Aspi's Drift

Inside the music of Teen Patti with composer Sulaiman Merchant

2010-02-26T07:13:00.006-06:00

How did Sulaiman Merchant and Salim Merchant go from being prolific scorers of background music (they still do this) to among the top composers in Bollywood films today?

They started with a huge hit on Dor (Yeh Honsla). They produced the nation's most enduring sports anthem on Chak De! India, which revitalized Shahrukh's mid-career slump. They mixed dance, emotion, masti and passion on Madhuri's comeback vehicle Aaja Nachle. Just as they were getting warmed up, Salim-Sulaiman created a bunch of polished gems on the sleeper hit Fashion, a movie which made an A-list star out of Priyanka Chopra.

Their last few releases? Kurbaan, Rocket Singh, Pyaar Impossible.

What's so special about Salim-Sulaiman? Their compositions are diverse (they do club, caberet, Hindustani, operatic, electonica, house, bare bones) but their songs are always drenched in emotion.

They have songs out for the new Amitabh Bachchan-Ben Kingsley starrer Teen Patti. Its five songs, three remixes, no fillers, massive entertainment. I invited Sulaiman to talk to the Drift about his music and the music of Teen Patti.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Sulaiman, welcome! You've been working with your brother Salim for a while. You've gone from being composers to BIG composers in Bollywood. How do you work together? I have two boys who are ready to kill each other at any given time! What is your process like?

Sulaiman: We now have an understanding. We've worked together for years now. So obviously there is a comfort zone on what to do and how you do it. We have our work cut out for us. Salim does musical arrangements, I do the percussion. Works perfectly!

We have our own studio - we have a great facility. We check in every day and create music. Its like any day at the office.

AspisDrift.com: Do you have a set of people you work with or do you handle your own production?

Sulaiman: 99% of the time we do our own production - unless its a collaboration on the international front. Otherwise its [just] Salim and me.

AspisDrift.com: What do you and Salim play in terms of instruments?

Sulaiman: I play the drums. I have very good knowledge of the tablas although I don't play it anymore. Salim on the other hand plays keyboards but he is also very well versed with sitars and guitars and bass. So he does all the string arrangements.

AspisDrift.com: You know, I hear Salim singing on your songs. You don't sing?

Sulaiman: I don't! But the way things are going, I'm going to start singing. [jokes] Its the only thing to do right? To be in the limelight, you have to go out and sing. When we do concerts I'll go out and sing.

AspisDrift.com: But will you record a song you think?

Sulaiman: I don't know - we'll see!

AspisDrift.com: Since Salim isn't around, I have to ask: Who is the better singer?

Sulaiman: Definitely Salim! He is a singer, I am the wannabe singer. Maybe if I sing a little more, he'll recognize the talent and give me a song to sing.

AspisDrift. com: Who is the bigger party animal between you two?

Sulaiman: We have our phases. Its Salim sometimes. Sometimes its me. I have a baby on the way so I'm lying low these days - supporting my wife. You'll see less of me on twitter and Facebook and other sites.

AspisDrift.com: I can't resist asking you this: what are your earliest memories of growing up with Salim? Was he always breaking your stuff or something?

Sulaiman: We used to fight a lot like brothers always do. Everyone does I think. We did all that for 27 or 28 years - fought constantly. But the musical aspiration always kept us going and together. We stopped talking for a little bit, but it was the music that brought us together.

AspisDrift.com: Your new movie Teen Patti has a female director (Leena Yadav) which is rare in Bollywood. Was it different working with her than other male directors?

Sulaiman: She was a little more understanding. I wouldn't say a lot more so - but she could understand what we were going on about. She is also quite intelligent and well versed with filmmaking. It was a breeze getting her to understand things. She was very open to ideas in terms of songs.

If you came up with a song with heavy percussion and rock elements - not an average song - it becomes difficult to convince a director or producer about the viability or sustainability of the song. But it really worked with [the producer] Ambika [Hinduja] and Leena.

We finished this music over a year ago. We came back and refinished the album and they had no problems with it. They just said 'Go ahead you know what you are doing'

AspisDrift.com: I don't know if you've noticed this but your music has great songs for women.

Sulaiman: I haven't noticed that at all! Can you give me an example?

AspisDrift.com: Well women have maybe one great song to sing on most CDs. As item numbers have become less popular, women have less and less hit songs to sing. But for some reason on your CDs - Luck had great songs for women, Teen Patti does, so does Pyaar Impossible, Shruti Pathak and Neha Bhasin got great songs on Fashion.

Sulaiman: Its just that we like to try different voices. Whenever we find a good voice, we desperately want them to sing for us. With men we haven't had much luck.

We've also heard a lot of these voice before. We've recorded with Neha back when she was with Viva (Channel [V] Popstars). We know her since then and for that song we said 'lets try her' and it really happened.

Same thing with Shruti when we brought her in for Mar Jaawa. We knew she could sing, we didn't know if she could sing that song. But we brought the song down low and she sang it really low. It worked for her and it worked for the song!

AspisDrift.com: Ok, let's talk about the songs on Teen Patti and start with Neeyat (vocals: Sunidhi Chauhan)

Sulaiman: We've used cellos and double bass - basically a string orchestra - to start off the song. Leena and Ambika wanted a European track - which is why you hear all the accordions. That turned into a cabaret.

We picked Sunidhi to sing because I don't think anyone else could have done that song. She jumps an octave in that song - its very difficult to do.

She is singing this song everywhere these days! We just saw her recently on the Mirchi Awards and she did that as the first track. It really showcases her talent!

[Be sure to check out: The making of Neeyat]

AspisDrift.com: Intezar (vocals: Naresh Kamath)

Sulaiman: Naresh is a really dear friend and we needed a rock voice. But we needed the voice to be gruff and younger. The picturization is on a 17, 18 year old guy. So the voice casting had to be younger. We initially thought of KK, but he wouldn't work that well - he has a more mature voice. We tried a couple of people before we had Naresh do it.

AspisDrift.com: Teen Patti (vocals: Salim Merchant)

Sulaiman: This song was a last minute addition into the album. We wanted a club track. Clubby tracks are easy to make but very difficult to formulate because they need a hook to take the song forward. Irfan [Siddiqui] wrote a great hook for us - 'Ikka Badsha Rani Queen / Yehi hai bajate Teen / Patti ke ghulam hai sab'

When we finished the song - Salim sang dummy vocals to see if the lyrics worked. When Leena heard it she liked it and we decided to keep it. It has more of a casual get with an Indian and bit of a Western touch.

AspisDrift.com: Life is a Game (vocals: Sonia Saigal, Sonia with Anushka Manchanda on the Hindi version)

Sulaiman: This was the first song we laid down for the track. Mr. Bachchan's voice was a later addition. This song set the mood for the entire film for us. It was just a song - all about the game, no situation, nothing. It's one of the very few songs around you will hear that is completely in English. We have a Hindi version of it for the marketing.

When we finished composing we realized no one had the right English accent to pull it off. There is always that bit of Hindi instruction that comes out even when singing in English. Sonia just did it perfectly, she rocked.

She's sung a song before this for us in Aaja Nachle. You know when Madhuri gets introduced during the dance practice - that was an English song that Sonia sang. It went unnoticed I guessed. [Much embarrassment on my part here for not remembering Sonia]

AspisDrift.com: Summertime (vocals: Joey Alvares)

Sulaiman: Summertime is a very old song by Joey Alvares - we wanted a familiar song on this CD. It started off as a small bit that needed to be picturized. Initially we thought we'd do it ourselves but then we thought let's try to recreate that song differently.

Summertime is a very jazzy song. So we redid it as a breakbeat, electronica song. To keep the authenticity of the track, we got Joey to do the vocals. Its a nice blend of a jazz rythmn and a modern production.

AspisDrift.com: Cool, what else are you working on?

Sulaiman: We are working on a couple of films but we can't talk about it - so I won't. We are finally getting on the road to do live shows. So we are doing rehearsals. There is some talk about being in the US.

AspisDrift.com: Let me know if you come to Chicago for a show. Thanks so much for doing this and good luck with the baby!

Also:

Why Suraj "Give Me Some Sunshine" Jagan's career is Red Hot Right Now!

2010-02-24T00:04:00.005-06:00

Last time we caught up with Suraj Jagan on the Drift, he had vocalized the first death metal song (Zehreelay on Rock On!!) in a Hindi movie and gotten into a lot of shit on screen by first glaring at Farhan Akhtar and later butting heads with Arjun Rampal.

Since then, Suraj's career has exploded. As rock songs proliferated Bollywood soundtracks, Suraj (along with this other guy we talked about a while ago) sang song after song. A lot of them were flagship compositions. More work followed. An entire generation of fans discovered Suraj's raspy voice and ferocious growl.

Then last year, a little song called Give Me Some Sunshine remapped Suraj's career. Handpicked, against type, by composer Shantanu Moitra to sing the lilting melody - Suraj sang something he hadn't before for films. The movie was 3 Idiots, India's biggest hit since Gadar and possibly India's biggest international hit.

"Give Me Some Sunshine" got heavy airplay and became an instant favorite. Suraj was nominated for and won the Stardust award for best male performance in a song beating out the likes of Masakali, I mean Mohit Chauhan. He dedicated the song to 'all those people who thought I was an idiot to start singing in the first place".

I decided it was time to check in on Suraj and catch up.

AspisDrift.com: Suraj, you've been singing gangbusters in films since Rock On!! What changed? Was it the extra visibility for you? Was it the need of the hour? Did you start attending every party in town?

Suraj: There wasn't much visibility for me after Rock on and no, I did not attend every party in town!

What has happened is that after Rock On!!, rock as a genre, got firmly established in the Hindi film scene. Singers like me have greatly benefited from this, as rock is now accepted in the Bollywood scene. Also nowadays voices are being ‘cast’ for songs. The old formula of just taking popular voices and fitting them into a song is changing - which is great for me and other new voices.

AspisDrift.com: Which songs are you are proudest of?

Suraj: Zehreelay for sure cos I think it’s the first hard rock song in a Hindi film. I’m glad that I was part of the composition as well [in the movie].

AspisDrift.com: Which song are you most thankful for?

Suraj: Give Me Some Sunshine! This song has definitely given me a lot of sunshine!

AspisDrift.com: You've locked down the rock song genre in Bollywood. Does anyone ever offered you anything different - like say a sappy romantic song?

Suraj: I recently recorded a romantic song for a very famous music director. He took it up as a challenge to make me sing like that...hahahaha!

AspisDrift.com: I heard Shantanu Moitra wrote "Give me some sunshine" with you in mind. True?

Suraj: We were doing a radio interview together where he mentioned that if for some reason my voice was not approved by the film makers he would’ve changed the composition. I was blown when I heard that, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that.

AspisDrift.com: You won the 'New Musical Sensation - Male' at the Stardust awards this year. You really had a go at your critics in that speech. Was there a time when you doubted yourself and thought about a call center job?

Suraj: Ever since I started singing I’ve heard from some members of the family and so called well wishers make comments like “you are a failure, loser: etc. So this was just my way of saying - 'In your face, motherfuckers!'

And no I have never ever thought of doing anything other than sing…even in the most darkest of times.

AspisDrift.com: What is it with these awards? Do you know you are going to win before the show or is it like a total surprise?

Suraj: I didn’t even know I was nominated till someone saw it in the magazine. So ya it was a total surprise, and actually winning it was the biggest surprise!!

AspisDrift.com: Speaking of shows, will we ever see you on a music reality competition show like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa or Indian Idol? I'd love to see what would happen if say Anu Malik or Himesh Reshammiya tried to mess with you.

Suraj: I’ll cross that bridge when I get there..

AspisDrift.com: Suraj, last time I interviewed you I remember you kept your answers short and concise. So this time I'm going to have you do one better and describe each music composer you've worked with in ONE word. Ready?

Suraj: Vishal-Shekhar: Brilliant
Shantanu Moitra: Sharp
Shankar Ehsaan Loy: Harmony
Pritam: Hitmaker
Gourov Dasgupta: Guitar God

AspisDrift.com: Final question, guess what my favorite Suraj Jagan song is these days?

Suraj: Rang De? [from My Name is Khan]

AspisDrift.com: Nope, actually its the title track for Karthik Calling Karthik. Its hard to steal a song from Shankar Mahadevan, but that is what just happened on that track.

Suraj's Bollywood Discography

Title track from Karthik Calling Karthik (2010)
Rang de from My Name Is Khan (2010)
Maula from Hide & Seek (2010)
Give Me Some Sunshine from 3 Idiots (2009)
Dil Kare from All the Best (2009)
Chalte Chalo from Toss (2009)
Saanson Ka Rukna, Humse Jo Churaiye Humko Hee, Kya Hua Hoo Hoo, Love Love Love and Run Run Run (2009) from Straight
Sooni Raah Pe from Stoneman Murders (2009)
Zehreelay from Rock On!! (2008)
Hijack Theme from Hijack (2008)
Missing Sunday from Sunday (2008)
I am a Bad Boy from Bhram (2008)
Yeh Faasle (remix) from Rama Rama Kya Hai Drama (2008)
No Big Deal from Money Hai Toh Honey Hai (2008)
Zindagi (not released) from Brides Wanted (2007)
Hey Johnny from Johnny Gaddaar (2007)
Dum Lagaa from Dil Dosti Etc (2007)

Suraj's pics by Paddy Arvind Shenoy

Prarthna Singh's pictures tell a story: Here's eight of her best

2010-01-02T06:08:00.057-06:00

Prarthna Singh photographs people with a unique sense of visual style. The people in her pictures seem to jump out at you and tell a story. Those stories seem to be playful, fluffy, fierce, funny, romantic, melancholy - in other words they are a lot like a Bollywood film. (I'm only partly joking.)

Prarthna works out of Mumbai and does 'random creatively challenging work' - freelance, editorial work and catalogs, designer looks, books and album covers. (I discovered Prarthna's work entirely by accident when I recognized a photograph of someone I knew while browsing Flickr)

I thought it would be cool to invite Prarthna to the Drift and have her tell us a little about her art and craft and do a show and tell of some of her best work.

Here is her story.

How it all began

I started taking pictures about six years ago, while I was studying at a liberal arts college in Florida. Two years into my course I realized I wanted to go to art school. I applied to The Rhode Island School of Design, got in and spent the next three years learning everything about film developing, scanners, lighting, camera formats and the general happiness of being surrounded by artists.

The making of a career

I then graduated out of that blissful bubble to the real world, which for me meant the move to New York. Here I got really lucky and was able to assist one of the finest and most sophisticated fashion photographers: Nathaniel Goldberg.

My days in NY were a struggle. I did all sorts of random jobs before I finally made the decision to move back to Delhi two years ago. I was willing to assist again but I only wanted to work with someone whose work I really admired. I was lucky to have Bharat Sikka let me assist him and help him put together his first major show in India. All of this time was the best learning experience for me.

For the past year I have been working as a freelance photographer in Bombay. I've done editorial work with Elle, Vogue, Grazia and Marie Claire. I've done Look Books, Catalogs, Album Art and anything that is creatively stimulating.

Where the inspiration comes from

There are a few photographers that I highly admire: Alec Soth, Bharat Sikka, Stephen Shore, August Sandler, Richard Misrach, Katy Grannan, Tim Walker, Pushpamala, Ryan McGinley.

I am a devoted sartorialist.

I'm also a huge magazine and photo blog junkie. I can spend days in the magazine section of a bookstore: AnOther, I.D.,Wallpaper, W, Fashion Magazine, V, European Vogues, Tank, Ten, Dazed and Confused, Foam...the list goes on.

What's the money like

Money is definitely not my top priority. It's important but I don't make it the deciding factor in the jobs I choose to do. In fact some of my best work has been with friends, collaborating on projects after waking up, throwing some clothes in a bag and deciding to do some photos - running in the fields, jumping, hanging.

I think what I enjoy most is the spontaneity of the medium. That 'let's do a picture' moment is what makes it all worthwhile.

Where is the money at

Editorial work does not pay as highly as Advertising does. Advertising and Bollywood are definitely where the money is at. Being new in the industry is tough, these are not the most easy fields to crack, especially since people in India are not ready to take too many risks. But hopefully things are changing for the better.

This is a Bollywood blog that hearts Abhay Deol and I've lensed Abhay

Abhay's shoot was quite spur of the moment. He's a friend so the atmosphere was pretty relaxed. I think it was a Sunday afternoon spent drinking beer, shooting, exchanging music and generally discussing the world around us.

For one he has a serious collection of awesome indie music so that's how I got paid for the pictures! But ya, he's really fun to be around, full of stories and again I admire him as an actor and the choices he's made with the films he's chosen to do so.

