From making bit-sized jingles, to eight-hour web shows, Bandish Bandits composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on meeting industry's evolving demands
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; July 27, 2020)

After repeatedly offering content that is markedly superior than its cinematic counterpart, OTT platforms could perhaps also offer solace to music aficionados who seek melodies that are free from commercial trappings. Following A R Rahman's foot-tapping soundtrack that elevated Dil Bechara, starring Sushant Singh Rajput, next week's release, Bandish Bandits will see the web debut of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

"This is a new experience for us," says Mahadevan of the long-format narrative that explores the stories of two protagonists with distinct music sensibilities. "It's a 10-part series. We began our journey with 30-second jingles, moved on to creating two-hour long films, and now, [we're creating] music for eight-hour shows." The relatively new platform, he says, also comes with its set of fresh challenges. With a movie being in and out of theatres within weeks, they can usually simply focus on the project at hand. "In the case of a series, we need to consider how it will play-out after a couple of months as well, [because web shows are leisurely consumed]."

Anand Tiwari's directorial venture for Amazon Prime Video features Ritwik Bhowmik as a Hindustani classical performer and Shreya Chaudhry as a pop-star, along with a supporting cast comprising Naseeruddin Shah, Atul Kulkarni, Kunaal Roy Kapur, Sheeba Chaddha and Rajesh Tailang. In order to meet its music demands, the makers knew they could only turn to this trio to do justice to the distinct genres. "The three of us can tackle any genre that exists on this planet. The beauty of this show is that there are so many forms of music, including classical, folk, pop, in play. So, it is exciting for us since we have the scope to experiment. Also, we're looking at a global market; we need not only consider Indian [sensibilities]."

If the narrative provided them with the opportunity to exploit their talent, the musicians count themselves fortunate to have the finest cast enhance their creation. "When the character of Pandit [played by Naseeruddin Shah] was narrated, we were certain that we wanted to feature Pandit Ajoy Chakrabarty. We've always wanted to work with him. When we learnt that Naseer saab was playing the role, we were delighted. It is owing to his greatness that he adapted to Pandit sa'ab's singing."

Apart from the 12-odd full-fledged tracks, the trio peppered the offering with abundant melodic moments that viewers can indulge in. "You'll see scenes being [influenced by music], like when someone does riyaaz, teaches music, or jams. Apart from pure Indian classical music [like Sajan bin], there are pop, fusion, folk and Rajashthani elements," says Mahadevan, as Loy Mendonsa adds that it was Mahadevan's background in Indian classical music that enabled him to "catch finer aspects of the [genre] and bring that to the table."

In an industry where egos fly high, the trio has stood the test of time to complete over 25 years in Bollywood. Bound by their love for music, Noorani says it is their ability to hold their own that has kept them together. "We are respectful of one other's inputs. I have seen many bands dismembered in as little as seven years due to ego issues. We are here to serve a bigger [endeavour]. Millions love our music, so we owe it to them."

Before Badhaai Ho, actor Gajraj Rao always felt like the groom’s best friend. Now he feels like the groom
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 28, 2018)

“I am unable to process what has been happening,” says Gajraj Rao, his eyes lighting up to convey the extent of how much his life has altered in the last 10 days. His latest screen outing Badhaai Ho, which is pegged as the sleeper hit of the year, and has already earned Rs 69.5 crore at the box office. Rao plays a middle-aged father of two who finds himself in a spot when he learns that his wife is pregnant again.

The overwhelming response to the film has earned Rao, who has essayed small but significant roles in movies such as Black Friday (Dawood Phanse), Talvar (Dhaniram) and Blackmail (private detective Chawla), a sort of overnight stardom he has never experienced in his 25-year-long acting career.

Now, people who take selfies with him actually recognise him, he says with a grin. “I was on a flight a few years ago and sporting a bald look. And a co-passenger asked me, ‘Shankar ji kaise hain? Saath nahin ho aap log aaj kal?’ It was only later that I realised he had mistaken me for Loy [Mendonsa] (from the musical trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy).”

The 47-year-old’s family hails from a small village in Rajasthan, but he spent his formative years in Delhi, thanks to his father who held a job in the Indian Railways. “Railway colonies are very cosmopolitan. You’re meeting people from across the country and I was always fond of picking up languages,” says Rao, who, coincidentally, plays a ticket checker in Badhaai Ho. “That I have a Bengali caller tune today has a lot to do with our four Bengali neighbours at the Railway colony we lived in.”

