Music has always been a passion and not a profession, say composer duo Salim–Sulaiman
Sanskrita Bharadwaj (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 2, 2020)

Music composers Salim–Sulaiman grew up in a family where music was a tradition. Salim mastered the piano at the Trinity College of Music in London, UK, while Sulaiman took up tabla training with legends such as Taufiq Qureshi and Ustad Zakir Hussain.

Composing music for over two decades now, they have scored for films like Chak De! India (2007), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and Fashion (2008), among others. Over the years, the duo have also composed for many indi-pop performers including Viva, Aasma and Shweta Shetty, among others, composed and produced several TV commercials and collaborated with many artistes.

In an upcoming tribute concert titled Ustad Alla Rakha - A Homage to Abbaji, the duo will be performing to pay their respect to the timeless legacy of the tabla maestro. The two spoke to us about their love for music, the concert and their future plans. Excerpts:

What does your set for Ustad Alla Rakha — A Homage to Abbaji consist of?
Salim: Our set is going to be a mix of some folk fusion compositions that we have composed for another music show. It will also have some devotional songs featuring the Manganiyars of Rajasthan. Abbaji was a film composer too and we feel it is going to be fitting if we perform our popular film hits as well.

How relevant is a concert of this magnanimity in this day and age? How does it feel to be part of the concert as you will be performing for the first time?
Salim: This concert will be the most memorable one for me and Sulaiman, as we have been students of music under Ustad Zakir Hussain and Taufiq Qureshi. It’s a big honour for us to be part of this grand annual celebration. This will be my third time as a musician, but as a featured artiste, it’s going to be our first time.
Sulaiman: Zakir bhai and Taufiq bhai both have been mentors and gurus for both Salim and me, and for us to perform alongside them, will be a privilege and an honour.

Can you elaborate on your association with Ustad Zakir Hussain and your inspiration from Ustad Alla Rakha?
Salim: Ustad Zakir Hussain has been my teacher, guide, friend, a father figure from whom I’ve learnt a lot. From a very young age, I’ve been a part of his projects as a musician and then got the opportunity to perform with him under Tabla Beat Science. He’s been my idol and my mentor both as a musician and as a human being. I’m very grateful to have his guidance. I’m also very fortunate to have Taufiq bhai as our guru, mentor and friend. We’ve learnt so much under him and continue to do so. We had the greatest opportunity to meet Abbaji and have him witness some of the rehearsals while I was part of Surya (a fusion band with Taufiq Qureshi). Abbaji’s loving nature still lingers in our hearts.

What do you think about the way your career has panned out?
Salim: I’ve never really thought about my music as a career, it has always been my passion and my ‘sadhana’, and it will continue to be so. We’ve tried to compose a good melody rather than running after creating hits. I believe a good song will mostly turn into a hit if it has that good, timeless melody.
Sulaiman: Music started out as a passion than a profession and you know what they say, ‘Choose a job that you love and you will never have to work a day in your life’. We’ve been fortunate enough to have great mentors, who have taught us the importance of good music. We were also very fortunate to have worked in an era where innovative music was well appreciated. Our journey is far from over, but I must say it has been a good one so far.

What are your upcoming projects?
Salim: We’ve scored music for a film called Desert Dolphin. It’s an Indo-American film by Manjari Makijany. I’m also very excited about our new album, Bhoomi 2020. It’s releasing this year.

What is your opinion about covers and remixes?
Salim: I think remakes and remixes should have a little relevance. Labels and filmmakers need to have some thought before they just put out an old ’80s or ’90s hit into a new movie. It’s getting a bit too much. I think everyone (audience) is just done with that.

Neha Maheshwri (BOMBAY TIMES; August 16, 2019)

Veteran actress Waheeda Rehman will next be seen in the international film Desert Dolphin, which is based on skateboarding. The film, which is co-written by Vinaty Makijany, marks the directorial debut of Manjari Makijany, and is set in the rustic village of Khempur near Udaipur, Rajasthan. Vinaty and Manjari are yesteryear actor Mac Mohan’s daughters. The most interesting part, however, is the fact that Waheeda Rehman has returned to shoot in Udaipur after 54 years. She last shot in the ‘City of Lakes’ for Guide (1965). Feeling nostalgic about shooting in Udaipur, the actress says, “I have come to Udaipur after a very long time. I remember that when we were shooting for Guide, we had stayed at the Lake Palace Hotel. I was pleasantly surprised when the makers of this film organised a trip to the Palace, where I could relive those memories.”

Talking about coming on board for an independent project, she shares, “I have never thought of a project as big or small. I have always wanted to and have been experimenting. But in my 60-year-long career, I have never said yes to a project so quickly. To my knowledge, this is also the first time that I am working with a female director.”

The 14,500 sq ft skate park built by the duo near Udaipur

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; May 17, 2019)

Arre O Sambha..., the character from Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay, played by the late Mac Mohan, remains memorable even after four decades. Now, Mirror has learnt that his daughters Manjari (writer-director) and Vinati Makijany (co-writer-producer) are all set to make India’s first feature film on skate-boarding, titled Desert Dolphin.

Manjari may be making her B-Town debut with the film, but she is not new to the world of cinema. The LA-based filmmaker has worked for nearly 12 years, directed three short films and won several awards nationally and internationally. She has worked with filmmakers like Christopher Nolan on Dunkirk and The Dark Knight Rises, Patty Jenkins on Wonder Woman and Vishal Bhardwaj on Saat Khoon Maaf, besides other projects like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol, Wake Up Sid and Gandhi of the Month.

For her debut, she chose to come back home and make a film with women empowerment at its core. Set in a remote village in Rajasthan, Desert Dolphin is about 16-year-old Prerna, a village girl who finds courage to skate against all odds when her path crosses that of Jessica, 34, a graphic artist from Los Angeles who’s looking for deeper joy in life. For the film, the makers have made India’s largest skatepark, spread across 14,500 square feet with 100 ramps, in the Khempur village near Udaipur with the help of premiere skatepark specialists and the skateboard coaching group HolyStoked Collective.

With skateboarding officially entering the Olympics in 2020 and with no other park of this calibre and design in India, the team hopes that it will serve as a local and international training ground for future champions and add to the growing trend of skate-boarding in the country.

Manjari, who was exposed to the skateboarding culture during her time in LA, says that it was a video of the sport transforming lives in a small Madhya Pradesh village that grabbed her attention. “Upon further research and meeting the skaters there, I realised the concept was inspired by Skateistan in Afghanistan. This led me to dig deeper and I began my research in September 2016, immersing myself in the correlation between skating and social change,” she says.

Vinati, who is producing the film, asserts that the idea was to involve as many real skateboarders as possible in the project. “During auditions, we reached out to the skateboarding communities in India. I travelled to Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, villages in Rajasthan and Mumbai and spent a few days workshopping with over 3000 kids,” she signs off.