That's always a plus - working with people whose work you love, which in turn inspires you.

The people I'd like to lens...but haven't gotten to yet

One person I'd love to shoot with is Leonard Cohen and have him sing for me in return, all through the shoot or Jim Morrison or the Beatles when they were together... Adrian Brody, Johhny Depp. And being on a Wes Anderson set would be nice too.

The instruments of my passion

I just recently got the new Canon EOS 5D Mark II (super delicious camera). For lighting I use my Quantum flash, Metz flash or Broncolor lights. While shooting film I use a 4x5 film camera and Canon Powershot for my everyday documentation.

I'm a Canon promoter all the way. Their cameras definitely have an edge over the others and they make beautiful lenses. Also I love my Polaroid but sadly they stopped making film, so I'm saving every last one!

Show and Tell

1. This picture is of a budding actor and friend: Arjun Mathur - a wonderful young talent to watch out for. He did a brilliant film called Barah Anna and was also in Luck by Chance. He needed some photographs for a particular role he was auditioning for, hence the scar. (Make up: Natasha Nishcol @ fat mu)

2.I recently shot Gaurav Kapoor the funny funky VJ and actor. Whenever I shoot TV personalities or celebrities I'm cautious not go over the top when it comes to hair, make up, styling and lighting. I'm a minimalist at heart. Less is definitely more.

3.The picture of the red car and the girl in the green jacket have been shot in my neighbourhood, in Bombay. They are a part of an on going series of images that involve me investigating and documenting the environment I live in as a way of understanding myself better.

4.The girl in the picture is my one of closest and oldest friends who has to bear with my bizarre artistic moments. On one of our photo adventures we once visited Santa Cruz Police Station at 7 am. Yes, long story.

5.This image above is of a friend who is also one of India's leading models. We do a lot of random non-commercial work together for the love of art. She is playful, has wonderful energy and photographs like a dream.

6.An old friend had returned after months of traveling, with many stories to tell. We spent a day catching up and doing what we do best. This was a sun drenched memory from that afternoon.

7.This, of course, is Abhay Deol. (Hair by Susheel @ Mad O Wat)

8.This last image is also a friend and aspiring actor. We were shooting in and around Bandra when we stumbled upon this beautiful, bloody slaughter house. (Styled by Saurabh Diwedi)

Also:
Prarthna's work on Flickr
Prarthna on Twitter

Please don't use Prarthna's work without her prior permission. My stuff you can copy - you know the deal.

Inside Sonal Sehgal's mann ka radio: An interview with the star of Himesh Reshammiya's new movie

2009-10-13T00:01:00.002-05:00

How much is riding on the new December release Radio? A lot. Three careers worth to be precise.

After a reality check at the box office with last year's Karzzzz, multi-hyphenate talent Himesh Reshammiya needs a hit to get his career as an actor off life support. Shenaz Treasuryvala, after spending some time in movie wilderness, attempts to reboot her career.

Finally Sonal Sehgal - whose acting debut occurred in the still unreleased Aashayein (John Abraham) - will make her box office debut here. Blessed with near perfect movie star features (Dreamy eyes, check! Creamy skin, check! Dazzling smile, check! Pearly whites so perfectly aligned they could have participated in China's 60th Anniversary Celebrations, check!) Sonal will attempt to connect with urban audiences in what Himesh likes to call 'a modern love story'.

There's more to Sonal of course. For example, recently on Salman's Dus Ka Dum with her costars to promote her flick she showed killer dexterity with a pyjame ka naada. (2:20 in this YouTube video). I kid!

I thought it'd be fun to have Sonal tell us more about her impending movie career launch.

AspisDrift.com: Sonal, welcome to the Drift . You look fabulous in the promos! Might I also add that I think you have the most gorgeous shoulders in Bollywood!

Sonal: That's a first! Lol...thank you

AspisDrift.com: There’s much talk about your new film Radio. How are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Hopeful? Terrified?

Sonal: Nervous, excited, hopeful and terrified.

AspisDrift.com: How did you get cast in Radio?

Sonal: Before Radio, I shot another film with Himesh for Studio 18, called Ishq Unplugged. The director of Radio, Ishan Trivedi saw my work and offered me Radio

AspisDrift.com: This woman you play in Radio: what’s she like? Give us her story.

Sonal: Of all the films I've shot (that's four, in the last two years - all awaiting release) I have the most challenging character in Radio.

My character, Pooja, evolves a lot through the film. You see her in the beginning as a headstrong woman, very focused about what she wants: She is today's woman, who will not compromise with her happiness.

When Pooja and Vivan's (Himesh's character) marriage faces compatibility issues, she suggests divorce and that they continue as friends. And they do. (I know what you are thinking...this is a huge step for Bollywood. It is!)

Once they are back to being friends she even encourages him to date Shanaya (Shehnaz's character). When they do start dating, she feels jealous. It's almost child-like jealousy.

And then...watch the film!!

AspisDrift.com: We are huge Himesh fans on this blog so I have to ask you this: what was your first impression of your lead actor?

Sonal: Honestly, before I met Himesh, I had the same opinion of him as everybody else...arrogant, very talented musician, but can he act? But after one meeting, it all changed.

He is very humble, willing to learn, listens to criticism and is very, very hardworking. You will see with this movie how he has grown as an actor. And it is for all to see how he has re-invented himself with his look and sound.

AspisDrift.com: I’ve heard Himesh is really intense on the sets. But he’s always singing on those TV shows. Did he break into impromptu song on the sets?

Sonal: What you've heard is correct. He is very focused on the sets. There's no song n dance. He knows he's still a newcomer where acting is concerned and so puts in a 1000%. He is always rehearsing his lines, trying to improvise, getting it perfect even before the camera rolls.

AspisDrift.com: All right last Himesh question although a bit indirect: what is your favorite song on the Radio soundtrack and why?

Sonal: Piya jaise ladoo (Rekha Bhardwaj, Himesh). That shehnai piece in the beginning just arrests you!!

AspisDrift.com: I have to ask you one question based on the Radio promo. Your husband Naresh Kamath is an all round rock star and often tours. When he is away have you ever like laid a plate for him and pretended to feed his empty chair? Come on now, be honest!

Sonal: Ha ha ha...But there is a story I'd like to tell. As a kid, my mum had allocated the duty of laying the dining table to me. So everyday I would put four plates for mum, dad, my sister and myself. When my sister got married and moved out, I would still lay four plates...just in case she dropped by to eat with us.

I really missed her!

AspisDrift.com: Sonal, tell us a bit about yourself. Where did you grow up and go to school?

Sonal: I grew up in Delhi and studied all the way till college in Delhi.

AspisDrift.com: There is a great story about how you ended up in front of the camera once. Mind telling us that story again? Please!

Sonal: I used to assist Pradeep Sarkar (Parineeta). We were shooting the video for Euphoria's ‘Maeri’, on the 1st of Jan. Obviously, we had a tough time finding two models. Nobody wanted to sacrifice their New Year Eve plans. So I was asked to step in. Little did I know that would be my first step in my ascent to bollywood!

AspisDrift.com: You’ve acted before on TV and now on film. What was the single biggest adjustment you had to make in front of the camera and off it?

Sonal: Working in TV is like being a daily wage labourer in a factory! You work 27 days a month,14 hrs a day, no weekends off. And God forbid if you fall sick, you get thrown out of the show. That happened to me. I had an accident while shooting for Kasauti Zindagi Ki, the doctor advised bed rest for two weeks and I lost my job! TV is grueling and ruthless.

Films are way more organized. They want you to look good and fresh, so resting is taken into account. Scripts do not change according to weekly TRPs. And now with the new face of Indian cinema, characters are becoming more and more real (no sati savitri and vamp characters).

AspisDrift.com: I was in India in September and I saw all these pictures of you at parties wearing some super stylish black outfit. Are you a bit of a stylista in the making?

Sonal: If I wasn't an actor, I'd be a designer! In fact I cleared the NIFT (most prestigious fashion design school in India) exam, and while I was waiting for college to start (a period of 2 months) I started assisting Pradeep Sarkar (just for a lark, summer job). Then I fell in love with film making and never went back to NIFT.

AspisDrift.com: Seriously though, don’t all these outfits cost a lot? If I may ask what do you spend MOST of your money on? Rent? Clothes? Naresh’s audio equipment? Mobile bill? Eating out?

Sonal: Clothes are very expensive! And once you've been photographed in an outfit, you dare not repeat it coz then the press really rips you apart. So we spend on that, and Naresh's audio equipment! Do you have any idea how much electric guitars cost?!!

AspisDrift.com: Tell us a bit about Aashayein: what is your role in that movie like? And when is that movie coming out?

Sonal: Aashayein is slated for a Feb 2010 release.

I play this doting girlfriend who puts up with a reckless gambler boyfriend, played by John Abraham, only because she loves him just too much. He doesn't have a job, lives off her salary and even gambles with her money...till one day they hit a jackpot and everything changes!

AspisDrift.com: Ok, final question which is mandatory on the Drift: can you fold a fitted bed sheet properly?

Sonal: Ummm...uhhh...never needed to...yunno house help is very cheap in India...but m sure i can :)

AspisDrift.com: Sonal, thanks for doing this. My best to you for the release – I hope you become a major movie star! Let Naresh know Jee Le rocked!

Sonal: Thank you so much.

Also:
Sonal's screen debut in Euphoria's Maeri

Do chick digs guys who sing? Sonal explains on Dus Ka Dum

In Radio's Piya Jaise Ladoo promo

In the Aashayein song promo with John Abraham

Amruta Patil talks about her art and one Karismatic Graphic Novel

2009-05-22T00:01:00.012-05:00

If by providence I was an editor and Amruta Patil had narrated her graphic novel Kari to me, I would shrugged and said: 'It won't work - its too passe'.

But embellished with Amruta's intimate art and lyrical prose, Kari is a graphic novel so absorbing, that upon reading it I would have resigned from my position and spent the rest of my days in the Himalayas repenting.

Fortunately most of that didn't happen and I was able to invite Amruta to stop by the Drift and talk about her work.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Amruta, welcome to the Drift. Loved your work in Kari. There is a ton of stuff I’m dying to ask you about.

People seem to have different interpretations of Kari’s knit eyebrows and her resulting personality. How about we start off with that? My 10 year old Motorsandal says “she looks mysterious!” My 7 year old Youngling says “Dad, that guy looks pissed!” What is Kari like and what DO those knit eyebrows signify?

Amruta: The eyebrows are just so fierce and heartbreaking. "I'm tough", they say. "I have everything in control."

But for all the bravado, she is just twenty years old; beginning to grapple with things she will be grappling with all her life - love, life, death - and the only thing you want to do is give her a squeeze.

AspisDrift.com: What was the process of Kari’s character design like?

Amruta: Kari is the ultimate fly-on-the-wall. Teeming inner life that contrasts with her solitary outer life. She is introverted and genderfluid. A silent engine. I thought she would make a necessary and much-missed counterpoint to the sociable, shrill, hyperfeminine protagonists one meets all the time.

AspisDrift.com: Kari turns 21 in the book. How old were you when you wrote the novel?

Amruta: 28. Which as anyone knows, is eons away from 21.

AspisDrift.com: You’re in Angouleme these days. What are you doing there and for how long? Pick up any French?

Amruta: The city hosts an International Comic Books Festival every January. I'm here on a year-long writer's residency - steering the tail of an elephantine graphic novel project based on the Mahabharat. I am rocking the supermarket French and the 'Ou sont les toilettes?' French. Social interactions are a stretch, but I listen hard - and am happy to find that sounds are slowly percolating into meaning.

AspisDrift.com: Amruta, a little bit about the drawings: What kind of paper did you draw on? How big was it? How did you digitize it all?

Amruta: I draw on all sorts of papers - sometimes on pages of magazines and found things. The originals are a little larger in size than the actual printed image. Each drawing is on a separate page - nightmare for the preproduction people. The drawings were scanned and laid out in a page with QuarkXpress.

AspisDrift.com: In the illustrations, you switch between markers, pens, pencils. I noticed you shade by rubbing graphite and charcoal on paper, but sometimes you’ll cross-hatch for texture. Why the broad jumps in technique?

Amruta: In Kari, I kept the palette grey & black; and used an assortment of styles to match the emotional landscape of the tale. This may not always have come through, but the effort has been to push against the existing visual grammar in visual books. I do not enjoy the conveyor-belt evenness and photoshopped perfection of mainstream comics.

My new work looks very different than Kari, but the effort continues to subvert visual grammar and standard ideas of 'how much text should there be in a graphic novel'.

AspisDrift.com: I have a complaint about the book. You have created some drop dead sexy women in the book but all the men you draw look kind of...unappealing. What’s up with that? Don’t you have any god-like men you can model from?

Amruta: Can I redeem myself by saying that the new work has none but godacious men? You will be begging for ladies in that one.

AspisDrift.com: Was it a tough sell to get a graphic novel published? What is the landscape like for graphic novels in India?

Amruta: I have had a very smooth run. Right place, right time, first mover's advantage. That sort of thing. VK Karthika of HarperCollins (who also, incidentally, commissioned Sarnath Bannerjee while she was working with Penguin) was one of the first people I showed the work to, and she was keen on seeing it through. The segment remains niche, but I think most publishing houses would like to have atleast the token graphic novel in its list now.

AspisDrift.com: Any graphic novels or books you’ve read lately that you would recommend?

Amruta: Have to confess that although I work in the medium of graphic novels currently - I am not its best spokesperson. I do not even see myself as a graphic novelist, but as a writer. The larger inflences have been from history, from literary fiction, from art.

AspisDrift.com: I ask this question of everyone I interview on the Drift so please indulge me: can you fold a fitted bed sheet properly?

Amruta: Absolutely cannot. Precision ends at the writing desk.

AspisDrift.com: Kari’s sexual identity is very much a part of this book – I’d like to ask her a question. Could you please get me an answer from her?

Here is the question: I’ve noticed men in India these days pretend to be gay and Dostana-like by joking about it while keeping proof of their liberated straightness close at hand – for example, they’ll make sure you hear about their wife (like as if that’s any kind of proof). What do you think of this gay-chic phenom in India?

Amruta: Aspi I am so uncool, I hear of most chic things five years too late. I think the most appealing state for Kari is an Orlandoesque genderfluidity. Maybe that is what people secretly aspire for, but to live it out is frightening. And hence the tittering, the awkward jokes, the homophobia. Gender and sexuality have their place - but in Kari's book, and mine - it is not at the centre of the universe.

Amruta blogs at Umbilical
She is working on Parva/The Epic. Preview it here .

Some graphic novels worth reading whether you are into comics or not (recommendations are mine, please no blaming Amruta for these)

Aya of Yop City - Marguerite Abouet, Clement Oubrerie
If Ekta Kapoor could draw and spent her youth in a vibrant, buzzing Ivory Coast, she'd make this graphic novel.

Exit Wounds - Rutu Modan
If Ekta Kapoor could draw and spent a tortured youth in Israel, she'd make this graphic novel

Life Sucks - Jessica Abel, Gabriel Soria, Warren Pleece
If Ekta Kapoor could draw, got bit by a vampire and wasted her youth in Smalltown, USA, she'd make this graphic novel

The Plain Janes - Cecil Castellucci, Jim Rugg
If Ekta Kapoor was an arty, self-propelled chick who didn't necessarily obsess about boys all the time, she'd make this graphic novel

Off Road - Sean Murphy
If Ekta Kapoor could draw, had never watched TV and was a groin-scratching dude who'd gotten kicked around in life, she'd make this graphic novel

Pride of Baghdad - Brian K. Vaughan, Niko Henrichon
If Ekta Kapoor was a lion inadvertently freed by American bombs from a zoo in Baghdad along with his family, she'd make this graphic novel

You may not know Hitesh Sonik, but here is why you really should!

2009-05-16T22:00:00.020-05:00

There are several reasons Hitesh Sonik should be more famous beyond inner circles in the filmi music duniya than he is. As a music producer, he is a large part of Vishal Bhardwaj's signature sound. In 2006 with Vishal as composer, skilfully combining art with commerce, he forged possibly the finest Bollywood CD of the millennium - Omkara.

This year, in a magical collaboration with composer Piyush Mishra and Rekha Bhardwaj, Hitesh produced Ranaji - a modern day mujra about a person with delusions of grandeur who is so vicious that he evokes several carefully calibrated references to 9/11.

And because Hitesh has also produced one of the most anticipated CDs of the year - Vishal Bhardwaj's Kaminey, I felt it was about time more people in my world knew about him. Hitesh was kind enough to stop by the Drift and answer some questions.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Hitesh, welcome to the Drift. People who program music aren’t as famous as their music composer brethren, so I just wanted to say this: you are among my heroes!

