After hits like Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham..., Chameli, Socha Na Tha and a hit track in Jab We Met, Sandesh Shandilya has been at low-key. But after Ketan Mehta’s Raja Ravi Varma biopic Rang Rasiya, things might just change
The creator of Suraj hua maddham and You are my Soniya(Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham...), Bhaage re man and Sajna ve sajna (Chameli) and O yaara rab (Socha Na Tha) and chartbusting albums like Ustad Sultan Khan’s Piya Basanti and Ustad & The Divas, Shubha Mudgal’s Pyar Ke Geet and Udit Narayan’s I Love You, feels that probably no film has inspired him as much as Ketan Mehta’s Rang Rasiya has.
“The reason is very simple,” he says. “Being a creative artiste, I know exactly what emotions a brilliant painter like Raja Ravi Varma must have experienced at different occasions in his life. Like all of us, he has to be inspired to create, but he cannot pinpoint how he actually does so. An artiste goes through lots of pain and his journey is about freedom of expression, moods, creative highs and lows and a certain temperament. I could therefore relate to his life, struggle and success completely. In fact, I even understood a lot of my own queries as a creative artiste that had been mysteries to me before, like how composing the simplest song becomes very difficult on occasions, while at other times, a song seems to just come out on its own!” Did this artistic resonance make composing for this film easier? Says Sandesh thoughtfully, “Not really, but I was definitely more excited than ever before, so the result is definitely one of my best. I knew that Raja Ravi Varma was a protagonist who thought exactly like me, and this had never happened with a character in my film before. But I must say that without Ketan (Mehta)ji’s script, I would not have been able to do what I have done.”
How did they choose the lyricist for this film? Says Sandesh. “We really thought a lot about that. Then I happened to meet Manoj Muntishar, who had written scripts for Kaun Banega Crorepati and Voice Of India and was also known for his poetry, ghazals and one-liners. Since Ketan could not reveal the story at that stage, he just gave him a situation. Within 24 hours, Manoj came up with a song that Ketan fell in love with and so did I. I am confident that once the music is out, Manoj will be lapped up by the industry!”
And the singers? “I have Sunidhi Chauhan, Roopkumar Rathod, Sonu Niigaam and Kailash Kher. There are two new voices - Rajashri Pathak, a disciple of Shobha Gurtu, has sung a beautiful thumri and Anwar Khan, who sang the original folk song on which Nimbooda from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam was based.”
Sandesh stresses that his music too moves on a journey along with the painter’s life. “Raja Ravi Varma was born and brought up in Kerala where he spent his childhood, then moved to Baroda (now Vadodara) as a court painter and from there to Mumbai. The music had to represent the various phases and the journeys,” he says.
We move to an uncomfortable realm: after his terrific innings at both film soundtracks and albums, why has Sandesh not reached the A-list bracket?
“I do not look at it that way,” Sandesh answers confidently. “I have not had a solo box-office hit in seven years and despite over a dozen flops I am not out of the industry - which shows that people trust me! I also consider it my shortcoming when my music does not click and try to rectify the weak areas in my work. Otherwise, I guess ab tak sahi waqt nahin aaya.”
Is it to do also with this era of (con)fusion? Says Sandesh ,“No, I do not think so. The boundaries and horizons of music have expanded. It’s an exciting time globally, with exposure generating interest in different music and broader acceptance of influences and cultures worldwide. But yes, good lyrics are missing, and words are what primarily makes songs live on,” he says.
But are not filmmakers and music company honchos confused and therefore unreasonable in their demands today? “That breed does not come to me,” he replies seriously. “I began with Karan Johar and then there have been associated with Sudhir Mishra, Imtiaz Ali and Ketanji among others. If I do face unreasonable demands, I would prefer to not do such films.”
But everyone’s going crazy after hits, right? Agrees Sandesh, “True, but a good tune is a perspective and the filmmaker has the final right to choose. The mathematics of music isn’t exact anyway. Many songs that are rejected by one filmmaker go into another film and prove hits. Others prove flops.”
Has he been impressed by any music in recent times? “Yes, I loved Pritam’s songs in Jab We Met and also the music of Jodhaa Akbar.” But why did he contribute only one song in Jab We Met? Says Sandesh, “Imtiaz wanted Pritam and me to do three songs each. But after I recorded Aaoge jab tum saajana sung by Ustad Rashid Khan, I became very busy with Rang Rasiya and I told Imtiaz not to wait. In fact, Pritam called me up and I told him to go ahead.”
So is this not his loss, since Pritam is doing Imtiaz’s next film solo? “What loss? Have I not got work?” he smiles gently. “I am content with my career. I am also accused of being slow. Maybe I am, but I prefer to work in the old-fashioned way. I insist on rehearsals, for example. It’s a myth that singers do not want them because they are too busy - in fact, they prefer them.” Why has Sandesh himself never sung after Socha Na Tha? Smiles the composer, “I have no plans to become a singer. Sunny (Deol)ji liked my voice on the scratch recordings and wanted to keep it, that’s all. I also did an album for a lark, but the music company had a launch function but never released it!”
Sandesh’s forthcoming films include Ketan Mehta’s next, Deepa Sahi’s Love In Simla with Hema Malini and Nana Patekar, Pritish Nandy’s Meerabai Not Out, a love story revolving around cricket, Mukesh Bhatt’s Daksha Mistry-directed film, Sudhir Mishra’s production directed by Piyush Jha, Manika Sharma’s Kalpavriksh, Vikram Singh’s Mustang Mama, a Nana Patekar-Dimple Kapadia-Suniel Shetty film directed by Kabir Sadanand and Deepti Naval’s Do Paise Ki Dhoop Char Aane Ki Baarish, the story of a lyricist and a prostitute, in which he gets to work for the first time with Gulzar. “It was my dream to work with him and get his approval for the way I composed his poetry, and it has come true, “ says Sandesh simply