Rao, who showed no interest in medicine, as his father had hoped, started out with N K Sharma’s theatre group Act One, which also included actors such as Ashish Vidyarthi and Manoj Bajpayee. He worked in notable plays such as Jab Sheher Humara Sota Hai (starring Vidyarthi) and Netua (starring Bajpayee). Rao remembers his days in theatre fondly, but also rues that it was tough to make ends meet.

Rao eventually got his break in films when Tigmanshu Dhulia, who had seen Rao’s work in theatre, recommended him for a part in Bandit Queen. “Shekhar Kapur (director) asked me if I had acted before and I said ‘Yes’, and then he asked if I had acted in front of the camera and I said, ‘No’ and I was selected.”

But bite-sized roles in films and performing on stage at Delhi’s Mandi House weren’t enough to provide for a family, so Rao had to find a side hustle. “N K Sharma suggested that I adapt Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie into Hindi. The play was titled Pankh Hote Toh Udd Jaate .” What followed were jobs to write the anchor script for news channels, even assignments for the Navbharat Times, and a stint as an audience coordinator with Siddhartha Basu.

Rao’s career took a turn when he began assisting director Pradeep Sarkar on TV commercials and over time, formed his own production house Code Red Films, which has produced over 1,000 commercials. But Rao still feels that his move to advertising was only because he “didn’t want the family to suffer”. “Advertising saved me from the rat race of a struggler. Not that I didn’t have to struggle for good roles, but I don’t have a sad story, and my struggle isn’t any worse than that of the next person.”

A peculiar aspect about Rao’s career, he says, is that he never chose work based on the commercials of a project. “I have even done films free of cost. For films such as Black Friday and No Smoking, Anurag [Kashyap] told me he didn’t have the money and I went along with them because those were projects I wanted to be associated with.” With a filmography comprising 15 films in over 20 years, one would assume that he has been picky, but Rao pins his limited filmography on the fact that he hasn’t been offered enough interesting roles. “Also, most theatre actors back then didn’t have a lure for cinema as one would hear horrid stories from those returning from Bombay. They would be so deflated and demotivated, they looked like they had returned from the Afghan war.”

While things have turned around, he says, “When I started out, they wouldn’t even let me read the script. They’d reason, ‘You are in scene 12 and 30, why do you want to read the entire script?’” But with character actors getting their time under the sun, there couldn’t be a better time than now for Rao. “Initially, I would feel like the dulha’s best friend, dancing away to celebrate someone else’s happiest day. Now, I feel like the dulha!”

Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; January 1, 2017)

Ehsaan (Noorani), Loy (Mendonsa) and I (Shankar Mahadevan) were friends since we worked together in the advertising field. But we never imagined that the three of us would be doing music for films together. We were doing a Pepsi commercial for Mukul Anand and he offered Ehsaan to do music for his next film, Dus. Ehsaan refused immediately. But when Mukul pushed him, he said he’d do it if Loy and I also do the film. We met Mukul and had the narration.

When we reached the studio to record the first song, the makers and people from the industry were all there. They asked Mukul who the composer of the film was and he pointed at us. Everyone was surprised to see three composers. They were shocked that there were no musicians, arrangers and music coordinators, etc. Mukul said these three would do everything. So they told Mukul, “Boss, tumne kisko sign kiya hai!” They’d completely given up. In the evening, we recorded the first song, Chandni, and they were floored. They offered us the entire soundtrack! A few days later, Mukul called me from New York, before we were about to record the most important song of the film, Suno Gaur Se Duniya Waalon. He blessed us, saying, “It’s a patriotic number, but I want it to play for every cricket and football match, and even at clubs.” We did the song and the team loved it.

But Mukul passed away during the making of the movie and Dus got stalled. We were happy doing jingles, but we were upset that our career in the film industry saw such a low right at the beginning. It was then that Nitin Manmohan (the producer of Dus), shot a video for Suno Gaur Se to pay tribute to Mukul. The song took off. It played everywhere, from cricket matches to clubs. Mukul was and has been a guiding force. Later, Vidhu Vinod Chopra gave us Mission Kashmir and Farhan (Akhtar) gave us Dil Chahta Hai.