Hitesh: This is the most beautiful thing ever said to me about my job....big thanks! No, BIG THANKS!

AspisDrift.com: First question: I’m dying to hear more about the song Ranaji. It’s supposed to be a hoot, but it’s also very wistful and touching. And the references to 9/11 make it tricky to handle as a composition. How did the song come together?

Hitesh: I loved the song the first time I heard it. Which was way back in 2003, 2004. Much before Beedi and Namak happened and declared their kabzaa on the genre.

The script was in place and demanded two mujras. I'm not sure you've seen the film but its interesting and twisted in the Anurag Kashyap-ist idiom. So naturally, thereafter, something like this had to happen!

It was entirely Piyush Mishra's acute vision that led to it. We called it the political mujra. Since the lyrics and the tune both were written by him, there wasn't much conflict creatively. I loved it and just wanted to make sure the content and intent of the song wouldn't get lost in the arrangements...yet sound as contemporary as possible...keeping the film's Rajasthani backdrop in mind.

Getting the right voice was critical...and with Rekha Bhardwaj that was thankfully pretty much taken care of.

AspisDrift.com: Let’s talk about music production in general – what kind of guidelines do you normally get in Bollywood when working with a composer?

Hitesh: Well...is it hard to guess? Everybody wants a hit...and no matter what tempo or mood the song denotes, they just want to cater to everybody. There's no respect for a select audience...but then that's how most businesses function, don't they?

No complaints really...but a little space would allow us all to stretch our arms real wide open! Won't that feel good?

AspisDrift.com: Ok Hitesh, we all know very little about you. So I’d like to change that. But instead of asking you all kinds of boring stuff like your birth date, I’m going to ask you far more intrusive stuff.

At a party, you are most likely to drink...

Hitesh: CHAI....

AspisDrift.com: When you’re home, your CD changer is most likely playing...

Hitesh: Nothing mostly. Something classical maybe...Hindustani or Western...but nothing percussive! Strictly. Everything else I enjoy listening to in my car...

AspisDrift.com: The wildest thing you’ve ever done in a studio is...

Hitesh: Spilled a cup of tea on the mixing console... :( It was hot and mine! Had to go without tea the whole day...

AspisDrift.com: The musical instruments you can play is/are...

Hitesh: Guitar. A bit of keyboards...and can produce sounds out of a flute, tabla and tin cans ;)

AspisDrift.com: Your biggest regret in life, the one that got away is...

Hitesh: Let it!

AspisDrift.com: If (the upcoming) Kaminey was nominated for a Grammy and you were at the Awards ceremony, the first thing you’d do is to look for...

Hitesh: I can only answer this after I'm back from there :) Want to give you honest answers only you see.

AspisDrift.com: If someone walks up to you and asks, dude what does Namak Ishq Ka (from Omkara) really mean? You’d say...

Hitesh: You really asking??

AspisDrift.com: Hitesh, given the type of hit but arty music you’ve produced so far in your career, I have to ask you this question. If a director came up to you and said: Hitesh, I want you to produce the music for my next film Disco Dancer 2010 - would you say
(a) Thanks, but that’s not me!
(b) Heck yes! What took you guys so long to offer me one of these?
(c) Depends, what’s the pay like?

Hitesh: (b)! With absolute pleasure!

AspisDrift.com: Last question, I ask this of everyone on the Drift. Can you fold a fitted bed sheet?

Hitesh: Is this a trick question Aspi? I don't understand it...

Hitesh's Definitive Filmography
Four Brothers and a Funeral (2005) – Composer
Maachis (1996) – Music Assistant
Godmother (1999) – Music Assistant
Hu Tu Tu (1999) – Music Assistant
Maqbool (2003) – Music Producer
The Blue Umbrella (2005) – Music Producer
Omkara (2006) – Music Producer
Blood Brothers (2007) – Background Score
No Smoking (2007) - Music Producer and Background Score
Gulaal (2009) – Music Producer
Firaaq (2009) – Music Producer
Kaminey (2009) – Music Producer

Also: More about music production and the process in this interview with Clinton Cerejo

How Trickbaby got their sound (and broke into Bollywood): An exclusive Drift interview

2009-03-09T00:01:00.022-05:00

Formed around the creative partnership of Saira Hussain and Steve Ager, Trickbaby is one of the most unique acts to have broken into Bollywood.

Their first CD - Hanging Around - a delectable collection of amped down Punjabi and low key British house beats came out in 2004.

It was a year later that they broke big for fans in India when Rohan Sippy invited them to reboot Sabse Bada Rupaiiya for his movie Bluffmaster. In a CD full of highlights composed by Vishal and Shekhar, Trickbaby's composition was a standout. A few of their songs also made it into the soundtrack - Neelaa (which samples Silsila's "Sar Se Sarke"), Indi Yarn and Nine Parts of Desire .

One more year went by and Trickbaby did more Bollywood - composing the title track to the Fardeen-Vivek Oberoi-Esha Deol-Amrita Rao starrer Pyare Mohan .

Now, two years later, Trickbaby (which also includes Vikaash Sankadecha and Jeevan Rihal) have their sophomore CD - Chor Bazaar - out in India.

Steve, who is measured and reflective, and Saira, who has a gurgling, warm personality (she mentions she has read my review of their CD and brushes aside my apologies for not understanding music formally by saying 'your ears have no problem, let me tell you') were both wonderful enough to do this fun Q&A with me.

Saira Hussain, Lead Vocalist

Aspi: Saira and Steve, why on earth is your band called Trickbaby (see urban connotation here)?

Saira: We started making music in about 1996. I was reading a book by Iceberg Slim who used to be a pimp in the 1930s I think. The first book he wrote was Pimp: The Story of My Life, which really had me absorbed.

And I moved on to his second book which was called Trick Baby. And the central character in Trick Baby called White Face was albino black guy. He used his whiteness as an advantage in the black community and his blackness as an advantage in the white community. It was his way of utilizing both his identities to the max. And I thought that is what I want to do with my brownness and my whiteness.

Aspi: Ok that makes a lot of sense. Because I used to think: Hmm, Trickbaby – so who is the hooker in this and who would be the baby here. Steve you were ok with the name?

Steve: Its funny – that’s the long story. The short story was we had a tune everyone liked. We need a name quickly. We chose that name because of the story in the book. Not that much thought went into it initially

Saira: And once we used it, we stuck with it. The first song we did got us recognized very quickly and so we couldn’t really change the name after that.(laughs).

Aspi: I have to dodge questions from the kids about it: 'Well kids, it’s a really nice band but we’ll talk about the name later'.

Ok, when and where did you two meet for the first time?

Saira: I was working as a radio producer at Radio 1, which is a well known pop radio station in the UK. Steve was a plugger who used to work for record labels and would get music from them and come play them for me. There were some really bad records. We started to dissect them.

Steve: Can I just add here that I had some good ones as well.

Trickbaby, Mumbai bus stop (l-r)
Steve Ager, Vikaash Sankadecha, Saira Hussan, Jeevan Rihal

Saira: After a lifetime of picking brilliant records, Steve sold out and we started putting the musical world to light really. And as a result of that we both realized that we had extremely diverse, extremely different musical experiences but had a lot of shared passion and a shared desire to put the musical world right. And that’s really how it started.

Steve: I had the recording equipment. And when I heard her say 'I can do better than that', I challenged her to prove it. And here we are.

Aspi: At what point did you say 'Maybe we can do a band here'?

Saira: I never did say (something like) that. I still haven’t gotten around to the idea that its happening.

Steve: The reality was that a lot of my friends work in the media and we made one song which was Indi-Yarn. And just about everyone said 'that would be a hit, everyone will play that'. We just really had a go and it did really take off here.

We really had only one song at that point. So when you asked us (earlier) why we took so long (between CDs), we were very successful with that one song.

So we took some time out. I hadn’t thought much about Indian music then, so I spent a lot of time learning it. At the same time I didn’t know much about producing records – I just had the equipment and that was it.

I learned how to use it by working with the group and producing and doing audio programs. The first album took its time as we wanted to develop into what we wanted to be. Once ‘Hanging Around’ came out, that was our official start.

Aspi: Let’s talk a bit about your sound. Saira, you grew up listening to ghazals. Steve, you grew up listening to punk and later reggae. How did the Trickbaby sound evolve?

Steve: It was combination of trial and error. It really helps to have a huge musical back catalog to cull from. We were quite specific with what we liked. Initially we sampled Indian rhythms, but once we found Vikaash (Trickbaby’s percussionist), we took off.

Saira, Mumbai Bicycle Shop

Aspi: Steve what do you listen to most of the time?

Steve: Its funny you should ask that because there is a side job I do in the UK which is that I program music for the Indian channels on Sky TV. Its only Bollywood but now Sky has expanded in India and I have to do all their stuff for them there – all Indian music. So my catalog is expanding and I’m just discovering stuff there too.

Saira: Normally Steve is more up knowledgeable about desi music than I am. I go to him to find out if some music is any good. So the white man fills in the desi girl about her own music.

Steve: In the UK in general, most white men I know more far more about it (desi music) than British Asian people.

Aspi: Saira, what about you?

Saira: Kings of Leon. Gaslight Anthem. At the moment I’m disillusioned with modern music. I’ve got my iPOD at 21,000 songs and I’ve pretty much covered my whole back catalog. I’ve given myself the opportunity to go listen: going from A to Z – stuff that I’ve been putting in my iPOD but not been listening to. Like my western music back catalog. And I’ll go ‘Wow I forgot about that’, like a Peter Gabriel song or an album. Revisiting Blondie ’s Parallel Lines which I hadn’t listened to in 20 years.

Aspi: You seem influenced by old Indian music. Do you feel more of a connection with the older Bollywood stuff. Do you not like the new stuff at all?

Saira: From the beat point of view, the new stuff just doesn’t quite do it for me. It tries too, but it tries too hard sometimes. Some of the modern voices are quite good and shaping up quite well. For me it’s about missing the old Lata Mangeshkar and others – I make some of my noises in homage to them rather than in imitation.

I want to create the mood, the authenticity, the atmosphere. I couldn’t ever dream to have a voice or make the kind of noises that Bollywood divas made. I can only make the noises I make and sort of tip my hat to them.

Aspi: Give me some idea of how one of your songs comes together.

Saira: Steve works on making noises. And when he has enough of them put together, he calls me in to do my “Lalala la lalala”

Steve: We are very critical of each other. I just like jamming away with myself or Vikaash or whoever and when we get to a point where Siara feels its good enough to sit in on it, she’ll come along with some ideas and when we think they’re good enough, we’ll record them.

Saira shoots the Chor Bazaar CD cover

Aspi: Saira, Steve mentioned his job on the side. Do you also do other work?

Saira: I work for MTV. I produce and write for them.

Steve: We don’t make enough money, Aspi if we just do Trickbaby.

Saira: That’s why it takes us so long to do Trickbaby albums.

Aspi: And the decision to invite Gogol Bordello to help out on the title track to Chor Bazaar and sing in Roma – what was behind that?

Steve: Its called Chor Bazaar because we felt it was stealing things from all kinds of music. It came about I know Eugene very well. And he’s fascinated by Indian rhythms especially

It was really good fun making that song

Aspi: So have you ever been to Chor Bazaar?

Saira: Definitely. Part of this story was about an incident on a particular trip to India. On that trips one of the things that happened was that I had my mobile phone stolen from me and our driver said to us: 'maam, if you want your phone back then Chor Bazaar chalte hai shaam ko, definitely it will be there.'

And I thought: how audacious but indeed convenient that you could lose your phone but you can go to Chor Bazaar and buy your phone back again by the evening.

And Chor Bazaar is full of rickety typewriters and broken cameras and spanners and things. Old knickety knacks and people’s own histories and everything tells a story. It reflects India’s entrepreneurial spirit. You can buy and sell anything and there is a market for everything.

Knickety Knacks at the Mumbai Chor Bazaar, photographed by Trickbaby's driver

Steve: Those pictures in our album sleeve you see are things from Chor Bazaar.

Those were taken by our driver - in Mumbai, he used to live on the streets when he was seven. We once got stuck in with him for about eight hours in the record Mumbai floods of about three years ago. Apart from telling us his life story, he told us about Chor Bazaar and then he took us there.

Aspi: What about the Bollywood opportunities? How did they come about?

Saira: God knows

Steve: I don’t know either! I met an Indian journalist who introduced us to the vice chairman of EMI who was based in Hong Kong at the time. So I reckon it must have come from Sameer Tandon who must have decided to use our song.

Then we were invited to play at the MTV style awards where there were an awful lot of Bollywood people in the audience. And that was the start of everything.

Aspi: So Bluffmaster came next. Did you work with Vishal Shekhar at all?

Steve: No, we dealt directly with Rohan Sippy.

Saira: When we did Sabse Bada Rupaiiya, the original had such dodgy vocals. We knew we were adamant that we wanted to use the vocals but they weren't quality vocals to work with. So we went back to Rohan and asked for new vocals. But by the time it came back, it had completely messed up the feeling of the song. So Steve married the two vocals – so we could have the quality of the new voice.

Steve: We found a program that could match the vocals together. It took hours – it was like a jigsaw puzzle. Putting the vocals on top of the other one.

Saira: There was a controversy over whether it was the original vocal or a recent one. But it was actually a combination of the two.

Aspi: So are Trickbaby doing anything in Bollywood?

Steve: We just continue to write. We are working on our new project.

Saira: The latest film I tried to butt in on, it didn’t happen, was Slumdog Millionnaire. I tried really hard. I knew the screenplay writer – Simon Beaufoy. So I got in touch with him and forwarded our stuff to him. He then forwarded it to Danny Boyle. I think Danny Boyle had already hired AR Rahman to do the soundtrack by then. Not that we could ever have done what he did. But we were just a little bit late for that project. But that would have been amazing.

We don’t do the kind of music that goes with mainstream Bollywood. We don’t make the kind of videos where I’m running around in a bikini. Makes us quite a difficult bunch of eggs to deal with really. But the kind of promotion and recognition we get from the movie stuff is really good for us.

Aspi: Did you watch Pyare Mohan and Bluffmaster?

Saira: I started to watch Pyare Mohan recently and I thought 'What a pile of junk'. I turned it off. Its such a shame because the song we did was actually pretty good .

Steve: Saira, you were going to be in the video till the last minute weren’t you?

Saira: I was glad I wasn’t! Can you imagine given a brief like 'we want you to write a song about a deaf man and a blind man.' And we were both like 'ok that’s not going to be too easy then'

Bluffmaster I quite liked. I thought it was clever.

Saira with 'The Big B', photographed by Abhishek Bachchan

Aspi: Ok, I’m going to play a little game with you. Its multiple choice questions – you have to make a choice and it has to be the closest one.

Your reaction when you met Amitabh Bachchan. (a) Ohmygod, it’s not really happening (b) Is it really him? He looks much older (c) Is that a hairpiece that he is wearing?

Saira: Hahaha! It was definitely (a) because I was on stage with Abhishek Bachchan and we were twirling around for this video we were doing for Nine Parts of Desire .

And suddenly there is a look of panic on his face and Abhishek goes ‘Oh my god, it’s the Big B!’ He called his own father The Big B! I looked to the corner of the room and there was this apparition. It was the most bizarre, almost cinematic moment.

Then I realized I had to check the hair as well and I got up close.

Priyanka performs Neelaa, MTV Style Awards

Aspi: Your reaction when you saw Priyanka shaking a leg to your song Neelaa. (a) Ohmygod, it can’t be happening (in a good way) (b) Ohmygod, it can’t be happening (in a bad way) (c) Priyanka really looks hot

Steve: All three, actually

Saira: Its one of those moments when you feel like you’ve really made it. Bollywood had embraced us!

Aspi: A test of your Bollywood knowledge: Who is older? (a) Salman Khan (b) Shah Rukh Khan

Saira: Salman! Isn’t he?

Aspi: That was a trick question. They are both the same age!

If we asked your fans ‘Do you ever make out to Trickbaby?’ Do you think they would say (a) All the time! (b) Nope, we break too much stuff while doing it or (c) I haven’t gotten laid since (the first CD) Hanging Around came out anyway

Saira: Its got to be (c)!

Steve: Probably. All of our fans I’m aware of are either very young or very old!

Aspi: Final question: can either of you fold a fitted bed sheet?

Saira: Yes I can. I iron everything! I’m a compulsive ironer!

Steve: I don’t even make the bed, Aspi. I just roll it up.

If you are interested, more music from Trickbaby's label SaReGaMa here

Copyright Note:
All pictures are Copyright Trickbaby. Please don't use without permission. Open season on rest of the content - you know what the deal is.

