Music director-composer-lyricist Mithoon, the man behind some of the most astonishing tracks we have every year, gets candid with The Pioneer about his music, the marvelous success of Gadar 2 tracks, and more.
Tejal Sinha
Encapsulating the essence of a story through his music is none other than the musical maestro Mithoon—one of the busiest musicians we have in the industry. So much so that, every time one thinks of the astonishing B’wood music tracks, he’s been the man behind most of the chartbusters. Having been surrounded by musicians all throughout his childhood and his dad being a renowned expert in the music industry, Naresh Sharma, he never really had a Plan B. He began at an early age of 19, enthusing, “It was my father’s dream to see me where I am today, and I have made a lot of sacrifices and practice. I come from a gharana of practice, riyaz, and there was a lot of discipline that went into making me the musician that I am today. I feel that all those efforts have not gone in vain. I feel grateful that among so many people, I’ve had the privilege to do that, and people want to work with me so much that they come to me, work with me, and my listeners love me so much.”
His creations carry a melancholic note that echoes the film’s ethos. Though he had created a revolution in itself with the soulful tracks of Aashiqui 2, he also has credit to Woh Lamhe Woh Raatein (Zeher), Maula Mere Maula, Javeda Zindagi (Anwar), and Aye Khuda, Phir Mohabbat (Murder 2), to name a few. That’s a blockbuster to date. And now, with the recent Gadar 2, he has once again created a revolution. “Yes, you are right, Aashiqui 2 was quite a revolution in the Indian music industry, and that was a very special phase in my career. After that, I’m very grateful to God that I’ve never looked back, and Gadar 2 has once again been a revolution for cinema and music, and I just feel grateful. I feel the best of my career is yet to come.”
Just like the movie Gadar 2, the iconic tracks Main Nikla Gadi Leke or Udd Jaa Kaale Kava have once again brought the same old feelings and moments to relive the ardor. This time, even more! With these two iconic tracks, the Ek Villain artist had a very simple feeling—keeping the song, melody, and poetry alive with a lot of respect. “My idea was never to add anything to it or change the beauty of these songs. I have kept it very simple and clean, and I have respected the fabric created by the original creators. So my idea was to just pay respect and tribute and allow these melodies to shine by also bringing the original singers, Udit Ji and Alka Ji, so my intention was to let their works shine, and thats what I have done, which has made people love it also.” Working on an iconic track is no less than putting immense pressure on oneself. But Mithoon, more than pressure, felt the responsibility that people were so connected to this song that he could not afford to spoil them in any way. And no doubt, he has respectfully kept the chastity of the songs, the melody, and the poetry intact.
“It was quite an inspiring experience because of the kind of journey that they’ve had. We have grown up listening to their voices. They’ve worked so long in the industry that we call our ‘house’ today, and even to see their enthusiasm and commitment, both of them are such professionals. They rehearsed with me, gave me time in the studio, and would regularly call me up to check if I needed any changes that needed to be made. So this kind of focus and commitment even after achieving so much is highly inspiring for youngsters like us,” enthuses the Darkhaast artist, who attributes his success to emotions that connect people. For instance, he says, “If you see our songs Dil Jhoom and Chal Tere Ishq, both are trending. Emotions come from melody and poetry, so when the right melody and the right poetry meet, like what happened in Gadar as well, Uttam ji’s melody and Bakshi ji’s poetry are why the songs are alive even twenty years later. Similarly in Gadar 2, my compositions along with the poetry written by Sayeed Quadri ji, I think the thoughts, words, and situations—even if you listen to Khairiyat— a father’s prayer. I feel it’s the emotions that people connect with ultimately, beyond the glamour and shimmer; if the emotion connects, then it becomes a success.”
Be it Murder 2, Aashiqui 2, or Jism 2, the music he has created for the sequels is astonishingly chart-bustering in its own way. And no doubt, he has been given the tag of ‘Part 2 Music Specialist’! He couldn’t deny the fact because he says, “Be it any project, I work on it with all my heart and honesty. If there is this tag getting attached to me, and I think as long as it allows me to do good music, I am open to the tag. If they call me the ‘Part 2 specialist’, I welcome the name.”
Classic songs being remade have always been a subject of debate, and in most cases, the recreated versions face criticism from audiences as well as the original singer and composer. Asking him about the same, he says, “If the creative interpretation has no definition, everybody will see the song differently. So at least I don’t really have a direct opinion on that. But I definitely feel that one should at least take the necessary permission, and the legality of it should be in place before you do any cover or adaptation. A sort of attempt should be made to understand the heart of the original creator, that why did they use, make, and what is the essence of their creation, or the words that are very important, and I tried to do the same thing when I was working with Gadar 2 as well.”
He also feels that the statistics are only an indication of how many people we are able to connect with. If one connects with people, the numbers will automatically come. Going ahead, Mithoon has been someone who has not really enjoyed recreating music, and with his songs being recreated, does he feel stressed or bothered? And he gleefully shares, “I don’t feel stressed, but I feel that, as an artist, I would not myself want to encourage the trend. I feel there’s a lot of talent in the country who can create good original music, and that should be encouraged. I myself have been vocal about not doing recreation in the past. In Gadar 2, I made an exception because it was a proper emotional sequence, and Garadr 2 could not have been made without these iconic songs because this is a part of the story and family of Tara Singh, so that’s why I made an exception. I feel that for commercial reasons, the songs should not be recreated but rather encouraged to create new talent and a new legacy for the upcoming generation.”
On the work front, he is currently working with Mohit Suri for his next film, with Aditya Dutt for Crakk, and Anil Sharma for his next film.
