Dhaval Roy (DNA; January 22, 2018)

Amit Trivedi’s latest soundtrack, Pad Man, has only five songs but the composer has kept things different with each one of them. So, there is a desi romantic number Aaj Se Teri, the quirky The Pad Man Song, quintessentially AT song Hu Ba Hu, pop rock track Saale Sapne and Sayani. Whether it’s about this album or his previous works, Amit says, “That’s the way I am. I have been inspired by a number of artistes around the globe but when it comes to composing, I follow my own instincts. I do not see or hear anything else. It’s just my thoughts and characteristics that I bring to my work.”

Judging the first reality show
Film and independent music may not be something new for Amit but for the first time he has judged a reality show, The Remix on Amazon Prime Video. However, the composer believes he is not competent enough to judge. “I don’t know a lot of stuff still. I’m not very comfortable with saying good or bad things about anyone,” he says. His wariness also stems from the fact that it is a lot of hard work to create something and taking it to the public. “It is for the audience to judge, whether a song or a film. We know that we are putting ourselves out to the public to either embrace it or trash it,” he adds.

Being edgy
Right from his debut Dev D, Amit has been known for unconventional and edgy music. “I didn’t know that my music would be called edgy or gritty. These terms were new to me. I was being myself without knowing there were adjectives for it,” he laughs. “Growing up, I was just like any metropolitan guy. I have seen Ramayan and been part of the MTV and Channel V generation exposed to Pink Floyd, Michael Jackson, and The Beatles,” he says.

Sound of silence
While many musicians dismiss reality shows for the drama and pressure they put on young singers, Amit sees them as a way to discover new talent. “As a composer, I need new singers all the time. I got to know about so many talented vocalists, whom I would have missed if not for reality shows,” he says. At the same time, he finds the music explosion through digital platforms exasperating. “From having nothing during the ’80s when Chitrahaar and Chayageet were the only music programmes, the gamut has become so expansive that at times I feel like I don’t want to know any more than I do,” he smiles, “I don’t know what it will be like 20 years later. There’s an overload of information and entertainment now. You just want a break from it.” And for that, he believes in silence. “I just switch off. I need complete silence to de-stress or I will suffer from brain fatigue,” he says. “I can’t go overboard with music nor go out of touch. Sometimes, it’s tough striking a balance,” he adds.

The new Rahman
Amit holds R D Burman, A R Rahman and Hans Zimmer as his eternal favourites for music in cinema. “They are more than a benchmark for me. Everything starts and ends with them,” he avers, saying that A R is the ultimate modern-day genius for him. Amit is more often than not called the new Rahman of the industry. Does that put pressure on him? “Initially, it did. I was just doing my own thing when I started out. Then, the media and people started calling me the next A R Rahman. I had nothing to do with it. There was no pressure till I didn’t know that I was being compared to the legend himself. A perception was built and I didn’t know what I was supposed to do next!” Amit ignored it and continued being himself. “I’m still the same guy and nothing has changed in my mind. If it changes, I will just plummet,” he states.

No balancing act
So far, Amit has had a robust repertoire with chartbusters like Dev.D, Ishaqzaade, Udaan, Kai Po Che!, Lootera, Queen, Udta Punjab, Dear Zindagi, Secret Superstar, etc. However, there was a time when he was frustrated because he didn’t have enough work. Right now, he is overworked and still frustrated. “This industry is amazing. Almost every artiste is frustrated because there’s never a point when everything is in harmony,” he says. “Maybe if you ask me after 20 years, I will have gained some wisdom. Right now, I’m in the process,” he laughs. Amit has had to turn down a lot of work just to cope with the pressure, “Every person has a threshold. If you go beyond it, you will burn yourself out. But, it’s tricky — whom you say yes to and whom you turn down without upsetting anyone and hurting their ego. It’s just exhausting.” Amit also has Queen remakes Paris Paris (Tamil) and Butterfly (Kannada) in his roster. About scoring for the adaptations, he says that musically, they are completely different.