And very importantly - Tulika, Sneha, Thanks!

Sapan Saran talks about her journey to SRK: An Exclusive Drift Interview

2009-02-26T00:01:00.006-06:00

Sure we talk about big stars a lot on the Drift, but nothing is more fascinating than the story of an artiste who is building up a career. It takes a lot of hard work, networking, learning your craft and if you're lucky - you have a lot of fun along the way.

Sapan Saran is a savvy, super cute model who has vaulted from parts in commercials (Kitkat, Scooty Pep, Unibic Cookies) to making her acting debut in the Vinay Pathak starrer SRK, which is shaping up to be one of the more interesting releases on the schedule this year.

Sapan was cool enough to stop by the Drift to tell us about her journey to the long gates of Bollywood, being thrown into the pit with a few veteran actors in her very first film and trying to break big in South Indian cinema.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Sapan, thanks for stopping by the Drift. Let's start with your film: SRK. Is it one of those super secret plots or can you tell us about it?

Sapan: Hi Aspi…pleasure being here.

SRK not only has an interesting name but also a very interesting plot…and it's not really a super-secret now. The film is about this man Shivaji Rao Khote, who is fondly called SRK by his friends…SRK represents a common man with big dreams but a lazy attitude! You gotta watch the film for Vinay!

AspisDrift.com: What's your role like in the movie?

Sapan: I am being introduced in the film in second lead. My character's name is Sandhya…she's a small town girl..who loves her family and shares a special bond with her elder sister [Rituparna], whose married to SRK [Vinay]. I also have a slight romantic track in the film.

AspisDrift.com: I know very little about you, so you'll have to fill us in on the details. Where were you born? What's your family like? Where did you go to school?

Sapan: Umm ..ok..I belong to Rajasthan. Schooling was in Jodhpur and then moved to Delhi. I've now shifted to Mumbai. My dad is a Prof in JNU, Delhi…Bro is in a hedge firm in US.

AspisDrift.com: Just about any good looking model type women I talk to will either tell me that they wanted to be an astronaut when they grew up or that they were a complete tomboy. What was little Sapan like?

Sapan: Little Sapan was one confused soul…she wanted to be what and what-not, from a teacher, to an IAS officer to a doctor and engineer. Almost every dream that a small-town child usually nurtures under the guidance of her parents :).

But I was involved in a lot of cultural activities right from the beginning - dancing, radio, plays, etc. And one day I suddenly asked myself - 'What am I doing? Why Computers? This is not where I belong!!"…and I made a decision. I was very lucky to have had such supportive parents who let me chase my unconventional dream - even though I was a very good student: a class topper to be precise! :)

AspisDrift.com: Any other modeling work that you have on your portfolio?

Vinay Pathak, Rituparna Sengupta and Sapan on the sets of SRK

Sapan: Well I've only been here working for over a year. During this period I did SRK and a couple of commercials - Kitkat, Scooty Pep, Raymonds, Dish TV, Unibic (cookies), LG Mobile for Pakistan, Paragon, some ads down south, etc. and some prints as well for Godrej, Big Bazaar, etc.

You'll also soon see me in a music video for T-series. But I'm looking forward to MORE!

AspisDrift.com: Ok, I need to ask you some modeling questions. Do you have to deal a lot with rejection? How do you cope with it?

Sapan: Oh all the time! You have to learn to face it, accept it and ignore it! You have to let go…and the easiest way is to never to be attached to the outcome of any project. Give your best shot and move on. It took me a while to learn this…but I practiced it and it works now!

AspisDrift.com: Let's talk about SRK again. I saw your pictures of the shooting. Where is that gorgeous place?

Sapan: Oh yes it is indeed a beautiful place…its Munnar in Kerala.

AspisDrift.com: Anything about shooting films that caught you off guard?

Sapan: Well to be very frank…there were a lot of things which were new to me. Simple things like, 'catching the light' is something that comes with practice. And the funny part is that even if you act well, if you're weak in any one of the technical areas (facing, lighting, switch on-off, etc)...you'll lose the scene.

I mean what's the point of delivering a lovely scene in the dark! You gotta take your light! So yes I did make a lot of mistakes and since its not a class-room…most of the times you learn things on your own by making a mistake.

Let me also mention that I was lucky to have a director like Ajoy Varma, who was very composed during the shoot and never lost his cool. This really helped me cause being a new comer I was not prepared to work in stressful environments. The fact that I was working with all senior actors…was enough of a stress :). But Rituparna, Ninad, Vinay…were all extremely supportive.

AspisDrift.com: So how do you go about making a career in films? Do you have to audition like crazy? Network like mad? Try and hit every party in town? What works for you?

Sapan: Guess its audition and network like mad that works for me now.When I came to Mumbai, I only knew two people - my friend, (writer-director) Kiran Kotrial (Deewane Huye Paagal) and my uncle Mr Kumar Shahani whose a renowned film director across the globe. So I took my first few baby steps guided by them.

Now of course I meet a lot of people and end up connecting to quite a few. I love meeting people who deal with the technicalities of cinema, as well.

For instance, I got along pretty well with Shajith, from SRK's team. He is a national awardee in sound design! Our still-photographer Binnoy Roy, whose an ace photographer and also a dear friend now, has always been giving me tips for improvement!

I'm also presently trying to break into South (Indian cinema). I recently got in touch with a huge star down south - Dhanush, who is also Rajnikant's son-in-law. After interacting with him I realized that films down South have a huge market as well. I'd love to work with him some day. Actually lets not touch that zone…I have a huge wish-list of people I'd love to work with!!!!

AspisDrift.com: Vinay Pathak is a big favorite on this blog. People seem to really like him. Anything about him you'd like to share with his fans here?

Sapan: Oh Vinay is a sweet heart! Very humble and down-to-earth. He's cracking jokes all the time.

We bonded while playing word-building and dumb charades on the set. I mean we played so much..that whenever we'd see each other off camera..we'd b whispering names of films to enact!

And he is a brilliant actor to watch. One thing he told me was that the challenging thing is, to completely wash-out what u did in the previous take n to redo the same thing with absolute freshness in the next take!

I'd tell his fans that he is every bit of the lovable person that u think he is.

AspisDrift.com: Ok, some brand questions. What do you drive in real life? A Scooty?

Sapan: Naah I wish though…looking at the traffic.

AspisDrift.com: Your favorite cookies?

Sapan: Eeeh…are you like teasing me? I'm on a diet!

AspisDrift.com: Your mobile phone?

Sapan: Or my mobile number? :) Nokia XpressMusic f' now... I lose a lot of phones!

AspisDrift.com: Your favorite stores for shopping?

Sapan: I don't really follow brands…so I'd walk into any shop which looks interesting. Mostly it's from Bandra or Lokhandwala.

AspisDrift.com: Finally, this question is mandatory on my blog so indulge me: can you fold a fitted bed sheet properly?

Sapan: Hey I like that question! Since the question is 'can'…I'd say - yes. Had it been 'do' ...NO!

The trailor to Sapan's movie SRK

What the stars say: Predicting the future of Bollywood

2009-02-10T00:06:00.006-06:00

For long I've read anya jyotish's predict the future of the stars in all kinds of respectable newspapers. I've come away absolutely amazed at the accuracy with which they have been able to predict the future. When their predictions fall flat, I've noted that its always because someone didn't do what they should have (like add an extra R or some such).

Eager to get some first hand knowledge of this amazing science, I decided to interview my very own aunt - none other than TigerMaasi, jyotish to several starlets and a small time politician or two.

Aspi: Hi TigerMaasi, thanks for doing an interview with the Drift.
TigerMaasi: What newspaper is this?

Aspi: Its a blog
TigerMaasi: Whatever! You want to know why you've lost all your hair? Your Saturn has been in a bad mood for years.

Aspi: No, TigerMaasi, I want to hear from you what the future holds for some of your favorite Bollywood stars.
TigerMaasi: Anything for my favorite nephew. Who should we do first?

Aspi: How about Salman Khan?
TigerMaasi: That boy is ruled by the number 9, the fiery Mangal, planet of boundless energy. This makes him impetuous, accident-prone, stubborn and inflexible. He also has a penchant for taking his shirt off!

Aspi: Wow, you can read all this from his kundli?
TigerMaasi: No, I read all this in Filmfare. But I will tell you this: if you add up the names of his hits in the last three years and multiply it by 10 you get 2010. He will turn 45 that year. These powerful numbers indicate he will get married then.

Aspi: To Katrina Kaif?
TigerMaasi: Most likely. If not Katrina, some other girl then.

Aspi: Really. But he'll get married for sure?
TigerMaasi: Well if he announces it. Otherwise it could be a secret wedding somewhere that he won't announce.

Aspi: Uh, isn't that a little too convenient for a prediction?
TigerMaasi: Astrology is all about making lives convenient for people.

Aspi: What about your other favorite Akshay Kumar?
TigerMaasi: Akshay is 42. Add his name to the year 2009 and you get 29. This is very good!

Aspi: Are you using real Math?
TigerMaasi: Be quiet you young whippersnapper. It wasn't long ago that I was changing your diapers.

Aspi: Very well. Will he get over Chandni Chowk to China?
TigerMaasi: Didn't I just say 2009 is a great year for him? Chandni Chowk will be a huge hit.

Aspi: But Chandni Chowk already came out and blew chunks at the box office
TigerMaasi: Akshay's birthday is on September 9. If you add CC2C, you get 9 again. So his next movie will be a hit.

Aspi: I don't understand any of this!
TigerMaasi: That's why YOU are interviewing ME, no? We sent you to vilayat for studies. Nothing you have learn or what?!

Aspi: How about Saif?
TigerMaasi: That gora bachcha is 39, adding to 3, which is Jupiter - planet of wealth. If he acts in a film about fast cars and cash, he'll have a huge hit on his hands.

Aspi: That was Race early last year!
TigerMaasi: Just shows you how good I am! Is it on DVD yet and does Saif take his shirt off?

Aspi: Yes to both
TigerMaasi: Hot dog!

Aspi: What about this year for Saif?
TigerMaasi: Saif will be 40 this year. 4 is his lucky number. So we can expect him to do well this year also.

Aspi: Will he marry Kareena?
TigerMaasi: (snorts) I hope not! What will he hold on to?

Aspi: Will anyone have a bad year? Shahrukh? Ritwick? Aishwarya?
TigerMaasi: SRK will be 44 - which adds up to 8. This represents Shani which always brings SRK bad luck. His health might suffer next year.

Aspi: He smokes a lot so you think he might have issues with that?
TigerMaasi: Or worse. His face may break out into pimples.

Aspi: Aishwarya?
TigerMaasi: Ah, lovely girl. Her name adds to 50 or 5 which is the same as AB Baby's.

Aspi: Shouldn't you use real names for numerology?
TigerMaasi: Wake up and smell the patti chai! Everyone is modernizing - we have started using nicknames. Whatever works! Aish will give a jhakaas performance in Mani Ratnam's Raavana next year.

Aspi: Any predictions for some of the other stars? Sonu Nigam? Himesh Reshammiya? Vishal and Shekhar?
TigerMaasi: Who are these people and what have they got to do with Bollywood? Stop wasting my time. Interview is over. Now do you want me to make your favorite bread pudding or no?

Luck by Perseverance: An Exclusive Interview with Zoya Akhtar

2009-01-23T01:00:00.019-06:00

At the outset Zoya Akhtar seems emminently qualified to make a movie about the internals of the Indian film industry. But look closer, and you'll realize quickly that she might just be the best person to do so. She's grown up sorrounded by the environment she will portray in her directorial debut, she's bold enough to go where more jaded entities wouldn't and she comes from a family of hugely successful writers (she is daughter to Javed Akhtar and Honey Irani and sister to Farhan).

Zoya started her project with a tricky concept, a bunch of swirling rumors and years later ended up with just one bankable name - Hrithik Roshan. But as luck by chance would have it, things fell in place for her.

Movies that target the urban multiplexes became viable commercial projects. A bunch of very famous people (Aamir, Shahrukh, Salman, Shilpa Shetty, Kareena, Juhi Chawla, Shabana Azmi) signed up for cameos. Her composers Shankar Ehsaan Loy gave her a monster soundtrack to work with. And finally, last year her lead actor - Farhan Akhtar - helmed a sleeper hit of such proportions that Luck By Chance has become this year's most anticipated movie.

Luck By Chance opens on January 30 and Zoya is crazy busy right now. But she was enough of a sweetheart to stop by the Drift and answer all my annoying questions.

AspisDrift.com: Zoya, welcome to the Drift, thanks so much for doing this with me. Since Luck By Chance is a hatke film, I’ll do a hatke Q&A with you. I promise not to refer to it as LBC, ask you about those cameos or make nutty comparisons to OSO.

Often people cast jaane pehchaane people in their films and say “No really, they were the best choice for the role!” I’m hoping you’ll say something about Farhan like “Dikhne mein bura nahi, acting bhi kar leta hai, free mein kaam karega” when I ask you how he got the lead part in your movie. Well?

Zoya: Well since no one wanted to play the lead actor, I had shelved this film till a later date, moved onto doing something titled Kismet Talkies with Hrithik and Kareena.

Then Hrithik wanted to work on something else with me but I did not have the time or the patience at that point to start yet another project. Reema Kagti (director of Honeymoon Travels) suggested I cast Farhan. I saw his work in the film Fakir of Venice and loved him.

I spoke to him and he said yes right away. Now in retrospect he is the best thing that happened for the role.

AspisDrift.com: I’ve noticed in the promos that Farhan’s scenes seem to play to his strengths. He’s a pretty unconventional actor by Bollywood standards. Do you have him running around trees at all? Tugging at the heroine’s pallu maybe?

Zoya: Yes! We have him do all of the above:-) He plays a wannabe actor in the Hindi film industry (so) the story leads him around trees as well.

AspisDrift.com: You got a killer soundtrack delivered by SEL. Did you have any instructions for SEL about overall theme and feel? What was working on the music like?

Zoya: Absolutely - everyone who works on your film has to be given a brief by you. As a director you are the only link between each department and therefore it is your job to make sure everything works in conjunction and comes together.

I loved working with SEL. they heard the script, we discussed the situations, the mood I wanted. I gave them visual references of what I wanted the song to look like and made them hear some songs for a feel of the sound I wanted. They are fabulous and can reference a genre and zero in on the mood you looking for.

And the most important this is they are absolutely original.

AspisDrift.com: Zoya, I can’t find much information about your extended crew. Could you tell us a bit about your team? I heard Farah Khan did your choreography. Do you work with a production designer? Who did your costumes?

Zoya: Farah had just had her three babies and did not do it. Vaibhavi (Merchant) did Baware and Rajeev Surti did Pyaar Ki Daastaan. The production designer was Anuradha Parikh and costumes were Arjun Bhasin and Aparna Chandra. The DP was Carlos Catalan.

AspisDrift.com: I have a couple of personal questions to ask if you don’t mind. Farhan did an interview with me for Rock On!! and kept talking about what a good cook he was. True or was he just trying phaltu-mein to impress us?

Zoya: He is a good cook, mainly continental food.

AspisDrift.com: All siblings seem to fight. My two young sons love each other but could also kill each other sometimes. What is the most annoying thing you remember about your brother growing up that made you feel like pulling his hair out?

Zoya: He was always in my room...always...

AspisDrift.com: You are a writer. Do you write anything besides movies? Any poem or shaayari you can share with us?

Zoya: No! They are too personal.

AspisDrift.com: Final question and a mandatory one on the Drift for everyone: can you fold a fitted bed sheet?

Zoya: I can but the real question is - do I want to?

The Theatrical Trailer
The magnificent Sapnon se bhare naina and Baware
Luck By Chance on Facebook

How Shekhar Ravjiani, singer, is busting loose! An Exclusive Drift Interview

2009-01-12T00:15:00.009-06:00

On Luck By Chance - the first great soundtrack of 2009 - composers Shankar Ehsaan Loy invited Shekhar Ravjiani to sing for them. Shekhar had lent his voice to over a dozen Bollywood tracks before - all his own compositions as part of the celebrated pair of Vishal-Shekhar. And the thought of recording someone else's composition made him a tad bit nervous.

But Shekhar's unique voice - full of mellifluous, robust timbre - married to the dreamy, gurgling ballad Yeh Zindagi Bhi ended up among his best work to date.

Enjoying a truck load of well deserved wah-wahs for his work, Shekhar was cool enough to make some time and stop by the Drift to tell us why the song is giving him new found confidence to uncork his voice a little more this year.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Shekhar, great work on Yeh Zindagi on LBC. Is this the first time you’ve sung for someone other than Vishal-Shekhar?

