Wajid with Muskaan and her father, Sajid

Dabangg composers Sajid-Wajid on superstar Salman Khan's role in reinventing soundtrack for the third part of the sequel, and how Sajid's daughter Muskaan's association with the film was a stroke of luck
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; December 2, 2019)

One may attribute it to the fact that he is veteran writer Salim Khan's son, but when caught in his element, Salman Khan's wordplay can be quite delightful to witness. We've seen it during his stint as the host of reality show Bigg Boss, and even in interviews. But Dabangg 3 music directors Sajid-Wajid promise that it is, in fact, while ideating for his comic-action franchise that Khan is quite the fireball.

"Salman bhai likes to throw bouncers and check our reaction to them. In fact, we don't even take his jokes lightly," laughs Sajid, before pointing out that Munna badnam hua, the track that's currently the talk of the town, was in fact Khan's brainchild. "For the world, he may be a hero; but for me, he is a musical guy. His inputs on this soundtrack were extremely meaningful. Often, he'd use a phrase or word, and ask me if it could be added to a certain portion of the song. He is a thinking actor, and a lot of his ideas were put into play when creating the soundtrack for Dabangg."

Placed in a position to create the soundtrack for the third edition of a franchise that has so far received acclaim for both its storyline and music, the duo agrees that keeping the songs as fresh as possible was their primary concern. "Since this edition is a prequel, we enjoyed several liberties. If you notice, in Dabangg 2, the melody was mature to reflect the character's married life. Here, there is a freedom that the character enjoys, and [we could depict that] through the romantic tracks," says Sajid, as Wajid points to a tool they employed to further keep the music attuned with their needs. "We used live instruments too to make the songs come alive. On international turf, scores are [recorded] live. It's sad that in our country, the trend is dying. Unlike the way it was 25 years ago, one needs to actually scout for people who can do this today."

Even though the duo "missed" working with the singers they usually collaborate with — including Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan — employing a fresh set of singers, they believe, has done them much good. "We used combinations that haven't been explored so far, like pairing Shreya Ghoshal with Jubin Nautiyal. We also [employed] Badshah, and Salman Ali." Wajid adds that frequent collaborator Singh was kept away from the title track, because he's offered that way too often. "He's so brilliant that I think he should be employed for [more complicated] songs. He too says he's tired of singing title tracks." But, for the duo, the high point of roping in singers for this film lies in the selection of Muskaan.

Sajid's daughter's appointment as the voice of Saiee Manjrekar, says the father, was a stroke of luck. "Salman bhai had requested several friends' daughters, who were pursuing music, to test for this part. At that time, I didn't want to use my daughter, since he was already looking for people. However, once, during a visit to his home, [my associate] happened to play a cover song that had been recorded by Muskaan. Salman bhai, who was in the washroom, came out and enquired about it. He asked for the song to be played again, and on learning that it was Muskaan singing, told me, 'Tell her, welcome to the Dabangg family'."

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.

Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 15, 2015)

What happens when three young men are taken for a ride by a pretty con woman? They sigh, "O din bhar tere peeche daudon, kutte ki tarah, O raat bhar main sadun, jaise chhat par ullu, O tere pyaar mein mujhko kya mila, Babaji ka thullu."

Composer Wajid, of the Sajid-Wajid duo, is crooning these very lines as he takes his first ride on the Mumbai Metro to reach his daughter's school on time, and then rush to the airport to catch a flight.

He admits that his co-passengers are listening to him hum the popular hit from Arbaaz Khan's upcoming romcom, Dolly Ki Doli, with an amused smile playing on their lips. "It's the kind of track that makes you laugh. Arbaaz bhai (the film's producer Arbaaz Khan) did too when we played it for him for the first time. His only question was: 'How are you going to sing it?'" reminisces Wajid.

Whenever the brothers compose a song, Wajid sings it first so he can decide what kind of a voice it requires and prepare the singer accordingly. The unanimous verdict in this case was that he should sing this one himself.

"I had only one bit of advice for him: Sing it naturally, in a full-throated voice which comes from deep within, and ensure that it doesn't sound unnatural or forced," says Sajid.

Wajid assured him he will not be disappointed and started humming the track in his normal voice. But once in front of the mic, he suddenly took everyone by surprise when he produced a voice unlike his own. It had an underlying humourous tone which got everyone laughing and the film's debutant director, Abhishek Dogra, called him the next day to exult, "Wajid bhai, you're the best, phaad diya aap ne."

