After participating in gigs to raise funds for various initiatives and keep front- line workers entertained, Shankar Mahadevan discusses Kamal Haasan’s latest Tamil song
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; April 27, 2020)

Caught within the confines of his home-studio, Shankar Mahadevan finds himself busier than usual, during the period of Coronavirus lockdown. Apart from employing music to enable home-bound citizens to tackle with anxiety, he has been using his skills as a musician to subtly aid those braving the pandemic at the front- line. “We have done concerts for singers’ associations, and [ to raise money for] the PM-CARES fund. We’re [working on initiatives] in the Malayalam and Tamil industries as well, apart from performing for doctors to boost morale,” says Mahadevan, who also took part in an initiative to support folk singers affected by the pandemic, and aided struggling composers with monetary support.

In his latest endeavour, Mahadevan collaborated with Kamal Haasan for Arivum Anbum, a Tamil song that brings together various artistes from across India to spread the message of knowledge and unity. “I had created [songs] in Hindi, Marathi, and Malayalam, but not in Tamil. We’re using music as a tool to communicate a message. When music is used for a greater purpose, and you are chosen [to be part of it] from thousands of other singers, you feel humbled.”

Actor- politician Haasan’s frequent collaborator Ghibran has skillfully created the track that plays against rushes depicting people’s struggle with the pandemic. It is punctuated by clips of artistes like Anirudh Ravichander, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Shruti Haasan, Bombay Jayashree, Lydian, Siddharth, Sid Sriram and Mugen, crooning the song.

“In situations like this one, while the quality [of the video] is valuable, it is the message that is [the most] important,” says Mahadevan, whose portions were shot by his children in his home-studio.

When he isn’t playing second fiddle in the fight against the pandemic, Mahadevan hops aboard a video conferencing platform every Wednesday and Saturday, to conduct a masterclass for the students of his academy. “I also spend time in the studio with my sons [Siddharth and Shivam]. My elder son is a producer, so I don’t need anyone else. We’re like a band in the studio. We have been using this time to practice.”

Lamenting that the world doesn't look at India as an educational hub despite its rich classical heritage, musician Shankar Mahadevan on how his online academy hopes to be at par with music schools across the globe
Sonia Lulla (MID-DAY; October 29, 2018)

Nama Sankirtana is a term used in Indian classical music to describe the congregational chanting of a prayer. A singer renders a line, then urges listeners to repeat it after him. It's therapeutic, collaborative and interactive, says Shankar Mahadevan. Where did the composer employ the technique, you ask? He did so to create Amitabh, Abhishek and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan's revered item song, Kajra Re (Bunty Aur Bubli), where the track's hook line sees the male vocals come chiming in after those of the female.

It's not conventional, he admits, to employ devotional music techniques for an item song. Yet, he asserts, "you can be inspired by anything". In a bid to highlight the role that his solid background in classical music played in defining his success as a commercial music composer, Mahadevan draws many a similar example. In conversation with frequent collaborator, lyricist and CBFC chief Prasoon Joshi, at Music Concept's recently concluded India Music Summit, the musician highlights how writing and composing run hand in hand. Jogging our memory as he sings the lyrics that Joshi had penned for the title track of Taare Zameen Par, he talks passionately about how the melody of the introductory lines needed to be at stark contrast with the concluding one — Kho na jaaye ye, taare zameen pe. The latter, he says, needed to sound like a warning; distanced and distinct from the remaining stanza.

It's interesting, we admit, to get a sneak peek into the mind of the maestro who rarely stops appeasing with his compositions. It's only natural then that his face drop when we point to a recent study suggesting that 2018 has been dominated by remixes. "Music companies don't want to [promote] original compositions with the same conviction that we have when creating them," Mahadevan tells mid-day, adding that the industry could benefit if music honchos showcased more faith in composers. "Music companies are governed by those who don't know anything about music. Also, with the copyright laws changing, they want more power in governing music. They're not ready to give enough royalty to composers. When they rehash a song, they don't need to do that anyway. Then, they shove the remixes down people's throats. If you don't hear anything else, how will it do well," he questions, pointing out that arguments that remixes appeal to a "young audience" have little merit. The young, he says, are listening to platforms like Coke Studio, which give wings to original composers.