Thank you and yes! I’m glad Shankar Ehsaan Loy thought me good enough to sing their song.

AspisDrift.com: Tell us a little bit about the song. How did you end up getting it? Why do you think you got picked? What was the recording like?

Shekhar: For the last two years now Shankar has been singing for us. I love his voice. I think he is one of the foremost playback singers in the country. He can sing anything – from classical to a western song. Any genre is comfortable for him. And I love his voice.

Every time he used to record with us, he would leave the studio and say “Shekhar I want to record a song with you haan!” And I would say “Sure, any time man!” SEL are all very dear friends to us. We hang out regularly. About 6 months back, I got a call saying I should come over and record a song with them.

I was very happy and nervous at the same time. This was the first time I was going to sing for another composer. As a friend I knew there would be a great level of comfort with Shankar. But there is a different kind of nervousness you feel – (where) you hope you don’t mess it up.

So I went there and Shankar made me feel as if I was in my own studio. Shankar made me feel as I was singing my own song. The whole experience was finished in 45 minutes to an hour and (all along) I felt that I was in a party or something. All of them were there and they were just having a great time. Every line I would sing, these guys would be like “Superb, man!”

There was this crazy amount of energy and comfort level for me. I’m very happy with the way this song has turned out.

AspisDrift.com: You have a fairly unique voice. It’s dumdaar but also very soulful. But you seem to have sung a lot of songs that are soulful/romantic. Ever felt like testing your pipes with a zordaar, high notes song or is that not your style?

Shekhar: The thing is – once the song comes to you, that becomes your style. Its destiny. Maybe I’ve done all these romantic songs and that makes it feel that its my style. At the end of the day I think a singer should be versatile and sing different kind of songs. For example, my partner, my friend Vishal sings rock songs and then romantic songs. I feel very happy for him.

Personally I’m starting to figure out that maybe I can sing a bit. The biggest composers in India have called me to sing a song. People have appreciated my voice. There must be something in my voice. Maybe it’s time to find it and work hard on it.

A lot of people tell me: “Why don’t you sing your own songs”. I would love to sing my own songs! But at the end of the day it should connect with people. There is a song called Aazmale in Taxi 9211 – a lot of people inside and outside the industry called me to tell me that they loved that song. I just took my rough vocals on the track just to get an idea as to how the composition was going. All of a sudden Vishal walked and then (director) Milan Luthria walked in and they told me my voice completely locked with the song. So they asked me to sing it. And I said sure, no problem at all.

So sometimes what happens is that the voice just has to lock with the song.

AspisDrift.com: I think Jogi Mahi (from Bachna Ae Haseeno) is your most challenging work after Aazmale. Do you agree or does some other song stand out as being your most challenging work?

Shekhar: Jogi Mahi was a big, fat, full Punjabi song! It needed that kind of attitude. Romance also. At the same time it needed to be light and soulful. I’m glad (director) Siddharth (Anand) thought I should sing that song and I gave it a go and it worked.

We needed another character in the song so we got Sukhiji to sing with me. He’s always such a great inspiration for singers.

AspisDrift.com: You really like that guy don’t you?

Shekhar: I love Sukhiji! Have you heard that song Dil Haara from Tashan?

AspisDrift.com: Hasn't everyone?

Shekhar: He rocked that song!

AspisDrift.com: Ok, let’s talk about your work last year. You sang two tracks on De Taali (Aaj Mein Boond Hoon with Shreya, Hone Lagi with Anushka) and Jogi Mahi with Himani Kapoor on Bachna Ae Haseeno. How did you end up casting yourself on those tracks?

Shekhar: Those (first) two songs I sang just to fill things up. There were a few lines required so I said let me just go and sing it. I’m definitely building some confidence to sing more. I’m doing another song on Aladdin coming up in May.

My playback singing confidence has increased a bit because of all the love and faith people have shown in me. I’ve gotten messages and calls non stop since Luck By Chance. It feels great. I feel like doing more and better every time I go behind the mike.

AspisDrift.com: I remember mentioning this to you once but your live performance in The Unforgettables concert took me by surprise. I had expected Vishal to be good but you were a revelation. How come V-S don’t do as many live shows as say SEL?

Shekhar: We’ve started like mad in the last one and a half month. We’ve been doing them non stop! We perform for all kinds of events, corporate events. People who have seen us and want to have us perform for them. We are pretty mad on stage.

Unforgettables was just 15-20m or so. But if you see V-S live for about an hour and half, it’ll be like you are on a roller coaster ride.

AspisDrift.com: I should definitely catch a longer V-S show. What is my best bet for catching you live?

Shekhar: Whenever we perform if we are near you or you are near us, I will give you a buzz and you will be my guest.

AspisDrift.com: Ok Shekhar I have an exercise I want to do with you. There is a mad Vishal-Shekhar fan called Mind Rush on the Drift who once did a psychoanalysis of you for us. So I'm going to read out the analysis and you tell me how accurate it is.

First piece of analysis: Shekar eagerly jumps up on stage to dance. He's passionate, exuberant, impulsive man

Shekhar: Absolutely true!

AspisDrift.com: He stands behind the singers or to the side while on stage. He does not need to hog limelight. Also, thoughtful, observant

Shekhar: The singer is the most important person on stage. I wouldn’t want to block the singer. It’s the singer’s space. Its his performance. Its his time. There is a moment for everyone in life. Blocking the singer and saying rubbish doesn’t make any sense. So I always move away and let the singer get his due.

AspisDrift.com: He keeps his hands in his pocket while dancing. The man keeps secrets. No matter how well you get to know him, it’s hard to ferret out all his true feelings. He is an introvert

Shekhar: Kind of true. I don’t know what to do with my hands when dancing!

I’m more introverted than say Vishal. You can never talk about yourself but when people say I’m introverted, then ok I am. I am like that.

I believe in things that people go through – God gives you something you have to respect. Not like a few other people who try and grab the limelight that they are not supposed. Grab the limelight with the work that you do. Not with the shit that you talk on stage. That is always what I’ve believed.

AspisDrift.com: He dances on stage for all 3 contestants. A true lover of music! Ingrained sense of fairness and decency

Shekhar: Always!

AspisDrift.com: Bindaas dancing on stage even though dancing skills are modest. Music helps him overcome his inherent shyness. Does not obsess over his image

Shekhar: My dancing skills suck! But when I go on stage I’m an animal. I become a different person.

Just a couple of days back we did a concert on Jan 2 (The Turf Club at the Race Course – one of the beautiful places to play in Mumbai). You’ve seen us jumping on stage. Vishal and I – we burned the stage down. It was best ever concert!

We were on stage for 1 hour and 15 minutes. We sang about 15 – 16 songs, all the club hits of this year and last. We were mad on stage!

So basically when I’m on stage, its about entertaining people!

AspisDrift.com: Which song gets the biggest reactions when you sing these days?

Shekhar: These days its Desi Girl. I kid you not, when we played Desi Girl last time we didn’t get a chance to sing. The audience was singing all the way till the very end. People went insane when we played Maa Da Laadla. Deewangi, Dard-e-disco – only our crowds sing that. This year was great for us!

AspisDrift.com: You seem to be a very level headed person. Haven’t you done or said anything crazy ever?

Shekhar: Every human being makes a mistake – everyone does something mad in life. I believe that when its music – something you really love and respect, you must do the right things at the right time.

I had no idea about this fighting and people crying and fainting and going crazy on the sets of Sa Re Ga Ma…or any reality show. It used to cheese me off completely.

When I participated in Sa Re Ga Ma, I’m talking about 12-13 years back, there used to be singers from Suresh Wadkar’s classes, from Bhimsen Joshi’s gharana. They used to these classy people who used to just come, sing and go! It was never about two judges fighting, it was never about jokes being cracked. It was never about bizarre things happening on stage. I know its entertaining for people. But I just couldn’t react to it. I feel like if I get called as a judge, let me do my job and leave.

AspisDrift.com: Finally, mandatory Drift question: can you fold a fitted bed sheet?

Shekhar: Well, no! I can’t do that. Or the person making me do this needs a lot of patience. That’s a tough one – I’ll leave it to the maids.

AspisDrift.com: Thanks for doing this with us Shekhar. My best to bhabhi and the rest of the family

Shekhar's discography as a vocalist

Dil Se Mere (Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi) - 1999
Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai (Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai)- 2001
Bollywood Calling (Bollywood Calling) - 2001
Churaya Re (Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein) with Priti and Pinky - 2001
Chhaha (Supari) with Sunidhi Chauhan - 2003
Hamesha (Krishna Cottage) - 2004
Cuckoo Cuckoo (Home Delivery) with Sunidhi Chauhan - 2005
Aage Peeche (Golmaal - Fun Unlimited) with Sneha Pant - 2006
Aazmale Aazmale (Taxi No 9211) - 2006
Kehne Hai Jo (I See You) - 2006
Sajnaji Vaari Vaari (Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd) with Sunidhi Chauhan - 2007
Cash (Cash) with Sunidhi Chauhan, Vishal Dadlani - 2007
Aaj Main Boond Hoon (De Taali) with Shreya Ghoshal - 2008
Hone Lagi (De Taali) with Anushka Manchanda - 2008
Jogi Mahi (Bachna Ae Haseeno) with Sukhwinder Singh, Himani Kapoor - 2008
Yeh Zindagi Bhi (Luck By Chance) with Loy Mendosa - 2009

Jasmin Shah on life as a professional photographer (and three of her favorite pictures)

2008-11-25T01:04:00.037-06:00

Born to an Indian father who grew up in Ethiopia and an American mother, Jasmin Shah grew up in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She grew up hearing about different cultures. At Christmas, she remembers eating Indian food, Ethiopian food and a small token turkey. And it opened up her world.

Armed with an innate curiosity derived from her multi-cultural background, she first visited India at the age of 29 as a professional photographer. She recalls it was strange going to the country, knowing it was part of her heritage but not knowing much about it at all. Jasmin took pictures on that trip to learn more about herself.

She's been back several times since, traveling to photograph distant lands in between making her living as a photographer in Chicago. I asked her to share her unique perspective on the Drift and tell us about life as a person who takes pictures for a living.

I also asked her to pick three of her favorite pictures and tell us all about them.

AspisDrift.com: Jasmine, tell us how you got serious about photography

Jasmin: Well, I was pretty good at Math and Science in High School and Mechanical Engineering sounded good. I actually wanted to be an astronaut! But once I got to Purdue it got kind of boring. I realized my chances of being an astronaut were so dim – I would be probably be working in an office all my life. So I started thinking about a change. And once I took a photo class it all changed for me.

There was an opening at the local paper for a position as a chief photographer. I interviewed and got it. But it was very demanding. I remember I ended up doing really poorly at studies that semester!

But I got to go the NCAA tournament (Purdue is big in Basketball). I got to do all these cool assignments when I was only nineteen. My parents saw me on TV. I was the only woman photographer there. I thought to myself: this is pretty cool!

So I moved to the University of Montana and studied Photojournalism.

AspisDrift.com: What's life as a professional photographer like?

Jasmin: I do photography full time as a freelancer. Life is interesting and different. I started off with photo journalism but now I do more portraiture. As a photographer, you are constantly meeting new people. You are in situations that most people wouldn’t encounter. Every day can be different which is fantastic and exciting.

It’s not always the most glamorous. I had to go to the Fish Feeding room to shoot at The Shedd Aquarium. I had to go to a huge landfill in the Western burbs while doing a story about the journey of a water bottle for Red Eye (a free daily published by The Chicago Tribune).

AspisDrift.com: Sounds Adventurous!

Jasmin: Yeah! I get to go to pretty fabulous parties if I happen to be photographing them.

I can be introverted or extroverted depending on the situation. For photojournalism, you need to only be observing. So you step back. But when I’m doing wedding or portraits or photos of kids and families I have to jump out there and be more social.

AspisDrift.com: You've taken all kinds of pictures: weddings, pregnancies, people, countries, even food. What among all this has been the toughest to photograph?

Jasmin: I remember doing a kids’ portrait the day after Halloween. Never again! They were all hopped up on sugar! No, actually really they are all good.

Weddings can be nerve racking because it’s the biggest day of a couple’s life and you are in charge of getting all the pictures right. But when you give the photos to the couple and they get to see it, it’s pretty special because the bride and groom don't really get to see much when they are in the wedding.

AspisDrift.com: I see lots of people, casual and amateur photographers, take great pictures. What do you think are the elements that distinguish a professional photographer?

Jasmin: You need commitment and consistency. When I talk to potential client for weddings and they tell me they met someone who was very cheap. I ask them: did you see that person’s whole shoot and was the whole thing good? Because only a good professional photographer can show great consistency across the portfolio.

AspisDrift.com: My friend Sarboo takes terrific pictures on the cell phone. Most phones are still terrible for photography, but their portable nature makes them really useful. What would be the one thing I should always keep in mind to get the best pictures on a phone?

Jasmin: Yes, quality on the phone is not the greatest and the flashes aren’t good either. So you have to think a lot about natural light. (Good) Light on the subject you are photographing – that is the most important thing.

AspisDrift.com: I've always wanted to ask this: do people expect you to take your personal pictures like a professional too? Let's say you snap the dog or your nephews and the pictures don't come out right. Do you get funny looks?

Jasmin: No one has really said anything negative about any pictures I take casually. But I get lots of questions about which camera to buy. And I know this makes me sound awful, but I don’t know anything about consumer grade cameras. For professional cameras, like say Canon, there are only a few you can afford that you also like so the choice is simpler.

So I’ve recently been thinking I should go to a camera shop and look at cameras so that I have something ready when I get asked.

AspisDrift.com: You travel a lot for your photography. How do you manage your cameras during international travel?

Jasmin: I carry all my equipment with me! In my last trip to India in June I took all my cameras with me. My carry-ons are really heavy – in fact I have to constantly pretend my bags are really light, which they aren’t!

Once I lost all my check-in bags for five days. I hadn’t packed anything to wear in my carry ons! On my next trip to Ethiopia, I am packing at least one change of clothes between cameras.

All my carry-ons are casual (non-photography related) because I travel alone a lot and don’t want to attract attention.

AspisDrift.com: Ok Jasmin, let's talk about three of your favorite pictures you've picked out for us.

Jasmin: This picture (above) was taken during my first trip to India a few years ago. It’s on Dal Lake in Srinagar. There is an Indian photographer who has since passed away – Raghubir Singh. I was looking at a lot of his stuff before going on this trip. It’s all so layered – he has a lot going on in his frames.

In this picture there are four people – a mother, baby, a grandma and a boy playing cricket. I took the picture from a boat on the lake across this house. I like those orange pants hanging in the window. The colors are muted but a few things pop out like the green ball between the legs of the boy.

My last trip to India was as a volunteer for Operation Smile which is a non-profit group. Operation Smile fixes cleft lips and cleft palates. I photographed the mission for them so they could use the pictures for fund raising.

I’ve wanted to make a difference in life and I’m not a nurse or a teacher or a doctor. With this opportunity, I felt like I could make a difference so I volunteered.

I followed this little girl you see in the picture (above) everywhere. She was the darling of the whole mission. She was really cute and happy and excited to see everyone.

I took this last November. I saw her in June again. She remembered me. I almost started crying. She looked really good and it made me so happy.

This picture (above) was taken in Chicago on Randolph Street over the I90-94 freeway. A couple of weeks ago, I was assisting my friend at a wedding (sometimes we help each other out because its much nicer when there are two people photographing a wedding) when this picture was taken.

I shot this with a tilt-shift lens so I got this slim line of focus and everything else was diffused around it. I like that light behind the man’s hair – that was a street lamp!

You once pictorially documented life in Chicago. Let's say someone came to visit this wonderful city, how would you recommend they spend their day?

Jasmin: Chicago is a city of neighborhoods. One of the best things to do is to pick out some neighborhoods and go through them. I live in the Ukrainian Village, I’m close to Wicker Park and Bucktown and I love these neighborhoods.

You get to see people walking and interacting. I recommend people get away from Downtown Chicago at least once during their trip.

You can ride the Brown Line (on the Chicago L) and look at peoples’ back porches and experience the neighborhood in a way you can’t on foot. You get an insight into people’s lives a lot that way. And the food is great in all these places!

AspisDrift.com: Jasmine, its mandatory to pester all guests on the Drift with this last question: can you fold a fitted bed sheet?

Jasmine: Oh, I am horrible at folding fitted sheets. Usually I just do this weird rolling fold with the sheets between my arms and then just pat it down and shove it in the closet. It is definitely not a skill of mine, though nor is it one that I am that concerned with having.