Wajid who is also ruling the charts with the Tevar chartbuster, Main Toh Superman, recalls that they wrapped up the number, with all its innovations, in a couple of takes. "I took an extra five minutes to work on the pronunciation of certain words like 'dear' and 'response', giving them a Haryanvi-Punjabi lilt without overdoing it," he explains.

He admits that it is easier to experiment when you are composing and singing for young, actors like Rajkummar Rao, Pulkit Samrat and Varun Sharma who don't have the established image of superstars like Salman Khan and Shah Rukh Khan.

"Last year, we had fun giving Varun (Dhawan) and Aditya (Roy-Kapur) a different voice in films like Main Tera Hero and Daawat-e-Ishq and this year, Main toh Superman has become Arjun Kapoor's identity," beams Wajid.

'Babaji ka thullu', a catchphrase popularised by Kapil Sharma, on his popular comedy show, means hard work going waste with the promised reward, recognition or appreciation not materialising. The composer duo insists that the theme of the film is inherent in these three words.

They are all praise for their assistant Danish Sabri who came up with the lyrics. "He started out with a few antaras and mukhdas but is now penning complete songs. He is a small town boy himself and uses that lingo beautifully in his songs," points out Sajid. Danish has sung the rap portions in the song.

Babaji ka thullu is a song with a difference, and not just in the way it is sung but also in its composition. Wajid who was in London just before they started work on the track, frequented some of the nightclubs there to get a feel of the music which was playing. He discovered that retro EDM music was in and brought the knowledge back home to use in this song.

"It starts out with a jhagmag qawwali, then, turns into acoustic EDM music with a retro touch," explains Sajid.

"It is an electronic song with a guitar riff but with a desi tadka. I guess that's what is working for it," Wajid adds, stepping down from the train at Chakala station to find himself being asked to pose for selfies, sign autographs and sing Babaji ka thullu in that 'yeh-kya-ho-raha-hai?' voice.

Love's labour is not always lost.

The music composer duo discusses Salman Khan, Bollywood remixes and their unique catchphrases
Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; December 23, 2014)

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; November 27, 2013)

Sajid, 42, and Wajid, 40, are real brothers who are not just bonded through their music, but also through values instilled by their father. While Wajid composes, Sajid arranges, melody being key to both. They are both protective about each other and while Sajid is most attached to Wajid, Wajid’s soft corner is clearly his mother. While they won their first Filmfare award for their music in Dabangg, Deewana and Partner too remain their favourite albums. Even though their music of Jai Ho is still to release, their song Saamne Hai Savera from Bullett Raja is already a hit. Over an hour-long conversation with Bombay Times, they speak about their father’s khuddari, Sonu Nigam’s hoshiyari and Salman Khan’s dildari. Excerpts:  

You come from a musical family. Let’s talk about your childhood?
Sajid: While we were both born and brought up in Mumbai, our grandfather Ustad Abdul Latif Khan sahab was a musician from Peshawar, Pakistan, who moved to Saharanpur post partition as my grandmother was from India. Our father Sharafat Ali Khan, from a very early age, played the dholak and by the age of 10, he became famous as the leading dholak player in Western UP belt and decided to move to Mumbai. He was picked up by top music directors and travelled the world, performing shows with Ashaji and many other leading artistes. Our nana Padma Shri Fayaz Ali Khan sahab from Kirana gharana was a big man, who at that time owned a flat in Mumbai and taught music to half the industry. He heard my father perform and decided to get his daughter married to him. From a young age, I learnt the tabla and Wajid, the guitar, and as children we would sit with my nana and play with big artistes without realising that. Even though our father was uneducated, he was a thorough musician and knew how to impart musical education to us. He did that throughout his life till four months back, when he passed away at just 63, due to a second bypass surgery that he could not survive.
 
