Sajid-Wajid, one of Bollywood’s most prolific composer-duos give us a glimpse into their music-making process and tell us what has driven their pursuit of excellence over the years
Bryan Durham (DNA; January 24, 2015)


Is it okay to tell you that I enjoyed Dolly Ki Doli’s music more than Tevar’s?
Sajid: It happens. Each soundtrack has to be different. Also, you also have to consider that a director’s vision is involved and consider how that works in a collaboration.
Wajid: And people like what they want. Despite releasing this close to each other, it helps that none of the songs sound the same. And that both albums have worked. That says a lot.

When voice casting, how do you reach a balance between using established and new singers?
Wajid: I believe the song chooses the singer. Nobody could’ve sung Phatte Tak Nachna like Sunidhi or Fashion Khatam like Mamta or Superman like I did (laughs).

You’ve had a great run over the last few years...
Sajid: Yes, 2014 went quite well — we had Jai Ho, Main Tera Hero, Heropanti, Daawat-E-Ishq and this year, Tevar and Dolly Ki Doli!

More often than not, Mika and Mamta Sharma feature in almost every other album of yours
Wajid: Really? I don’t know. (shrugs). When you speak of item numbers you need to have a voice. And Mamta is fantastic for character singing. Her voice texture is brilliant. She goes perfect inside that pocket, if you know what I mean. She just sits there... the way she learns the song and she's very raw, those little nuances she adds to a song, a trained singer cannot. And Mika has that alag andaz to his singing.

How do you choose your lyricists?
Wajid: Whoever gives me the best line (laughs). Of late, we’ve been working with Kausar Munir a lot, but here’s the thing. We work as a team. Danish Sabri, who’s my cousin as well as my assistant, has written some of the lyrics on the latest albums and I credit him for his contributions. But I give Kausar credit. She’s a senior writer who also appreciates something somebody else has written and is willing to share credits where it demands. Most lyricists are not open to doing that.

You’ve also worked with Kumaar...
Wajid: Yes, he’s written Mere Naina Kaafir Ho Gaye (from the DKD soundtrack) and is very happy. He writes hit songs for most films but never something like this for anyone. This one was exceptionally good.

Each soundtrack now sounds like a bazaar.. a cacophony of sounds with multiple composers on an album
Wajid: I’m not happy with this thing going on. it’s not fair to anybody (shrugs).
Sajid: At the same time, it’s fair also. you can’t even say if its fair to them or not fair to them, because jo struggle kar raha hai, usse ek gaana mil jaaye toh woh bahut badi baat hai. It all depends on whether you want to be a one-song wonder or a versatile music director.

Do you think it’s a passing phase?
Wajid: We really don’t know. We can only speak for ourselves when we say we’ve really worked hard to get to where we are. We work extra hard to ensure that all our songs are hits.

There are times directors/producers go in for an extra composer at the last minute...
Wajid: How much difference does it make to a film? Most often, these are promotional tracks and has a short shelf life. It happens with a lot of films.

What keeps you motivated enough album after album?
Sajid: Our love for music and our upbringing.
Wajid: We lost our father, Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan last year. He was a passionate musician who taught us that you don’t have to compete with anyone else but yourself. We work extra hard to make sure we live up to his name.

In the days of OP Nayyar and R D Burman, composers were kings, then singers became the superstars. I believe the age of composers (rather composer-singers) is upon us. Your take?
Sajid: Composers have come back in a big way.
Wajid: For me, it always was the composer who was the rockstar. Being a composer-singer is always a bonus. If you can sing your compositions, very good. I’ve seen new composers struggle to get a foothold but new singers manage with gigs. No such luck for struggling composers .Woh daldal hi hai. Either he has to sink in or get out of it. He has no other choice. It is very important to understand that. Everyone is equal. Bas koshish mein kami nahi honi chahiye.

How do you divide the work among yourselves?
Wajid: Sajid bhai always tells me if a song isn’t working. He’s got a fantastic ear. And he comes up with fabulous one-liners. He likes to compose that much and jokes, ‘Aage ka kaam tera hai’.
Sajid: But seriously, to make it simple we give the other his space.
Wajid: I do more compositions while he looks after the arrangement and how it sounds. But he’s the elder brother, so he takes the cake. He takes advantage of that.

Wajid, do you seek out his opinion?
He respects it when I do. I should be clear to counter him if needed. We do have disagreements at work because at the end we want what’s best for the film. We welcome our technicians as well to to voice their opinions openly. We foster that kind of culture at the workplace. We’re more like best friends than music directors.

I remember reading somewhere that Salman Khan said at a children’s event that he wished that you two were here because they’d keep the kids more entertained. What does he know that we don’t?
Wajid: One thing we’ve learnt from him is to exude that energy impromptu. We used to be shy, but he’s made us so free that now if he asks us to do something, we readily agree. We’re like kids who forgot to live and are getting a chance to relive our childhood by being kids around kids.

It’s a lesser known fact that you were the composers of Sonu Nigam’s Deewana album...
Wajid: What most people don’t know is that the album was prepared even before Sonu Nigam could come on board. He joined the project after all the compositions were created. His involvement began with later albums. Back then, to have an album on that level where the composer could call the shots musically — we were first-time composers then — was a big deal. At the time, only Daler Mehndi worked and everybody advised us to compose Punjabi numbers. I told them ‘I’ll do what my heart feels.’
Sajid: I said the same thing. We made that album, it broke records and made history. Since then, our formula has remained the same, eight songs toh eight songs hit, five songs toh five songs hit. The D-factor has worked for Sajid-Wajid, right from Deewana to Dolly Ki Doli!

What makes either of you incomplete without the other?
This rishta is made by Allah, it is not of this world. It will last us beyond forever. What stronger bond than that? We’re bound by blood, what can come between us? Those that don’t share that strong a bond can be separated by the smallest of things. In my opinion, it is all about upbringing. There exist differences between siblings, but they shouldn’t be that great that it separates you. That’s common between us as brothers. There are three of us — Sajid, Wajid and Javed. We’re a really close-knit family.