Mithoon, known for hits like Tum Hi Ho, Sanam Re and Tujhe Kitna Chahne Lage, is happy with the success of his music for Gadar 2, despite the controversy (music composer Uttam Singh had accused the film’s makers of using his work without permission).

He says, “I can only speak about my process of working on the movie’s music and adding my own element to it. I am happy with how the tracks turned out. As a kid, I always wanted to make music for films like this,” he says.

In a chat, the music composer and singer talks about his career milestones, equation with his wife (singer Palak Muchhal) and more.

I always wanted to be like my father (music director Naresh Sharma) and dreamt of becoming a composer. Madan Mohan, R D Burman and A R Rahman have been my heroes. As a 19-year-old commerce student, I got to record the song Woh Lamhe (Zeher), which became an overnight chartbuster and I never looked back after that. I followed it up with Tere Bin (Bas Ek Pal) and Maula Mere (Anwar), which are considered iconic today. But I feel like I’ve only begun.

When I entered the music scene, so many platforms did not exist. But I would have chosen to take the film route even if I were to debut today because I am a fan of films. I never wanted to make music just to become popular or for glamour. I was always a fan of Indian cinema. I get a lot of non-film offers from various labels, but I’m focusing more on film music.

I have explored playback singing and songwriting as well, but primarily, I love being a music composer. I love discovering new voices and feel proud that Atif Aslam, Arijit Singh, Mohammed Irfan and Shilpa Rao, some of the best singers that we have today, sang their first song with me.

Tum Hi Ho has really struck a chord with the audience in India and even outside the country, people still remember it. The song meant a lot to me emotionally because it was a tribute to my father, who was the music arranger for the first film of the Aashiqui franchise (in 1990). It was a special moment in my career.

Palak and I keep very busy and when we get some time together, we don’t talk about music. We talk about everything else. Ours was an arranged marriage, and we didn’t really date before our wedding. So, we are really catching up on our personal space now.

I love Hindustani classical music and listening to greats like Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj, Kumar Gandharva, Jagjit Singh ji. I feel a sense of fulfilment whenever I listen to them sing. There’s something so divine about the way they went about their music.