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on Rock On!! 2 and the current situation with indie music in India
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; October 18, 2016)

They are celebrated music composers in Bollywood, but Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (SEL) have an identity beyond Hindi film music. They are solo musicians, who also support the country’s non-film music scene. Shankar Mahadevan runs an online music academy while Ehsaan Noorani performs with ensemble bands like Fender & Friends and String Society. Loy Mendonsa is a familiar face in live jazz sets and has reformed his electronica group Instant Karma with Ehsaan. In a bid to promote indie music, the trio has come on board as content co-curators for an initiative by Hungama and Tata Sky. Titled Music +, the service will feature music videos across genres. “The fact that they focus a lot on indie music was exciting. In a way, we have a responsibility to bring good music to the listeners,” says Ehsaan. Excerpts from an interview with the guys behind the soundtrack of Rock On!! 2.

All three of you started out as indie artistes. What’s your take on the current indie scene?
Shankar: The Internet has given a major boost to it. People don’t need a record company to put their music out there. Of course, there’s a dearth of indie labels in India. Some years ago, record companies here released works by artistes like Alisha Chinai and Lucky Ali, but that, unfortunately, has fizzled out.

The number of film soundtracks from SEL has reduced over the years. Is this a conscious decision?
Ehsaan: There is just so much we can do. We tour, record for films and commercials, for corporate gigs. We also have individual commitments that make our musical existence more wholesome. We are doing the same amount of work. It’s just that new music releases every week, so the impression is that we are not working much. We’ve always stood for quality songwriting, and there’s no way we will compromise.

SEL is nearly two decades old. Have you thought of dissolving the group and going independent?
Loy: We are doing independent things too, while keeping the integrity of SEL intact. It has given us so much; why would we want to let go?

Since Rock On!! (2008) was a landmark album, was the soundtrack of its sequel more challenging?
Shankar: It’s a completely different soundtrack, and the challenging part was letting go of the basic three- chord garage band’ sound we achieved with Rock On!! It’s coming eight years later. All the members of the band (in the movie) have grown intellectually and musically. The songs are a lot more varied now.

Saurabh Datar (MID-DAY; March 30, 2014)

In an unassuming workshop at Charkop, Kandivli, Sunil Shinde is surrounded by guitars — broken, bent, modified, or some new ones. He is India’s foremost guitar luthier (a term used to describe someone who makes a lute or other string instruments), and the biggest names in the music industry seek him out.
“My skill is god’s gift — I never attended classes to learn how to repair guitars,” says the 40-year-old.

It all began in 1989, when he joined Alberto Music, a Malad store. After picking up some chops from its owner Salvadore Dias, he started repairing and fixing guitars full- time. Working at Alberto also exposed him to several books on guitars. “I would repair a guitar and compare what I had done to the manuals; it matched.” Soon, Shinde began servicing legendary Bollywood musicians such as Kalyanji-Anandji, Pyarelal and guitarists Dilip Naik and Ramesh Iyer.

Going solo In i996, Shinde established his own workshop and his clients moved with him as well. Today, he serves Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, bass guitarist Karl Peters, guitarist Kalyan Baruah, indie stars Papon and Rabbi Shergill, Sandeep Chowta and Clinton Cerejo. The list goes on to about 3,000 clients.

Ehsaan Noorani swears by Shinde. “I wouldn’t trust my guitars with anyone else. I send them to Sunil every month for maintenance.” During the 2006 deluge, Noorani’s guitar was damaged when Empire Studios was flooded. “ I thought it was gone. But he fixed it!” says Noorani. “I have a Parker Fly guitar, made of mahogany graphite. Once, to detect a problem, Sunil put the guitar in an X- ray machine,” he exclaims.

The Doc is also inventor Shinde also customises guitars according to client requirements. One such request came from singer-director Avdhoot Gupte. “Once, he wanted an intrument which combined western and Indian sounds. The protagonist in the film, Ek Tara, is a musician who undergoes a transformation,” explains Shinde. After about a year of research, creating designs, and working on prototypes, Shinde invented the ‘gitara’, a combination of the ektara and the guitar. “It has six strings and same number of frets as a guitar, but emits a more Indian sound. But, it can also be used in western tonality,” he explains.

The gitara will be patented. Ek Tara, will release in April. Shinde also invented another instrument, combination of a mandola and a mandolin, on the request of veteran Bollywood mandolin player Chandrakant Lakshpati.

Shinde says he never feels like composing music, though he is in touch with composers. ‘Ehsaan sir’, as Shinde calls him, got him imported tools and books.

The Guitar Doc now plans to set up a factory to produce guitars under his own name. He hopes his two boys will also learn the skill. “They’re young now. But, that’s all for the future. For now, I’m happy.”