Jasmin's web site

Why Niharika Singh is here to stay - An Exclusive Drift Interview

2008-11-17T01:09:00.005-06:00

There is an Indian restaurant in the Chicago burbs that seems to be a particularly popular in the area. And whenever I'm there I find myself looking at a wall filled with pictures of the Bollywood A-list. There is a picture of Katrina, Bipasha and Kareena. There's Hrithik, Saif, Abhishek, Bipasha again (there is a reason I don't mind eating at this place), Salman, Preity, Aishwarya.

But there is one anamoly on this Wall of Fame. Right there between a picture of Amitabh Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra is a framed photograph of...Niharika Singh.

Clearly, a lot of people even halfway across the world from Mumbai believe she is on her way to being a major star.

How exactly is she going about doing it? In 2005, at age 21 she was Pond's Femina Miss Earth. She followed it up by building an impressive modeling portfolio on TV (Milk n Roses, Sony Wega, Samsung, Asian Paints, Vagh Bakri tea) and print (Unitech, Samsung, and Oasis Telecom). She featured in music videos for Lata Mangeshkar, Jagjit Singh and Babul Supriyo.

Last year she broke into Bollywood by signing two movies with Himesh Reshammiya: John Matthew Mathan's A New Love Ishtory and Seema, Sudhir's Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekh Mudh Mudh Ke.

I invited Niharika to stop by the Drift and tell us how things were going with her.

AspisDrift.com: Niharika, you are such a strikingly beautiful woman. What were you like growing up? Did boys throw themselves at your feet? Did you have to tie a zillion rakhees to keep them at bay? Did the girls either love you or want to be your best friend? Tell us about Ms. Niharika, school ki ladki.

Niharika: Thank you for the compliment...but you'll be surprised to know that I was a complete tomboy in my school days. I was in an All Girls Boarding School (All Saints, Nainital) and never cared much about my looks. It was only after leaving school did I realize what male attention was. Girls have always been very comfortable around me but I always chose my friends with care.

AspisDrift.com: You are doing two films with Himesh Reshammiya. Let's talk about those. I've heard you play a woman with way too much cash in A New Love Ishtory. What's the role like in Mudh Mudh Ke Na Dekh Mudh Mudh?

Niharika: My role in Mudh mudh ke.. is very different from the one I play in A new Love Ishtory. In Love Ishtory I play a rich successful businesswoman whereas in Mudh mudh ke.. I play a young NRI Gujrati girl who is modern and yet traditional at the same time. Another difference in both the films is that in Love Ishtory, Himesh is in love with me and in Mudh mudh ke.. I'm in love with him.

AspisDrift.com: Are you done shooting for Love Ishtory? What is the schedule like for Mudh Mudh Ke?

Niharika: I'm shooting for both the films simultaneously. We've finished shooting a major chunk of Love Ishtory and completed one long schedule of Mudh mudh ke.. as well. Both the films will release next year.

AspisDrift.com: How did you get the offers for both movies?

Niharika: There is no great story behind this one. Himesh called me one day and narrated Love Ishtory to me over the phone and asked me to go meet John Matthew Mathan. John auditioned me the next day and I was signed for the film soon after. I guess they must've liked my audition tape coz I was offered Mudh mudh ke.. right after that and I signed it even before I started shooting for the first film.

AspisDrift.com: Himesh is a pretty unconventional hero – he'll be the first to tell you this. Honestly did you catch yourself wishing you had Shahrukh Khan as your costar in at least one of those movies?

Niharika: I'm not retiring after these two films. I promise you that! I'm sure I'll have the opportunity to work with other actors in the future. Himesh spotted me and gave me a fantastic debut and I'll always be grateful to him for that.

AspisDrift.com: Tell us about your first meeting with Himesh. He seems to be a tremendous source of positive energy and encouragement. Did he sing Mashallah Subhanallah as soon as he laid eyes on you?

Niharika: Not exactly :) But you'll be surprised to know that I met Himesh face to face for the very first time (only) after I'd signed both the films. And the first time I saw him, I thought he had the kindest face I'd ever seen.

AspisDrift.com: Anything about Himesh that surprised you because you weren't expecting it?

Niharika: The one thing that surprises me and impresses me about Himesh is his ability to multi-task. He's extremely hardworking and shocks me with his energy.

AspisDrift.com: You were crowned Ponds Femina Miss Earth in 2005. You've done modeling. You are now an actress. What were the hardest things you had to learn in each profession?

Niharika: The hardest and the most important thing I've learnt at every stage in my career is PATIENCE!

AspisDrift.com: Ok Niharika, you've appeared in advertisements for lots of products. But I'm going to ask you about products you personally use.

What brand of soap do you use?

Niharika: I don't use soap. I use soap free liquid bodywash and a mild cleanser for the face.

AspisDrift.com: What brand of shampoo do you use?

Niharika: I love my hair and I take great care of it...so I prefer using a herbal shampoo to protect it from any unnatural products

AspisDrift.com: Are you a tea drinker? What brand of tea do you drink?

Niharika: I don't drink tea or coffee

AspisDrift.com: Which cell phone do you own?

Niharika: Nokia N95 8GB

AspisDrift.com: Which MP3 Player do you own?

Niharika: Philips Home Theatre and my car's music system

AspisDrift.com: Where do you buy most of your clothes from?

Niharika: I love shopping...and I can shop anywhere! But I mostly pick up Western Casuals from Mango, Zara, Bebe, River Island, Forever 21.

I pick up Indian Wear from Ritu Kumar, Anita Dongre, Mandira Wirk and a couple of other Indian designers.

AspisDrift.com: Finally, this is a mandatory question for everyone on the Drift: can you fold a fitted bed sheet properly?

Niharika: I went to a boarding school as a kid and have been living on my own for the last seven years. I guess that should explain that I can do everything that needs to be done with bedsheets, pillowcases, curtains or upholstery of any kind :)

More: Niharika's catalog for Sia Lifestyles

Niharika in Babul Supriyo's video for Tere Liye

Niharika for Hair O Max

How Indian Idol singer Bhavin Dhanak is building his career one song at a time - An Exclusive Drift Interview

2008-10-15T01:37:00.001-05:00

What happens to talented singers when they drop out of the race early on one of Indian TV's premier singing competitions?

When Bhavin Dhanak started last year's Indian Idol 3 in the Piano Round, he instantly went to the top of the class. And it was easy to see why: he had rugged good looks, a playback ready voice and a standout ability to stay in sur.

Yet Bhavin was one of the first to fall victim to audience voting. Horrified at this, the judges quickly brought him back via wild card. But Bhavin could never gather enough SMS support, making his final bow from the show before the Gala Round kicked in.

Its been over a year since Bhavin has been working to make it in Bollywood. I've kept tabs on his career: he's always extremely amiable and forthright and I am very happy to have him share his story with everyone on the Drift.

AspisDrift.com: Hi Bhavin, it's been a while since we heard your voice widely but it was good hearing you on Ek Rupaiya from Krazzy 4. Tell us a little bit about how you ended up singing on that song.

Bhavin: Hi Aspi, I know its been quite sometime now, I was restless too. Well Ek Rupaiya happened quite easily actually. I didn’t expect it to be that simple.

I had my voice recorded on a CD, I sent that CD to Rajesh Roshan through a friend who works for him. He heard it, called me for a rehearsal, and that’s it. A week after that I recorded the song.

It was a very overwhelming experience, when I was in the recording room, about to start the recording, Rakesh Roshan entered the monitor room to join Rajesh Roshan, along with Javed Akhtar. I was so nervous, shivering. But I was comfortable when I was okayed on the first take itself, and I heard Rakesh Roshan praising me in front of Javed Saab, who by the way already knew me because of II3. After that it was a cakewalk.

AspisDrift.com: It’s been over a year since Indian Idol. How did you end up on the show to begin with?

Bhavin: Well Indian Idol was something that always fascinated me. I had seen people’s life change in just 6 months being on the show. I had auditioned for Indian Idol 2 also, but didn’t get through. But after that I had decided there’s no looking back now. I trained hard for almost a year, and auditioned in II3, and got through all the audition rounds and reached the Piano rounds.

AspisDrift.com: Tell us a little bit about the process of singing on Indian Idol. How do the songs get selected? How do you get ready for the performance?

Bhavin: Well the song selection is done by a music manager appointed by Sony. Basically the participants have to write down, on a piece of paper, a list of songs they are very good with, and give them to the music manager. The music manager (who has by now heard all participants so she knows who sings what) then decides which song will suit who.

I was pretty lucky with my song selections coz I got exactly what I had asked for. That’s probably because I knew exactly what genre I was good at and what genre I was not.

AspisDrift.com: After the first few weeks, who did you think were the most likely to win the show?

Bhavin: Honestly I was pretty sure some people were definitely reaching the top 10, Emon, Chang, Pooja, Deepali, Amit, Prashant were few whom I had expected, and they did. I also expected Shantanu, Padmanav, Harshida, Aisha and of course myself to be in the top 10 too, but that didn’t happen.

AspisDrift.com: What was the biggest thing you learned on the show that you used after you left it?

Bhavin: On the show I think, up till my first performance, I was competing with the other, but after my first performance went off really well, I got some very positive comments from the judges and my co-contestants, after that the competion was with myself, I wanted to sing better than my first performance, and better in the next.

In this whole process of competing with my own performances, I realized where I stood in terms of singing caliber and potential. I knew what my flaws were, and what my good points were, and after my elimination, I worked extensively on my flaws, and polished my good points. Also, I think I took home a lot of self confidence.

When I perform today, it’s a totally different Bhavin Dhanak than before. I am never nervous, never jittery, I always enjoy myself when I perform, and for all that, all the credit goes to my experience on the show.

AspisDrift.com: Any special incidents or moments that you remember from Indian Idol?

Bhavin: A lot of things happened when I was a part of the show, and fortunately everything good.

One special incident I remember was between Amit Paul and me, when both of us were in the wild card, and waiting for our results, which was the next day, I remember the piano rounds and the Galas, both happened in the RK studios, but there were different sets, so when we were in the wild card round, just round the corner from our sets, the gala sets were being readied, and Amit and me would go there almost everyday and imagine ourselves on that stage.

I remember once when Amit had tears in his eyes and he asked me, “yaar bhavin mein is stage pe perform karunga na yaar?” and I had told him “of course tu perform karega.” And look where he is today.

Amit, Prashant, Shantanu, Roshan and me were the best of friends on the show, and are very close even now.

AspisDrift.com: If you could turn the clock back, would you do anything on Idol differently?

Bhavin: Well, if I could turn the clock back, I would not even think of changing anything in the way I sang at the show, but yes I think I would definitely change the way I was on camera during the time we stayed at the hotel.

I was quite reserved, and camera shy. I couldn’t really do anything except sing, I never tried to mimic, or say anything funny, or got into a controversy, so I was never given enough footage, and maybe that’s the reason I didn’t get any votes, because the people watching the show, saw me singing straightaway in the piano rounds, I didn’t connect with anyone.

I think if I would’ve changed the way I spoke in front of the camera, I would make sure all the attention was on me, all the time.

AspisDrift.com: Who do you like more as a singer from the final two: Amit Paul or Prashant Tamang?

Bhavin: As a singer I would have to say Amit Paul, Prashant is still raw and untrained. Though even Amit has not had any formal training, but he had been singing professionally even before Indian idol, so he had his practice I guess.

AspisDrift.com: Ok, so once you left Indian Idol, did Sony or the people at Indian Idol help with your career?

Bhavin: Well that’s something that I was disappointed with. I didn’t really get any support from the channel, I had to struggle, I had to meet people everyday with my demo and show reel, and look for work. And I finally got work and proved my metal, so I kept getting work without the help of the channel.

But yes, I would definitely not deny the fact that one of the reasons I got work was because I was a part of Indian Idol 3, I was seen on TV that’s why people know me today, and I am really grateful to Indian Idol for that.

AspisDrift.com: What was your early struggle after Idol like? How did you get started with doing shows?

Bhavin: Well as I said earlier, it was not very easy to get work, in the start, there were lots of reasons, one being that it was not the shows season at that time. So it was a very frustrating period, because I had got out early from the show, and was at home for almost a month without any work.

But during that time, I met a lot of people, who could give me potential shows, and finally I started getting shows. I was not doing as good as maybe Amit Paul, Emon or Prashant, but I was doing work that I was happy with.

AspisDrift.com: Have you been interested in doing any of the music Reality TV shows?

Bhavin: I was very keen on Saregamapa before I got through Indian Idol. Because that’s what gave me the push I needed. But at that time, I didn’t think I was good enough for it. I think the standard of singers on SaReGaMa is higher than any other reality show.

AspisDrift.com: Your break in Krazzy 4 came via a demo tape. What is on that demo tape? How was it recorded?

Bhavin: On my demo, I’ve got three songs. One’s Aatif Aslam’s “Aadat”, the other one’s Euphoria’s “Mayeri”, and then there’s Shaan’s “Musu musu hasi”. I got the minus one tracks (only music, without vocals) for these songs, hired a friend’s studio, and recorded the songs.

AspisDrift.com: What are your strengths as a singer? What type of songs do you think you would excel at?

Bhavin: As a singer I think my strengths are my voice, my ability to sing Western as well as Indian classical songs, and my grasping power, that helps me learn a new tune by listening to it just once, which is very important for playback singing in today’s time. I think I would really excel at soft romantic love songs, as well as the peppy numbers.

I really wish if I get a sad song to sing though, I think a good sad song is an instant hit, look at Aadat, Tadap Tadap Ke, etc.

AspisDrift.com: Could you name three recent songs that you absolutely loved and said to yourself: "I wish I could have sung those?"

Bhavin: I think the most recent one is Kehne ko Jashn e Bahara from Jodha Akbar, sung beautifully by Javed Ali, Kabhi Kabhi Aditi from Jaane tu sung by Rashid, and Rubaroo from RDB, sung by Naresh Iyer. I also wish I could’ve got to sing Maa from Taare Zameen Par.

AspisDrift.com: Who do you think are the hottest music directors in the business right now - those that all up and coming singers want to sing for (apart from A. R. Rahman of course)?

Bhavin: Well I think the new breed of music directors that have come in the market are all brilliant. Be it Pritam, Vishal n Shekhar, Vishal Bhardwaj, Monty Sharma, Anand Raj Anand, and of course Shankar Ehsaan Loy.

Apart from them, there are also some new people out there who have proved their talent, like Mithoon, whose given music in films like Anwar, The Train, Bas ek Pal, etc. then there’s Amit Trivedi, who gave music in the brilliant movie Aamir.

I can personally recommend Amit Trivedi, and I am so sure this guy is going a long, long way, I can say this because I have worked with him, and he is a powerhouse of talent.

AspisDrift.com: Finally, any advice for aspiring singers who want to make it in Indian music?

Bhavin: Well I think I am too small to be giving advice to aspiring singers, because I am still an aspiring singer myself, waiting for that big break. But whatever I’ve learnt through my experience is, while being a good singer is most important; it is also important how you are as a person.

I think you should never let fame and money get into your head, coz the faster it gets to your head, the faster you are going to hit the ground. I take Shaan and AR Rehman, as examples. They have achieved so much in life, they have made their presence felt world over, yet they are the most humble and down to earth people I’ve ever met.

Inside the Music of DRONA with composer Dhruv Ghanekar - An Exclusive Drift Interview

2008-10-01T01:31:00.059-05:00

Dhruv Ghanekar has been around for a long time on the Indian music scene – first with the band Chakraview and then composing jingles in the advertising world. Though he’s done film music before, Drona (Abhishek Bachchan , Priyanka Chopra) is his biggest release to date as a music director.

Facing his commercially biggest challenge yet, Dhruv delivered a deft, delicious CD that balances sonic complexity with minimalist arrangements. It’s a piece of work that really got me excited when I first heard it not so long ago.

I thought it would be really cool to have Dhruv stop by the Drift and tell us all about it.

Aspi: You have been at this since the age of 9 and you’ve been making music that really challenges mainstream Indian audiences to step out of their comfort zone. Bollywood requires composers to be more conservative. Are you in this to change the world or are you paying the bills?

Dhruv: About Bollywood requiring you to be conservative – I don’t think so. Given the kind of composers and musicians who are working, they are all young people. I can cite lots of names from Vishal-Shekhar, (Shankar-)Ehsaan-Loy, they bring a young aesthetic.

So there have been a lot of changes and the industry is evolving and people also want to hear new sounds. Everything that has worked in the last few years has worked because it’s been a different sound.

Actually a classic case that is current is Rock On!! The music is a huge rage. The idea of Bollywood [music] is very different from the way it used to sound.