Let's talk about your father?
Sajid: My father being a top musician never had time, as he always had so much work. While usually kids go to class to learn music, we got everything on a platter and learnt informally and unknowingly, a lot. We were never tied up to music and were introduced to music, ranging from Michael Jackson’s Thriller to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sahab’s music. He would say, ‘You should be a versatile artiste, whether you are a singer, musician or a music director. He was a believer in melody and would always say that in a song the ‘aha’ comes only if it has melody. And he instilled the importance of melody in our minds. Papa wanted us to always be perfect. He would demoralise us even when we would make great songs and say, ‘halka hai’. Wajid would often stay up all night practising and perfecting himself, always thinking why his father said ‘halka hai’. When we were young and if we were wrong, he would never hit us. Even if he hit us, he would hit us very reluctantly thinking that we shouldn’t get hurt. But if I was down, and if I cried, that is the time he would slap me really hard and say, ‘Mard bache rote nahi.’ He wanted us to be men. For him, being a man was loving your people, being responsible and always giving. He was a liberal man, who just wanted us to be independent and not be dependent on anybody. He would always encourage us to share our knowledge and would say, ‘Allah gives only a few people the luck to be responsible and look after others. He gives courage to people who have the heart.’ In our hearts, we know today that we are responsible. He was our father, but also our friend. Before dying, he hugged us and said, ‘In this world there is no bigger wealth than brothers staying together and being together. There is nothing greater than blood.’ We both bought our flats due to his confidence that he would stay with the both of us, but he died before that. Today, nobody in the world can control me, except for my father, and I miss his domination. I get scared now that I don’t feel scared of anybody. I never used to show him that I was scared of him but now that he is not there, I feel scared that he is not there to control me.
 
Did he play with you as a musician in your shows?
Sajid: He was very khuddar. Even when we became Sajid-Wajid, he would insist on going for shows with us only as a musician and not as our father. I would feel shy of him performing with us and felt that he being our father should accompany us as our father and not as a musician. He got annoyed and said, ‘Partner, you better give my payment and take me as a musician.’ He would want us to deduct money for my mother’s ticket if she accompanied us as according to him she was his wife and his responsibility. He would never come as our father and never wanted any money from us.
 
Both of you are quite different. Do you fight?
Wajid: Sajid bhai, being the oldest, was allowed more liberties and was my father’s favourite child. He is very impulsive and can be easily misunderstood as many a time he will not think before speaking, is happy-go-lucky and a lovely human being. I am usually calm and try and listen before I judge people. As a brother, I know him well and understand him, but knowing his nature I have to take more responsibility and know that there are ways in which you can speak the truth. How you put it across makes a difference.
Sajid: We do fight a lot, but in today's world, you don’t get brothers like Wajid. God has stopped making them. He is extremely respectful and I love him the most in the world.
Wajid: There came a time when I would get irritated with Sajid bhai. Salman bhai sensed that and I told him, ‘I don’t like when people misunderstand Sajid bhai.’ Salman bhai said, ‘If you want to be happy, leave him alone.’ From then on I have groomed myself to let go.
 
How did you meet Salman Khan?
Sajid: I would get chucked out of the house by my father often. I was in college when on one such occasion, he again told me to leave the house as I had had an argument with him at the time of riyaz in the morning. I went to a pool place in the afternoon where I found myself to be all alone. I was very upset wondering why my father did that to me even though I tried as much as I could to listen to him. Suddenly, I saw Salman bhai walking in and there was just the both of us. Even though he did not know me and I was a stranger to him, we ate lunch together. That was his greatness as only he can do that with a stranger. We formed a friendship that was God send. After so many years of knowing him, I can say that ‘Zingadi mein koi toh hai jisko main apna bada bhai bol sakta hoon.’
 
How did you get your first break in Pyaar Kiya Toh Darna Kya?
Sajid: Sohail bhai gave us our first break. Sohail bhai used to play pool and we were in the same group and became friends. At that time, we were struggling music directors. The next day I would call him as a struggler and seek time as a music director without telling him that we played pool the night before. This would continue for some time where at night we would play pool together and the next morning again, I would call him asking for time as a struggler and he would make excuses till one day he gave into my perseverance and called us. He laughed when he saw me and of course gave us our first film to compose music for.
 
Salman has had a big role to play in your life. What is he like?
Sajid: He is like any elder brother you look up to. After God Almighty and our parents, it is Salman bhai for us and we have learnt a lot from him. His standards for music are very high and he pushes you to do your best. Many of our songs have become hits due to his suggestions. Salman bhai is very giving and has the power of forgiving. He can shock you with the range of songs he likes and he will always go with the best song for the situation as his understanding of scripts is very deep. Once you are associated with him, he is protective about you. He is possessive about people he loves, as he is about his brothers. The special thing about him is that he is not possessive about your freedom.
 
Who is your favourite singer?
Wajid: Sonu Nigam. More than a singer, I love him like a brother and respect him. He is somebody who you can count on in difficult times. He is very musical and knowledgeable and is both a teacher and a student. He is open to a lot of discussion as far as music is concerned and never ceases to surprise you as a singer.