Singer Shantanu Mukherjee aka Shaan was happy to sing Aaj Unse Milna Hai and Murli Ki Taanon Si for Prem Ratan Dhan Payo
Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; October 30, 2015)
How did Aaj Unse Milna Hai happen?
I got lucky with my timing. When I got in to dub with Himeshji, all the other songs were already recorded. How it all came about was that Himeshji and I were on the sets of reality show The Voice. Between takes, I was asking him how the music of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo was coming along and he said it was shaping up pretty well and it has the whole Sooraj Barjatya and Rajshri Productions feel to it. Baat baat mein, he said, 'There's a song left that will really work with you, why don't you come and dub it tomorrow.' I went in the next day and sang the song. That was just about two months ago. Lo and behold the song is out and people love it so much. It was something that was meant to happen.
The brief was totally in the song itself. The narrative is that the guy is going to meet the girl. They said to keep it simple, feel-good and to have a certain sense of simplicity. Generally what happens is that with Salman Khan, you want to give the song a little flair and flamboyance. However, here it was about keeping things innocent and happy. The song is releasing during the festive time when there is a lot of milna milana.
You've also sung Murli Ki Taanon Si in the film.
After I sang Aaj Unse Milna Hai, Sooraj ji insisted that since Murli Ki Taanon Si has the same melody, they needed the same voice. At the last minute, as a race against time, I went in to dub it. I wasn't expecting it to be a part of the album, but I am very thrilled that it is. It's a big Diwali gift for me. It has a sensitive vibe to it so I just cut the smile, which is there right through Aaj Unse Milna Hai.
We always see you with a big grin on the small screen. Do you smile when you're recording as well?
In today's world, a smile is very important. So when I sing, I am always smiling. The expression comes through in the song otherwise, the gaana sounds serious.
We don't hear you in too many playback songs these days.
I have actually got busier now with composing. I am composing with my friends Gourav Dasgupta and Roshan Balu. We are calling the group Superbia which means 'pride' in Spanish, and all our first names have a connection to pride. We've done (songs for) quite a few films together which should come out in 2016. There's Yaara by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the soundtrack for black comedy Baa Baa Black Sheep, teenage thriller Weekend starring Hariharan's son Karan and a song in Inder Kumar's Great Grand Masti. We also did music for the television serial Tere Shaher Mein.
How different is composing to singing?
We are pitching for a lot of films which is keeping us busy. As a singer, you go to the mike and you are done in a couple of hours. You put in the least amount of time in it. But composing is a whole new ballgame. For every situation, you are making five to seven songs and then one gets selected. It's a huge process. I have newfound respect for all my composer friends for all the hard work they have to put in.
Did you always want to be a composer?
I had thought about it. I used to compose my own albums (Tanha Dil, Aksar). But composing for films I was wary of convincing the director and producer. Sometimes, the music label comes into the picture, very often it's the actors. I used to hear horror stories from my composer friends about how difficult it is to get a song passed. Since work as a singer has eased out, I had time on my hands to take up composing.
What kind of songs do you want to create?
We want to cover it all. Between the three of us, we cover every genre. My dad Manas Mukherjee was a composer so I've been brought up in a house where songs were being made on a constant basis so it is something that comes naturally to me. When it comes to the Indian side of things, I have a good sense. Gourav is a fantastic rock guitarist. His influence in rock and jazz is strong. Roshan comes from a Carnatic background. He is from Kerala and his father used to be a music teacher. All three are individually versatile in different genres, and together we cover the entire spectrum - from a mujra to a cabaret to an EDM song.
I got lucky with my timing. When I got in to dub with Himeshji, all the other songs were already recorded. How it all came about was that Himeshji and I were on the sets of reality show The Voice. Between takes, I was asking him how the music of Prem Ratan Dhan Payo was coming along and he said it was shaping up pretty well and it has the whole Sooraj Barjatya and Rajshri Productions feel to it. Baat baat mein, he said, 'There's a song left that will really work with you, why don't you come and dub it tomorrow.' I went in the next day and sang the song. That was just about two months ago. Lo and behold the song is out and people love it so much. It was something that was meant to happen.
The brief was totally in the song itself. The narrative is that the guy is going to meet the girl. They said to keep it simple, feel-good and to have a certain sense of simplicity. Generally what happens is that with Salman Khan, you want to give the song a little flair and flamboyance. However, here it was about keeping things innocent and happy. The song is releasing during the festive time when there is a lot of milna milana.
You've also sung Murli Ki Taanon Si in the film.
After I sang Aaj Unse Milna Hai, Sooraj ji insisted that since Murli Ki Taanon Si has the same melody, they needed the same voice. At the last minute, as a race against time, I went in to dub it. I wasn't expecting it to be a part of the album, but I am very thrilled that it is. It's a big Diwali gift for me. It has a sensitive vibe to it so I just cut the smile, which is there right through Aaj Unse Milna Hai.
We always see you with a big grin on the small screen. Do you smile when you're recording as well?
In today's world, a smile is very important. So when I sing, I am always smiling. The expression comes through in the song otherwise, the gaana sounds serious.
We don't hear you in too many playback songs these days.
I have actually got busier now with composing. I am composing with my friends Gourav Dasgupta and Roshan Balu. We are calling the group Superbia which means 'pride' in Spanish, and all our first names have a connection to pride. We've done (songs for) quite a few films together which should come out in 2016. There's Yaara by Tigmanshu Dhulia, the soundtrack for black comedy Baa Baa Black Sheep, teenage thriller Weekend starring Hariharan's son Karan and a song in Inder Kumar's Great Grand Masti. We also did music for the television serial Tere Shaher Mein.
How different is composing to singing?
We are pitching for a lot of films which is keeping us busy. As a singer, you go to the mike and you are done in a couple of hours. You put in the least amount of time in it. But composing is a whole new ballgame. For every situation, you are making five to seven songs and then one gets selected. It's a huge process. I have newfound respect for all my composer friends for all the hard work they have to put in.
Did you always want to be a composer?
I had thought about it. I used to compose my own albums (Tanha Dil, Aksar). But composing for films I was wary of convincing the director and producer. Sometimes, the music label comes into the picture, very often it's the actors. I used to hear horror stories from my composer friends about how difficult it is to get a song passed. Since work as a singer has eased out, I had time on my hands to take up composing.
What kind of songs do you want to create?
We want to cover it all. Between the three of us, we cover every genre. My dad Manas Mukherjee was a composer so I've been brought up in a house where songs were being made on a constant basis so it is something that comes naturally to me. When it comes to the Indian side of things, I have a good sense. Gourav is a fantastic rock guitarist. His influence in rock and jazz is strong. Roshan comes from a Carnatic background. He is from Kerala and his father used to be a music teacher. All three are individually versatile in different genres, and together we cover the entire spectrum - from a mujra to a cabaret to an EDM song.