The essence of heartbreak that reflects in the music of Kabir Singh comes through Mithoon’s composition Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage. It not only captures the pain but also the temperamental nature of the protagonist.
“Kabir Singh was an interesting experience because it was about heartbreak. The character is honest, temperamental and thinks from his heart. Making music for such a character is very fulfilling because you connect with the character and I have tried to create a lot of dynamism in the melody which is like the character of the main protagonist,” says Mithooon who has also written the lyrics of the song.
Natural flair!
Going by his earlier hits, he is someone who is known for evoking such heart-wrenching sentiments on a regular basis in films such as Anwar, Jism 2, Aashiqui 2 and Humari Adhuri Kahani. “Music is a wonderful way to express pain which one goes through. Hindi music is incomplete without the emotion of heartbreak. Writing such music is enjoyable for me as it is something which comes to me naturally,” reveals Mithoon.
He is one composer who doesn’t put in effort according to the budget or star cast of the film. In fact, many of his songs worked better than the films they were part of. “When you are inside a studio and ready with your saaz, it becomes a pure relationship. There you cannot think that I am making a piece of music for a big budget film and that I have to make more efforts. Everybody who comes to my studio expects the best. The only thing that changes is the vision. A film like ‘Shab’ had a very independent vibe to it and that reflects in its music which was more like independent music. While Kabir Singh is mainstream cinema, so it has ‘filmy’ sounds. My level of dedication was equal.”
Mithoon arrived on the scene very early as an independent music director. When he composed the track of Bas Ek Pal, he was only 20. His father Naresh Sharma was a famous arranger who along with Pyarelal formed one half of the legendary duo Laxmikant-Pyarelal. They guided him in his initial days. “The most important quality that they had and I am aspiring to have is longevity. What they did 30-40 years back is still fresh. The most important thing about creating a niche for yourself is sticking to your ideals and taste. I should not become a people pleaser and that’s what I have done all these years,” he says. He started doing independent albums along with films out of which “Kuch Is Tarah” from Atif Aslam's album “Doorie” and Abhijeet Sawant's “Ek Shaqs” from” Junoon” still remain popular.
Maintaining the ‘feel’
On the trend of multiple music directors in a film, he says, that if the vision of a film is understood, the music will follow automatically. He gives the example of “Aashiqui 2” where multiple music directors succeeded in maintaining the ‘feel’ of the film. “I worked with Ankit Tiwari and Jeet Ganguli and the soundtrack came together very well. We didn’t interact creatively. Every composer did his song according to the perspective he had of the narrative and that is what made it more interesting. In “Kabir Singh” too, I had not listened to other songs. We all listened to each other’s compositions after they came out for the audience.”
Devoted to his passion
For him, there is hardly any life beyond composing music. He takes two to three months for a song and that is why he only comes up with six to eight songs every year. “People have always appreciated my music for its originality. In an age, when others are repeating old hits, being original and contemporary is a very healthy combination to have.”
In Bas Ek Pal, he dabbled with electronic music. The album was way ahead of its time and spurred a trend. “If you are honest enough to feel and react to what is happening around you, the change will come to you and your work automatically. It is because you are not stuck in a set of mind and you are evolving with time. It is like nature. If you are connected to the environment around you, the change will become part of you and you don’t have to think about it. I do music from heart and what I did 13 years before is different from what I am doing right now. I am 34 and there is a natural maturity which has come with age. It also translates into my music,” he explains.
When there is a debate on the viability of songs in films and songs are often accused of hampering the pact of narration , he is still positive about the future of music in Bollywood films. “I personally feel that Hindi cinema can’t live without music. We have a strong presence all over the world because of our songs and dances. You can see people around the world still talk about Raj Kapoor’s films and their music. I feel we should change according to times but we should not forget our roots. I am very proud of our musical roots,” sums up Mithoon.