes and remixes in the past. Personally, I felt it was not a very healthy trend for the creative groups. But what happens is when you do a film like Gadar, this is a proper sequel. This is the story of Tara Singh and Sakina after 17-18 years. When it’s done for commercial purposes, there is a certain emotional value to it. I don’t think anybody would like to see Gadar 2 without ‘Udd Jaa Kaale Kaava’. I understood that. The original song was written and composed by Anand Bakshi and Uttam Singh whom I’ve admired. And in today’s time, when recreations are getting people so annoyed, there is not one negative comment amid lakhs of comments.
How challenging was recreating Main Nikla Gaddi Leke? Can you recall anything about recreating it with Udit Narayan Ji and Aditya Narayan?
That song was initially all about having fun. And for me, Udit Narayan ji remains the main foundation of both these songs. And I was very clear that I am going to retain his voice against all odds. And Anil Sharma completely backed me up on this. I listened to my guts and I knew what Udit Narayan means to this country and I knew what he was going to do. And from there, I built it further. For ‘Main Nikla’, I just wanted to celebrate the beautiful melody since it’s a very melodious dance track. I wanted to retain the antara and then add my bits. Initially, I wanted to add more layers, more voices to the jugalbandi but then I thought that the innocence of it will go away.
One of the songs ‘Tu Jhoom’ represents duality. It’s a love song but it is also spiritual, somewhat like your Anwar songs. So was this duality deliberate on your part?
Beyond a point, it cannot be deliberate. Because when the song starts, the brief to me was to musically create a song in the backdrop of 1971, and with the conversations of Rajesh Khanna Saab and Mumtaaz Ji. So the idea was to basically use poetry of that era and the brief was given to Sayeed Qadri Saab as well. And that’s why, he has used words like ‘Shokhi’ ‘Shararat’ ‘Nafasat’ ‘Nazakat’ etc. These are words that were very, very popular back then in the 70s. So, that’s where the essence of the song came from.
It was refreshing to hear Sukhwinder Singh after a long time and Sura Soi was such an apt song. You also worked with him on Shamshera. How is it like collaborating with him?
Sukhwinder Singh ji is a riot in the studio. With him, what happens is that when you start discussing the idea, you actually have to keep the mic on. You cannot have a conversation with him with the microphone off. He might just start singing and magic will happen. He is like a kid in the studio who loves his music and nothing else. I discussed the idea with him and even before I could tell him something, I had the tune ‘Sura Soi’ in my head, taken from Guru Granth Sahib. So he jumped onto the mic and sang the entire song. And then I had the idea to compose the song with percussion. You have to be on your toes when you are working with him.
You give an atmospheric and haunting touch to most of your songs. Khairyat is a brilliant example of that. What was the journey like with that song?
When the director tell you that the father doesn’t even know that his son is alive and he is lost in his own grief and his own vulnerability and he is entering Pakistan, that silence and haunting has to be a part of the music. It’s an unsaid prayer that he can probably feel in his guts. There are times in our lives when we don’t have the courage to pray. We don’t even have the courage to open our mouth.
Comments
0 comment