My motivation for doing [Bollywood] is not so much the money. It’s just honestly to be heard by a wider audience. I’ve being doing music in different forms for films and advertising for a while now and there have been days when you land with some really hip stuff and it gets heard but people don’t really know who you are. Or it gets heard by a minority.

Aspi: How did you get involved with Drona? You’ve been doing jingles, you’ve been doing other music on the side. Suddenly this fairly large project comes along – how did you get pulled into it?

Dhruv: [Director] Goldie [Behl] has a television software company which produces content for television. He asked me to do a title track for a television show that he was doing. This was about two and a half years back. I did one and he asked me to another one and I kept doing them and I did about four or five. I was wondering why the hell was he bouncing my tracks and apparently he was just checking out my chops.

He called me finally and said he liked my work a lot and just wanted to see my range. He said he was going to be starting this new movie in a few months called Drona so would I be interested in it. I was a bit: yeah, ok. A lot of people say a lot of things in this town.

But sure enough, he called me up and said ‘Listen I’m ready to go and I want you to do this!’ When he narrated the story to me I was literally jumping out of my seat and wanted to get into the studio right then.

Aspi: Dhruv, tell us a little bit about each song on the CD?

Drona - Title Track (Dhruv Ghanekar)

Dhruv: I had finished a couple of songs for the film when Goldie came up to me and said he wanted a title track. Now 'Drona' is not an easy word to spin a song around. It’s kind of a tricky word you know.

So I took the approach of going into a more industrial, clubby type of feel for it. The first thing when composing that I was conscious of was that I had to incorporate that word in.

The way it happened was almost like a war cry. I played the song for Goldie. He really liked it. He played it for his friends. Everybody loved it the way it was. That’s basically how my voice ended up on that song.

Oop Cha (Sunidhi Chauhan)

Dhruv: Goldie has a really wonderful way of working with people. He gently points you in a direction without being specific about what he wants. He never gave me any specifics and I really liked this about Goldie. So you feel like a part of the process and this is really important.

The “hit” aspect of this song was kind of unsaid. Goldie said this would be an item song – let’s not kid ourselves. So I decided to take a hip hop approach. The words 'Oop Cha' were originally dummy words I used as a place holder – but Goldie really liked them. People have either loved it or hated it. But it’s playing in all the clubs right now so I’m not complaining!

After I finished composing, Sunidhi came in and slammed the song out of the park. It was the first time I’d worked with her and I was completely amazed.

Then I hit upon this idea of giving it a slightly grungy tribal vibe. So I had Sivamani come in. The only thing I told him was that it should visually match with what Goldie wanted - grungy, dirty, grimy, garage setting. So we added a lot of metallic sounds, like hubcaps. Siva added the second part of the song – he was very creative. So it kind of evolved.

It took forever to produce this song – about 10 days staggered over a period of time.

Bandagi – (Sunidhi Chauhan, Roop Kumar Rathod)

Dhruv: This was the last song we recorded for the movie. I was literally forcing Goldie to insert a romantic song in the movie. And after a lot of plugging finally Goldie relented. I immediately went into the studio and had the song within an hour. I finished producing it at two in the morning and called Goldie right away. I met him the next morning and played the song for him. He loved it.

I had sung the whole song at that point. I was quite keen on singing it, but Goldie was convinced that I shouldn’t sing this one and we should get a more seasoned singer. I was ok with that and I’m glad that I chose Roop for this because he’s done a fantastic job with this song.

Sunidhi brought such a cool energy to the studio, she totally got what I wanted so I invited her back again to sing a third song.

Nanhe Nanhe (Sadhana Sargam)

Dhruv: This song came out of a theme I had composed for the movie, in fact the very first theme from a lot I wrote for the movie. Everyone loved the theme so much that we thought it might be cool to make a song out of it.

Sadhnaji was actually my mother’s idea. Often I’ll go and play my songs for my mom and she has a really cool for sense for casting, which is really important. And the song had a kind of Lata feel to it for which Sadhna works really well.

Khushi (Shaan, Suzanne D’mello)

Dhruv: The thing with birthday songs is that the concept is so situational that it can go into this really cheesy state like (sings): ‘It’s my birthday, Happy Birthday!’ So I wanted to get far away from that.

I had just seen The Producers in London and I was blown away. There is something very interactive about doing a song in the big band jazz medium because it lends itself to telling a story. At the same time musically there is so much going on.

Shaan was an obvious choice because is young and has this Robbie Williams thing going on but he has an understanding of the Old World. I was very conscious about the fact that this was a big film and I didn’t want people to talk about whether Goldie made the right choice. So I was very nervous about this track.

Drona Redux (Sunidhi Chauhan)

Dhruv: This was a marketing call because we wanted to show a video where Priyanka would introduce Drona. That was the idea behind it. Sunidhi had just finished singing Oop Cha and she was an obvious choice for me because I felt she would hit it out of the park and she did that for me.

Aspi: Dhruv, have you seen Rock On yet? Your old band is given a tip of the hat in it and your ex-bandmate Suraj Jagan has quite a nifty role in it.

Dhruv: Farhan (Akhtar) is a friend and we used to hang out together back in the days because my bass player Anand and Farhan were school buddies. So he told me about the movie and asked if it would be ok to use the name in it.

Aspi: One question about Chakraview – I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that someone with your interests started a rock band. Was it about the chicks? Did you want to slowly morph into something bigger? Did your interests change while you were in it?

Dhruv: Chakraview wasn’t a rock band at all. It’s a funny story about Chakraview. I had borrowed a guitar effects processor from a very close friend of mine for rehearsal and I lost it on the way! So I basically had to pay this guy back about 30, 40 grand which would be like Rs. 10 lakhs today.

Just then we saw an ad in a page about this competition at IIT called MoodI where the winner would get 30 grand and there were other prizes as well. So if we won it we would pay my friend off and it would be a fun road trip.

We went there and basically won all the prizes. And then we felt ‘This is cool!’

But the only gigs we were getting were in lousy clubs so for one whole year we went and hit all the colleges and played all the competitions and won a lot of the prizes. And that’s how we became famous.

Our sound developed into this strange music with a lot of elements: World, Indian, Rock. But it kind of started by accident.

Aspi: Do you miss being in a band?

Dhruv: Well, I do play as much as I can. Blue Frog was born out of our frustration that there aren’t enough places a musician can go out and play on a fantastic stage. And fans don’t have a place to go to and watch cool acts from diverse genres.

Blue Frog is a label, a night club, a music production company and a fantastic recording studio. It’s doing really well. We’ve signed an incredible guitar player called Sanjay Divecha from LA who has moved to India now. We signed John McLaughlin for the India side of the deal. Ashu[tosh Pathak]’s independent project comes out in October. My solo album comes out in January.

Drona releases October 2, 2008

Suraj Jagan: The resurgence of a rock star - an exclusive Drift interview

2008-09-19T02:49:00.002-05:00

Not so long ago, Suraj Jagan was part of Chakraview and at the forefront of India's burgeoning rock scene. Chakraview didn't last and the rock scene in India petered out. But years later, Suraj is enjoying a huge mid-career resurgence thanks to Bollywood's recent embracing of rock as a way of reaching a more urban audience.

Suraj has delivered some bravura singing on terrific songs this year: lending a soulful purr to the power ballad No Big Deal from Money Hai To Honey Hai and then bringing the party to The Theme of Hijack with his slow slung growl.

But it was Suraj's crazy snarl on Zehreelay (Rock On!!) that got him a lot of attention this year. And while performing the song, the production team noted (among other things) that he had his tattoo in the right place (neck) and hired him to act in the movie.

Thus it was that Suraj sang his own song in Rock On!! in a face off with Farhan Akhtar and Arjun Rampal's fictional band Magik in the movie.

Sure he later got pummeled by Arjun, but he walked off with the hottest chick in the movie and he should have won that competition too if you ask me. But since no one is asking me, I'll let Suraj do the talking.

Aspi: Suraj, thanks to your recent fireworks in Bollywood you are one of India’s most well known rock stars now. All that hard work is paying off! Can I take a guess as to who your favorite singer might be: Ian Gillan from Deep Purple?

Suraj: Actually my all time favorites are Robert Plant and Chris Cornell

Aspi: So what plays on your CD changer most of the time these days?

Suraj: Metallica

Aspi: You’ve mentioned before that you’ve been through ups and downs. More downs than up. What’s the worst down you’ve been through – the one that put you down the most? And how did you come out of it?

Suraj: When I look back, everything's been a learning experience. So nothing's bad in that sense.

Aspi: Chakraview was probably the biggest band you were in before it went south. When did you get the feeling that that band wouldn’t last?

Suraj: Never got that feeling. It was just over one day!

Aspi: You formed Dream Out Loud with Chandresh and released Human Race sometime last year. I loved Desire! How’s DOL doing these days?

Suraj: The second album is almost ready but we are not going to spend any money on it. Probably we will put it up for download at some point.

Aspi: Let’s talk about the independent rock scene in India. It’s never taken off as much as one expected at the turn of the millennium. We know Bollywood swallows a major share of the music market in India. But do you think there were rays of hope that might have led somewhere if they had been capitalized on?

Suraj: Definitely, but we live in a country of Greed NOT Passion.

Aspi: Speaking of Bollywood, I would never have heard of you if you hadn’t rocked those songs in the filmi duniya. How did you engage with Bollywood?

Suraj: Never ran after it. Life has a strange way of working out.

Aspi: Do you think Bollywood now has place for rock songs?

Suraj: I think so.

Aspi: One of your songs I loved was “No Big Deal” from Money Hai to Honey Hai. Please, please tell us a little bit about it.

Suraj: Ya, loved singing it! The song was recorded in one of the best studio's I've ever sung in - Yash Raj. Great experience.

Aspi: You also sang a couple of songs on Hijack. Could you tell us a little bit about the composers Justin and Uday? I don’t know anything about them!

Suraj: They are old friends of mine. Great guys, superb sense of humor and they can keep you in splits for hours.

Aspi: Last Bollywood question: is there a non-rock song that you’ve heard recently that you wish you could have sung?

Suraj: I actually sang Khuda Jaane for Vishal-Shekar but at the last moment they decided to go with KK. That's one of my fave songs.

Aspi: Ok, hypothetical situation: let’s say you are scheduled to deliver a major rock performance at India Gate that will be telecast live across the world. Unfortunately you ate some really bad pau bhaji the previous day and can barely croak. The rock izzat of India is at stake. Who would you pick to sing in your place?

Suraj: Vernon Abraham from Bangalore.

Aspi: My 9 year old who I call MotorSandal can’t stop listening to Zehreelay. He doesn’t know a lick of Hindi but can sing the whole song – probably backwards if you asked. He has a question for you: Suraj sir, how did you prepare for the song? Did you eat a lot of spicy food like Kurkures so that you could put out that crazy, loud growl?

Suraj: Yes I did!

Aspi: Finally, please indulge us – this is a mandatory question on my blog for everyone. Can you fold a fitted bed sheet?

Suraj: No!

Neha Tiwari on Bollywood, Comics, Indian Idol (and a bunch of other non-Tech things)

2008-08-11T03:00:00.000-05:00

Neha Tiwari is the only woman of Indian origin that I know of who has made a name for herself in Social Media. She has done it by being a reporter, editor, producer and a vibrant presence on Twitter, on Pownce and on Facebook.

She loves comic books, Bollywood, Indian Idol and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. In other words, if there is any way to be cooler, it hasn't been invented yet.

People talk to Neha a lot about Tech and Social Media. So I decided to ask her about a few entirely different things.

Hi Neha, good to have you with us. You were born not long after your family immigrated to the US. Do you have any early memories of Ma and Pa Tiwari making cultural adjustments?

Neha: I think like any immigrants, they are still assimilating into the American culture without losing their own. Especially when coming from a place with such a strong culture, as India, it is important to them to preserve that. I am very passionate about carrying on the Indian culture as well, So we teach each other.My father still asks me at times what some phrases mean, and my mom seems to talk a lot like me [she says "that's lame"]. And I do the same with them with Hindi phrases and words. We work together to make each grow in either direction. It's a good partnership!

Growing up, were you the aloo paratha types for breakfast or did you nibble on a toast?

Neha: Both. One of my favorite breakfasts is Poha [which is a total Madhya Pradeshi thing], and on a cold day there is nothing like aloo paratha. I do like my cereal & bagels from time to time as well.

On to comic books! Have you read the Indian Spider-man comics? I have all three issues - Peter Parker is Pavitra Prabhakar, Mary Jane is Meera Jain and Spider-man wears a dhoti. And I'm not kidding.

Neha: Yes I have! A friend of mine gifted me a whole stack of them from his trip to India. It's pretty weird to see Mary as Meera, and such.

Your first comic book purchase was Catwoman. Man, was she sexy, stylish and devil-may-care! Did you see the Halle Berry Catwoman movie and feel like slowly killing the director?

Neha: I didn't even see it because it looked like pure garbage from the trailer. I think I made the right choice.

Any super hero movies you've liked?

Neha: Of course. Most recently, I loved The Dark Knight--one of the greatest comic book movies ever. I also liked Ironman and The Hulk which also came out this summer. I loved Spider-man 1& 2, but was very disappointed by Spidey 3.

Let's talk Indian TV! Which one do you like better: Sa Re Ga Ma Pa or Indian Idol?

Neha: That's tough. While I was in India, I managed to watch both. I think I found myself getting into Idol more because I had watched American Idol and it was similar. But, I like the lack of melodrama in SRGMP.

Let's talk Bollywood: any recent movie you absolutely loved?

Neha: Oddly enough, I watched Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar for the first time recently and loved it. I really like how they re-did all the RD Burman hits, and the story was good as well. As far as other recent movies: I haven't liked much since Parineeta!

Any song that is almost always on your playlist?

Neha: Lately with Bollywood, it's been Ajab Si from Om Shanti Om and Thode Badmash from Saawariya. Also the Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar soundtrack, and Adnan Sami's Tera Chehra CD is always in the mix.

You're the first person I've met who likes Rajendra Kumar! You must really like guys in big collars. But seriously, tell us what you found so charming.

Neha: One of my favorite desi films is Mere Mehboob. I believe that is where I fell in love with Rajendra Kumar. There is something essentially manly yet gentle about him. He plays well in romantic roles, including Sangam.

Ok, time for some hypothetical questions so we can deftly learn more about you.

Let's say you just brought a huge smoothie and ran into Shahrukh and Saif. Who would you wave at first with your free hand?

Neha: Shahrukh! He's such a big star with great style--how could I resist saying hello!

Same situation: Esha Deol and Uday Chopra. Who would you wave goodbye to first?

Neha: Ooooh...Esha Deol. At least Uday can be somewhat funny.

You seem to love the Khans. What!? No Hrithik love? Are you just scared of being stabbed by those possessive Roshan fans?

Neha: No, I find Hrithik to be be very charming and attractive. The problem is: He can't act! But boy, he sure can dance :)

Let's say you are on the second date with a guy who may be the one. But he thinks Bollywood is an amusement park started by a busty country music singer. Yet he wants to watch an Indian movie! What would you show him and why?

Neha: Good question. I think I would show him Sholay because it is such a classic with great dialogue. Then maybe Parineeta so he could get a sense of how modern Bollywood explains desi culture.

Recently Saawariya launched a campaign on Twitter that I thought was pretty innovative. Unfortunately the movie was a box office disaster. Regardless, do you think Bollywood could use Social Media to reach a broader audience?

Neha: I think using social media is an ally to any company. These days, viral videos are taking over and if you can launch a successful social media campaign, the youth will be into it. I think many of the people on social networks are open-minded, so it may be a good vein to bring in people to Bollywood.

Finally, humor us - this is a mandatory Drift question. Can you fold a fitted bed sheet properly?

Neha: Nope, I sure can't. But I can make you a full Indian meal, how's that?

Also: Neha's story in words, in pictures

Meganomania: The Sawaal Jawaab

2008-08-04T02:22:00.001-05:00

Once on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Head did some chhedkhani related to Shekhar Ravjiani's huge female fan following. Shekhar smiled shyly and from among the hundreds, if not millions, singled out Megan for her YouTube tribute and referred to her as Meghum (which very Freudianly rhymes with Begum if you ask me.)

Thanks to Google, I found Megan and wrote about it. Megan stopped by and has been kind enough to hang out here ever since. She's been great company - her comments make me laugh, cry, or feel like slapping random filmi people I didn't even know existed.

I figured which better celebrity than the Drift's poster girl for a sawaal jawaab.

