Vishal-Shekhar interview

Even after composing music for nearly a decade, Vishal-Shekhar are still having fun at work. They have composed music for some of the big blockbusters like Om Shanti Om, Dostana, I Hate LUV Storys etc. We catch the duo to speak about their hit album of the soon-to-be-a-hit movie Anjaana Anjaani.


How did Anjaana Anjaani happen for you?

Actually, it just happened. We weren’t very sure if we actually wanted to do it or not. On the other hand, this is our fourth project with Siddharth Anand, who is also a very good friend. We composed songs for three of his earlier movies. But this time we had to compose something which was totally different. We met, discussed and he briefed us about the script. He asked us to compose something really different which he had never heard before. The challenge was to come up with music that would make him think twice before accepting it. We are always fond of such challenging experiences and hence we knew we had to go for this one.

How has the whole experience working for Anjaana Anjaani been?

It has been a mad and fun filled experience. Since we were given the freedom to do what we wanted to do and compose whatever we wanted to, it’s more like our solo album and not a movie album. We had so much fun working with the entire team.

Your favourite tracks from the album?

It is very confusing and difficult to choose one as all the songs differ from each other. We are very proud that we did this album. So we guess, all are our favourite tracks.
One track that you would recommend?

We recommend all the tracks as all the tracks are very different from each other. Each track is special in its own way. Every track has different and interesting sounds altogether.

Why do you think the title track is more popular than the others?

Well, of course the song is good but adding to that is the Priyanka-Ranbir chemistry on-screen for the first time. They both have a huge fan following and are very famous so who wouldn’t like to watch their favourites while they listen to a great song. But at the same time, all tracks are popular. We are glad that Radio City 91.1 FM as well as other radio stations have been playing our tracks. We are very happy!

Lucky Ali is often recognized as a singer for soft melodies. What actually made you opt for him for a rock composition like ‘Hairat’?

The strongest point of Lucky Ali is his voice texture and the feel he gives to a song. We love his songs, so we decided to have him singing for us. We actually found him on facebook. We had a chat there and then we met. It’s a track that is highly electric and energetic.

How difficult is it to manage writing lyrics, composing music and also singing it?

Shekhar: I actually don’t write lyrics and I just wrote a single line for the album because it just came to me. I leave that to Vishal but as far as singing is concerned there are certain songs that just get stuck in your mind and you start humming them. And the humming in fact leads to singing them.

Vishal: I come from a Rock N’ Roll school where we write the song, we compose the music and we sing it too. This whole idea of having someone to write, to sing and compose music is actually very alien to me. So for me, it isn’t a very unusual thing or difficult to manage because I have been doing it all my life.