Mic in his hand, Mahadevan seems to be placed in a playground. He flirts with familiar tunes to render them with more appeal than in cinema. They say, if you get goose-bumps when listening to music, you're brain is special. With Mahadevan putting his vocals to work, we guess, every audience member is a genius then. It's evident that the banter he shares with his audience in live acts is important. "As composers, if we don't get feedback, the purpose [of creating music] is lost. Live shows give us instant feedback. When the crowd erupts, we've been gratified. I believe, if you perform week-after-week, you should ensure that the show goes on. No matter what the circumstances are, whether or not your technical requirements have been met with, or even if someone is sick, the show must go on. In a live act, you need to communicate with your energy. I stopped complaining [about technicalities] a while ago. Now, the motto is to simply go out, kill and come back."

Mahadevan has a wealth of information that he hopes to share. However, India, he argues, is lacking of schools that can truly impart knowledge about Indian music. "There's not even one," he says, going on to add that the Shankar Mahadevan Academy will be the first holistic offering that can be compared to universities from across the globe. The online education platform caters to students who cut across ages – "two to 82," he says. "Aspiring musicians must be exposed to the right kind of music. In our music event called Sangam, we have students and teachers perform together, so that they can be exposed to the culture. The platform also allows students to meet one another, and gauge themselves [as artistes]."

On World Music Day, BT spoke to Shankar Mahadevan and Badshah, who are two musicians on extreme ends of the musical spectrum; they talk about diversity of music and melody around the world
Reza Noorani and Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; June 21, 2018)

One is known for his raps, while the other for his soulful aalaps. If Shankar Mahadevan’s singing is steeped in classical tradition, Badshah is that crazy beat that makes you put on your dancing shoes. They may be as different as chalk and cheese, yet on World Music Day, both celebrate the diversity in music, even if they don’t sing that genre and talk about Bollywood music’s influence on the soundscape around the world.

MELODY IS KEY
“Without melody in a song, it is like dressing up a dead man,” says Shankar Mahadevan, and Badshah could not agree more. Be it making a foot-tapping, party anthem or a romantic song in a movie, melodies reign supreme. “I may be known as a rapper, but I have grown up listening to soulful melodies by composers like Nadeem-Shravan, Anand-Milind and the likes,” says Badshah.

Classical melodies, too, have enhanced the soundscape of Bollywood films and keep doing so. “Even an item song like Kajra Re (Bunty Aur Babli) with a classical touch will stay forever. You need to choose subtleties of classical to bring longevity and depth in your compositions. Every beautiful song since the last 20-30 years has an essence of classical music in it,” says Shankar.”

BOLLYWOOD MEETS THE WORLD
It’s always a joy to discover that the song you grew up listening to was later made part of a Hollywood movie’s soundtrack or some latest international phone commercial. It feels like your musical taste is validated. But is that enough? Shankar says Bollywood artistes need to pull up their socks, “I don’t think Bollywood has contributed enough. For the west, Bollywood is still just exotic. People aren’t really aware of Hindi film music. They’ve just heard vague terms like bhangra beat etc. They have taken it in the phone commercial, in the trailer (of Guardians of Galaxy Vol 2) as an exotic tadka, not as the main genre. They’ve used it as an interesting sound and the quirk element is what excites them. We need to break that and go deeper and establish the sound of our film industry into the mainstream sound.” Badshah, too, agrees that as musicians, Bollywood artists need to work more because the international market is highly competitive. He says, “We are competing with huge genres in the international market like Latin music. So,we need to work on the quality and the presentation of our sound. We actually have to work really hard and reinvent ourselves. Every six months the soundscape is changing and we have to keep up.”

MUSIC AS EXPRESSION
A large part of the popular music from the 90s was about melody. But it did fall short on diversity. Genres like rap, if ever used, were used as a funny element in a song (a la Devang Patel). But today, a rap track is the biggest part of some film’s soundtrack. Talking about it, Shankar says, “We have young artists whose interpretation of rap is absolutely prefect. They rap about certain experiences, messages they want to give, about issues or an angst which they want to let out. Many a times it is about anger and venting out too. Rap has become a way of expression, rather than using it as a garnish to make compositions interesting. It has gathered depth and makes sense.”