Hi Megan, your 21st birthday approaches. A life of womanhood beckons. Any regrets so far - things you wish you could change?
Megan: No I don't have any regrets.. I am happy and pretty much content with my life so far.. this sounds super corny and cliched but yeah I have made some mistakes and done some stupid things but i wouldn't change anything.. everything i have done, been through shaped me and I just love myself.. wouldn't change a thing..

What are plans like for the birthday? Are you planning a quiet evening with family and close friends or are you planning to pass out in a bar blaze of glory?
Megan: My birthday falls on Monday this year so it will be a family affair...go to Gurdwara and spend time with family, having a feast with extended fam and mom, dad, sis, bro. But the following Saturday, I am gonna have a party for my friends...my parents have told me how much they are willing to spend...so i am currently getting quotes from different places.. i want to book this wine bar with live bands, still waiting for them to email me back.. UGH if all else fails i'll have it at this place that my friend had her 21st at.. you get a 2nd floor and a balcony all to your self and a small dance floor too..

yeah i'd be drinking and partying but hopefully not passing out

Ok, let's get the most important question out of the way. Say you have a pen with only enough ink for one autograph and you're standing next to Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai. What would you do?
Megan: I'll be like UGH who wants an autograph.. I will take my phone out and take 10's of photos with them.. and if i only have enough diskspace for one photo then i'll take it with both of them..and if i dont have my phone then i'll be like thats OK, I'll hug Aishwarya and molest Hrithik...eff autograph, i would rather engrave the moment in mah brain

Who would you much rather hang out with? Hrithik's sassur Sanjay Khan or Amitabh's pal Amar Singh?
Megan: Sanjay Khan.. he can bring his brother Feroze Nosferatu Khan with him, we can have a great time!

We'll get back to Bollywood in a minute. Tell us about what it was like growing up desi in the West. Any incident related to the duality of culture that sticks out in particular?
Megan: i could write major essays on this hahah.

well first of all i grew up where desi population wasn't very big (Hawaii)...there were like 20 families or so ..and we knew all of them and called them unclejis/auntyjis greeted them with a huge smile at festivals etc etc...they'd ask inane questions and we'd patiently answer with a fake smile...hang out with their kids (and yet wont talk to them outside of these gatherings)

..and well that was it..

my parents are super cool and open minded and not ethnocentric...they didn't raise us reminding us of our desiness every single day like Kajol's character in KKKG...and yet taught us a lot...we were just like any other kids in the neighborhood and school and at home we'd do our desi thang .. ..

and then our family moved to a "cosmopolitan" city (3 years ago)...and then OMG everyone wants to know where you're from and your race, religion, life history..and then comment about "that accent is it canadian or american" or "what's your nationaity" or if its like desi people on the street then they'd just stare!! it was a major culture shock.. like you'd meet someone and they'd be like "what's your name?" i'd be like "megan" then "where're you from?" like how is that important??? and the most annoying this is i go "well i was born in..." then they'd be like "well are your parents .." like they're probing!!! UGH..

if i just give a straight answer "well my parents are punjabi.." and they'd go "BUT YOU DON'T LOOK INDIAN".. WTF?? GRRR!!!

anyhoo now that i am older and wiser, i am rly proud of my heritage and culture and have consciously been trying to learn more...my sister has Gurbani classes every Sunday at home and i sit with her...and i would want to go to india and see where my dad grew up and mom was born in....when i have kids, i would want them to be bilingual too...and before i used to think that i'll only date/marry a white guy but now i think marrying a compatible jatt munda would work as well..

Some personal questions if you don't mind. Are you a bindaas chick or a high maintenance one?
Megan: this is a difficult question...don't know how to articulate this...i don't know exactly what bindaas means but i am assuming it means "carefree"?? i think i am a mixture of both.. in some areas i am extremely high maintenance, i like being the center of attention...and i expect people i love and people close to me to give in to my demands...i have a tendencies to throw tantrums when things don't go my way...i also have some expensive tastes...but in other ways i am "bindaas" as well, i am open minded and very left wing...i am tolorent and caring and sweet and not judgmental at all...and just live my life by the day..i don't stress about monetary things or future or anything beyond my control..

What is an ideal first date for you like?
Megan: Okay!!!!!! hmm ideal first date!!! he would have to come pick me up for a start...and take me out to dinner or lunch..well somewhere we can talk...and the place has to be somewhere decent...i don't want him to be like "umm where do you wanna go?" wtf?? like should be confident and be in control...give me three
good options to choose from at least... and he shouldn't be the type who only eats traditional food..should have an open mind and palate...but i don't like uppidy wannabe snobs either...if he says something corny and tries to show off i won't like it...and i would prefer if the guy didn't stare at me or tried to touch me inappropriately on first date!!or talked about himself only!!! i can't handle it!!

well after dinner if he takes to my most favooorite Gelato place by this popular beach in my city i would be soooooooo happy...otherwise he can take me to this wine bar and we can have dessert wine !!!! then he can drop me home!!! yeah he has to show me that he reallllllllllly is into me without appearing like a desperate sleazebag and try hard smooth wannabe..

Back to Bollywood and the most difficult part of this Q&A. You will have to find one line of nice to say about the following celebrities.
Kareena Kapoor
Megan: good complexion
Priyanka Chopra
Megan: half decent body
Bipasha Basu
Megan: relatively good boob job
Shahrukh Khan
Megan: dresses well half the time
Salman Khan
Megan: he's funny unintentionally..makes me laugh

Still with us? Good, wasn't so bad was it?

Any recent (Bollywood) movie you'd like to recommend?
Megan: not Bollywood but Khuda Ke Liye

A recent (Bollywood) song that has been on all your playlists? in my desi playlist
Megan: again Khuda Ke Liye Soundtrack...also Nusrat f.a.k's nit khair manga, Lakhwinder Wadali's Jaan.. sorry no B/W haven't liked any new B/W song in ages!

Finally, some dating advice. Let's say a guy approaches you at a bar. He looks like Garibon ka Hrithik Harman Baweja. He praises your copious beauty, notices your fabulous shoes and hits you with the pick up line of the new millennium: "Hey baby, what's your URL?" What would you do?
Megan: hahahahaha OMG...donno man!! at least he aint gareebon ka govinda asking me "what is your style number? what is mobile number?" i don't noe what i'd do, probably laugh as if he made the comment in jest..

With social networking these days its possible to research kudas online well before you make up your mind about them. Do you have any tips for how to go about doing that? You may be saving a bad love chakker or two, you know.
Megan: Kudas! LOL well i check their facebook a/c.. have a look @ their list of friends...and then check out their profile..see what walls he's written and has written on his wall...check out the profile and it can give me an idea of what he is like depending on his interests and his pictures etc..

The making of Rock On!! - An exclusive interview with Farhan Akhtar

2008-07-28T02:00:00.005-05:00

Farhan Akhtar needs no generic introduction to fans of Indian cinema. So I'll keep this brief and personal.

Somewhere in the late 80s, tired of the random silliness that pervaded Bollywood, I stopped watching Indian movies altogether. Over a decade passed when a friend recommended something to me. On a whim I popped in the DVD for Farhan's Dil Chahta Hai. It instantly reignited my love for Bollywood. Years later, Farhan remade my favorite Bollywood movie. And for both these reasons he has a primo location in my Hall of Fame.

Farhan has a new release as an actor and singer - Rock On!! - due on August 29 in which he takes a serious tilt at building a formidable multi-hyphenate career.

He is also a killer Q&A subject and was nice enough to answer a few questions exclusively for Drift readers.

Aspi: Hi Farhan, great job singing on the Rock On!! soundtrack. But please start by telling us how you ended up as the actor in the film - before, after or during the scriptwriting?

Farhan: The script was brought to me by Abhishek Kapoor, the director. He wanted me to act in the film. After hearing the script, my first reaction was that I wanted to produce it. I felt the story was refreshing and the characters multi-layered, that even if I didn't end up acting in the film or singing the songs, I wanted to be associated with it.

Aspi: Tell us a little bit about how the script came together. Did you work with a specific story or turned a concept into a story?

Farhan: The story is written by Abhishek himself. The screenplay by Abhishek and Pubali Choudhary. So it came to me pretty fleshed out as a script. My feedback was purely as an actor and a creative producer. Once they were done with the screenplay, I got down to writing the dialogue for the film.

Aspi: Did you have your music system blaring when you wrote the movie? What music did you play to get the juices flowing?

Farhan: Not at all actually. I tend to listen to Western Classical when I write and that too at a pretty low volume. So although the film is about Rock, the dialogue was written accompanied by Beethoven, Rachmaninov, Mozart and Tchaikovsky!

Aspi: You seem to be having a lot of fun on Pichle Saat Dino Mein. At one point you even yelp the word "Roya" a little too happily. Did your confidence as a singer grow as you recorded each song? Or did you come rock-star-ready to the recordings?

Farhan: It did grow with each song and I cannot thank Shankar Ehsaan and Loy enough for that. They believed I could do it before I came around to believing it myself. Also, they kept reminding that me that there was no rush to try and knock off all the vocal parts...I could take my time and record them when I felt I was ready.

Aspi: With the music of Rock On!! you've shown that Hindi rock is alive and well. But you might have ironically proven that the best commercial Hindi rock can only come from Bollywood and not the indie scene. Agree and feeling guilty or disagree and feeling proud?

Farhan: I disagree. The parameters within which the two genre's operate is vastly different. I personally tend to listen to very few Hindi film albums more than once but I am not ignorant about the size of it's audience. We are attempting to bring Hindi Rock closer to mainstream audiences by making a film that has this new genre (from their perspective) at it's centre. In order to do that successfully, we have to be aware of the boundaries that we redefine without alienating the very people we would like to involve.

Aspi: Choose your favorite: Farhan the director, Farhan the writer, Farhan the actor, Farhan the singer or Farhan the producer?

Farhan: I leave that to the people who are watching my work to decide. I am equally excited, challenged and sincere about all of the above.

Aspi: Seriously, is there anything you can't do? Can you fold a fitted bed sheet? How about cooking?

Farhan: I can't scuba dive because of a bad sinus condition. I can't pat my head while rubbing my stomach. I can't say 'red lorry yellow lorry' five times really fast without messing up. I can't get over how brilliant The Beatles were. I can't do a triple axel with a twist dive into the pool. But yes, I can cook.

Aspi: Really? Tell us what you make really well.

Farhan: The words 'really well' are subjective in cooking...but the one I have got most complimented for is a recipe that involves stuffing a chicken breast with chopped mushroom and parsley and then wrapping the breast in strips of pastry and shoving it into the oven. This I serve with a sauce that is made of mustard, white wine and cream. Pretty good, huh?

Aspi: Javed Sir did a terrific job with the lyrics. Did you prep him by having him listen to your entire rock collection? Did he make a face and roll his eyes at some of those obscure rock lyrics?

Farhan: Dad is open to all kinds of music and he tried to understand what we were trying to say through our songs.

Aspi: You've worked with some of the biggest marquee names in Bollywood (Aamir Khan, Amitabh Bachchan, Hrithik Roshan, Shahrukh Khan). Can you tell us something about your working equation with each one?

Farhan: Of course they each have their own individual appoach to their craft but the one thing I can tell you about working with all of them, is that they are extremely passionate about acting and their drive to get every take absolutely right is what makes them who they are. It has been a pleasure directing them.

Aspi: Farhan, you tackle a lot of men's issues in your films - am I unfairly typecasting you or is this emotional territory that you have an affinity for?

Farhan: Being a man, men's issues do tend to be more natural to talk about. It is a territory that I understand and at times have been in similar emotional situations as the characters from my films...so to draw from the first hand experience is possible. Furthermore, you would have to agree that the women in my films are not props as they have always had substantial roles and conflicts.

All pictures of Farhan courtesy of and taken by his fida fan Sofia Akhtar at the Rock On!! music launch on July 7 at Infinity Mall, Andheri.

Inside the music of Rock On!! with Ehsaan Noorani (A Drift Exclusive)

2008-07-21T03:27:00.015-05:00

Shankar Ehsaan Loy's music for Rock On!! is a landmark effort. How so? Stripped of non-Bollywood style constructs, it embraces a spare four piece rock band sound and stays true to it from beginning to end. There are some bold choices on the album from the choice of lyricist (Javed Akhtar) to the choice of singers - none more so than giving lead vocals on no less than five tracks to Farhan Akhtar (writer-director: Dil Chahta Hai, Don) who makes his acting debut here.

Rock On!! is probably the best Hindi rock CD that indierock never gave us.

Ehsaan Noorani - who along with Shankar Mahadevan and Loy Mendosa makes up SEL and whose guitar riffs power much of the signature sound of Rock On!! - was nice enough to tell us about the making of the music exclusively here on the Drift.

Aspi: Hi Ehsaan, congratulations on a terrific CD - its a straight rock album but its different in tone and texture from regular Bollywood albums. Did you get specific directions on the songs from (director) Abhishek?

Ehsaan: Farhan and Abhishekh briefed us on the kind of songs that they were looking at for Rock On!! which was essentially rock. They played us the kind of music that they were listening to while penning the script. Naturally the music was going to be totally non Bollywood in terms of format and style.

Aspi: How long did the album take to put together?

Ehsaan: All the songs were composed in about 5 days! We composed like a rock band with the drums and bass set up and we all played live to the recorder . We cut this album like a band does which is essentially live...no programming.

Aspi: You picked interesting singers on the album. Is there such a thing as a good Hindi rock voice?

Ehsaan: Farhan was naturally the first choice since he is the actor in the film . It was a nice move on the part of the director to make Farhan sing as it gives the music and the film a sense of realness like Hollywood films have. Suraj (Jagan) is a great rock singer and was the first choice for the Zehreelay song . Caralisa (Monteiro) and Dominique (Cerejo) who sung the two mellow songs are fine singers with totally different voices and we chose them because they are completely apart from the typical film voices.

Aspi: Ehsaan, could you tell us something about each song on the CD?

Ehsaan:

Socha Hai
(This was) the 2nd song we composed essentially based around the guitar riff which opens the song!

Pichle Saat Dinon Mein
This was the first song we composed. We literally jammed on the guitar riff that I came up with and the song fell into place in about 20 mins! The words are very interesting about how one loses everything but can't afford to lose love. The guitar solo was the solo I played on the first draft of the recording and we decided to stick with it.

Rock On!!
This song came later as we thought it would be nice to have a title song! The song has a nice 80's vibe which we went for on purpose.

Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein
A beautiful traveling song which Dominique sang with such wonderful soul. She really is an awesome singer! I like the texture of the entire song which has a lovely ambient quality to it.

Zehreelay
The heavy metal song on the album which Suraj has rendered like a true rock star! Suraj also inputted on the composition of this song. Javed saab freaked us (out) by writing the words for this song. He totally related to it! The guitar solo on this song is totally unlike my style of playing and it came magically in one take I don't think I will be able to play it again.

Tum Ho Toh
The rock ballad on the song has a wonderful vibe and it is completely different from the other songs (an angle you will see in the film). It was challenging for Farhan to sing and he did a great job.

Sinbad the Sailor
Javed saab created a great hook by coming up with the Sindbad the Sailor words. There have been songs like Achilles Last Stand and Brave Ulysses in the past so this concept is really cool. It has a great jangle to it.

Pichle Saat Dinon Mein (Live)
Essentially a live version of the song to give people a feel of the film.

Phire Dekhiye
Caralisa's vocals took this song to a different level! I composed this song in English to get the right feel after which Javed saab wrote the words (in Hindi). Loy has played a million dollar piano solo in the 2nd interlude.

Also:

m hasn't heard this yet but recommends Khuda Ke Liye
j is intrigued by the CD
Sidekick is curious about a rock CD amongst the relentless punjabification of music
srini hopes the album inspires the Indian rock scene
girlie girl listens to two songs and likes them
indianpaduser hands out some Farhan love
Tania - tired of mahiyas and kudias - looks forward to the CD
svr is looking forward to the music but wants to hear from Vishal Shekhar
Ehsaan's answers motivate HR to have a listen
The father-son effort make this a special album for Mind Rush
The music sounds dated says Anon
Ehsaan explains the reason behind the 80s rock sound of the album
What's this movie about? asks m
leera reviews Rock On!!
The brief recording time surprised j
Never Mind!! has a listen and lists her favorites
Its a combination worth listening to, says Kanan
svr analyzes Mahalakshmi's singing in Jhoom
meena hopes this CD will stop some nearby eye rolling
'Anu Malik' stops by
So does 'Bappi'
Pitu proposes a Chollywood club
Singh is King! Mind Rush celebrates India's nuclear vote
Anon hands out the Worst Music of the Year award to Mehbooba
girlie girl shares her hair care
As does m
and j
and Kanan
Amrita wants to check out Rock On!!
Pitu hands out curly hair love