To Catch a Star: Anu Malik regrets copying 'Macarena'

ENFANT TERRIBLE: Anu Malik has a National Award, film awards and many controversies to his name.

      

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Keywords: Himesh Reshammiya, Music, Bollywood, Anu Malik

Anu Malik is is the quintessential enfant terrible of Hindi film music. A veteran of more than 250 films, one National Award, several film awards and a clutch of controversies, Malik has given some of Bollywood’s most enduring and memorable film music in recent times.

Rajeev Masand: Anu, 2007 was rather a dull year for you. It was more a year for your rivals – Pritam, Himesh, Vishal-Shekhar. What, for you, was the best music of 2007 and why didn't we see enough of you in 2007?

Anu Malik: Well, let's put it straight that I am a firm believer in destiny. I am a firm believer in what's yours is yours, what's not yours is not yours. After having said that, right from the time I was 16, when I started work in this industry, till the position I've come in, I've always seen these highs and lows in my life and they don't actually effect me - it's no big deal. It's actually no big deal.

2007 was maybe for the people who didn't hear about me – where is Anu Malik? To me, I was very much there, working and planning things for 2008.

Rajeev Masand: Let me ask you a question – what was for you the best soundtrack of 2007?

Anu Malik: I would say yes, I did like Guru very much and there was something very unique about that track. In fact, I liked all the tracks. I liked, for example, what Jab We Met had to offer. I liked a particular song by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy – 'Maa' – from Taare Zameen Par. It really was very, very well-composed and sung. I liked what Farah did with Om Shanti Om. I liked everything. In fact, everyone has done such great work, and I thought, are you guys missing me or not? But the fact that you called me over today means people are missing me also, so I probably will come out with that kind of work.

Rajeev Masand: Let's take off from what you just said about Farah Khan. You composed such a popular and such a successful soundtrack for Farah Khan and Shah Rukh Khan for Main Hoon Na. Why didn't they come to you for Om Shanti Om?

Anu Malik: You got to really, really call Farah to this show and just ask her why she –

Rajeev Masand: I'm sure you've asked her.

Anu Malik: Oh, I didn't ask her in that way. We – I'm very close to her. I love her as a person. In fact, the very fact that she took me for her first film was something very nice because she could have taken any guy, any person for the music of her first film. And we really gel together, we even vibe very well today and Farah ko sau khoon maaf hain (I can forgive Farah anything). So, if she has taken somebody else, no problem, she did a good job, no problems.

Rajeev Masand: Tell me, what did you think of the soundtrack of Om Shanti Om by Vishal-Shekhar?

Anu Malik: I think they did a good job. I would give a lot of credit to Farah also because I remember the time when we used to work on the tracks of Main Hoon Na, she came up with these whacky-whacky ideas. I remember the time when she came and said, "Anu, let's work on a qawwali" and I said, "God! I don't want to compose a qawwali - it's pretty tough!" She said, "Nahi, nahi, tereko qawwali banani padegi!" ("No, no, you will have to create a qawwali!") I said, "okay, but I'll do it my way." She said, "Okay, what do you want?" I said - the first word I said - "WICKED!" *makes percussion noises*.

The best thing about Farah was - Javedsaab was sitting there - "Anu, compose something - those guys on the campus are playing violins!" So Javedsaab said, "Arrey, violins kahan se aa gaye qawwali ke andar?" ("How do violins come into a qawwali?") And I said - *Makes sounds of strings*. And Farah said, "Javed uncle, is pe koi likhiye." ("Javed Uncle, please write something on this.") And he said, "Main nahi loonga, itna khatarnaak meter hai! ("I won't take this up, it has such a deadly meter!") and I said, "Likhna padega aapko." ("You will have to write.") And then he wrote, 'Dekho pyaare, yeh nazaare' - the qawwali became a cult! So, she knows what she wants and we gel together and I I think she knows that I love her so much, she's forgiven for not giving me a second film - no problems!