Ahead of the release of Shandaar, its music composer Amit Trivedi says that he never planned to compose for Bollywood. By Riya Sharma
Bollywood was never in his agenda. little did he know that he would be giving the music scores for blockbusters such as lootera and Dev.D.
Riding high on the success of Guddu Rangeela’s music, singer and music composer, Amit Trivedi is gearing up for his forthcoming projects like Shandaar, starring Alia Bhatt and Shahid Kapoor, and Udta Punjab.
Speaking to us about his much awaited composition for Shandaar, he says, “I am extremely excited for the music of Shandaar. It is a fun film based on a destination wedding and the music has kept up with the energy of the film. Every composition of mine is different from its previous counterparts. I make music to suit the vision and theme of the film, and since each film is different, the music is also invariably unique.”
When asked about Udta Punjab, the singer thinks it’s too early to talk about it. “We have experimented with rap in trance to make it distinctive from my earlier compositions,” he adds.
Talking about his roller coaster ride in Bollywood, the Dev.D singer says, “When I look back, I remember how being a part of Bollywood was never the plan. We used to jam for ad films and theatre when one day, Shilpa Rao suggested that I should give Bollywood a try. I used to think that it was not my cup of tea back then. But she, however, went ahead and made me meet Anurag Kashyap and showed him my work. Since the day Anurag gave me the opportunity to compose music for Dev.D, there has been no looking back.”
While he expressed his gratitude at the good fortune of working with directors who did not limit his creativity freedom, Trivedi tells us, “People like Anurag Kashyap, Vikramaditya Motwane, Vikas Bahl, Abhishek Kapoor and Amitabh Bhattacharya have helped me find a steady grip in the industry ever since.”
The singer, who features on MTV’s Coke Studio, thinks that the show helps in showcasing his other side to the audience. “I sincerely believe that there is a need for more shows like these that help musicians explore their creativity and showcase their talent without the involvement of anyone else,” says Trivedi.
The music composer who has given hit numbers like Suno Aisha, Sham, Zinda and many more to avid music listeners says, “It is almost impossible to pick only one song which can be termed as my personal favourite.” But he mentions that the music of lootera and Bombay Velvet are very close to his heart.
Giving hit compositions one after the other is not an easy task and to increase the bar with each song is indeed incredible. The music composer is extremely thankful to his fans for lending the support throughout.
With singers entering the television arena to judge reality shows, will we soon see Trivedi sitting on the judge’s seat, the singer-music composer replies, “My schedule keeps me busy and I am already juggling between many things so, for now, I don’t think a reality show is on the cards.”
The singer has lent his voice to many films, but is there a particular B-town actor that he really wishes to sing forIJ “When I sing or compose, I don’t think about the actors but the song. For me, what matters is the essence of the song and I should do justice to it. The choice of the actor is completely a director’s call.”
Though he mentions, “Bad days happen to the best of us, and I am no exception. There have been a lot of days when I wasn’t satisfied with the end result of my work, sometimes if the director likes it, we go ahead with it which generally turn out to be good hits. And if not, then I start fresh the next day.”