REMIX IN THE MIX
Be it as a way of paying tribute to the good ol’ classical song or as a gimmick, remixes have ruled the roost since the last two years in Bollywood. Badshah says, “Sur toh saat hi hai. Every song you listen to sounds like another...”

While Shankar agrees that some songs can stand the test of time and thereby merit a remix, it should not be the standard followed by filmmakers. “People remix songs because those songs are inherently great songs. But then why use old songs to sell a soundtrack, for a new film with new actors and new script? Don’t you trust your music composers? Do you feel that they are not capable enough to do original music? I think you should give them a chance to do original music and then you put one remix, but not in every film in every soundtrack.”

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.

Shankar Mahadevan on returning to work post a heart attack
Subhash K Jha (DNA; December 17, 2015)

Shankar Mahadevan suffered a heart attack last week. Now, on his way to recovery, Shankar says he is feeling better than ever. “It was somewhat scary. But I am rocking now. It’s all thanks to the love and good wishes that I received while I was unwell,” says the maverick composer currently working on the large music score of director Shujaat Saudagar’s Rock On 2. The work has been postponed because of Shankar’s ill-health.

“But I’ll be back soon. I am now back at home from the hospital, chilling and creating music in my head. Soon, those tunes will find their way out,” says Shankar whose partnership with Ehsaan and Loy has yielded some of the most ear-friendly motion picture soundtracks in recent times. Says Shankar, “I am recovering quickly and will soon be back in action. I have never felt better.”

Shankar feels no need to cut down on work as SEL doesn’t believe in quantifying their output. “We’ve never believed in churning out music like products in a factory. We do only two films at the most per year. After 17 years of togetherness, we still look forward to the Monday morning jamming sessions at the studio.”

Lauded for this acting debut, Shankar Mahadevan's best friend is still his iPhone's voice recorder.
Kunal Guha (MUMBAI MIRROR; November 29, 2015)


Shankar Mahadevan is a busier man now, and his chock-a-block diary has only little to do with his music projects. His acting debut in the Marathi film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali, which released alongside Salman Khan's big Diwali release Prem Ratan Dhan Payo, continues to run to packed houses in its third week at the theatres. The film was screened, and applauded, at the recently-concluded International Film Festival of India in Goa and Mahadevan has already bagged his next acting assignment — a role in a Nagesh Kukunoor musical, which also stars Sunidhi Chauhan, Papon, Salim Merchant and Sivamani.

So when we finally catch up with Mahadevan, the four-time National Award winning music composer and singer's multiple projects appears to have left him a little breathless.

In the film Katyar Kaljat Ghusali, Mahadevan plays Pandit Bhanu Shankar Shastri, an 18th century classical singer revered by the Maharaja of a certain Vishrampur. The movie also stars Sachin Pilgaonkar and Subhodh Bhave, who makes his directorial debut with the film.

Although the movie was released in a few, select screens, strong word of mouth boosted ticket sales. But Mahadevan says that such response goes beyond box office numbers. "Very often, mediocre films make hundreds of crores but for this one, the response has been truly gratifying. People are coming up to me and thanking me for bringing the tradition of classical music back to cinema and are watching it multiple times," he smiles. The response that the film garnered at the International Film Festival of India in Goa left him overwhelmed. "The bookings opened at 9 am and in exactly ten minutes, tickets were sold out and we had to organise a few more shows to accommodate those who wanted to watch it," says the thrilled musician, adding that such resounding appreciation has left him "humbled".

Mahadevan explains that acting was never part of an "engineered plan". "I'd always say, 'No way, boss, acting door ki baat hain'," he says. In fact, Mahadevan was in the middle of working on the soundtrack of the film when Bhave surprised him with a suggestion that he play the character of Pandit Bhanu Shankar Shastri. "Initially, I thought he was mad. Later, I discussed it with my wife and she reassured me that this was a good opportunity," says the famed, multi-lingual singer. That he could relate to the character of Shastri and his personality helped Mahadevan make up his mind about the role. So would he have agreed to playing a role if he didn't relate to it? "No way in hell," he says, flatly.

Bhave's decision to cast Mahadeven in the movie was influenced by the fact that the film (based on an iconic Marathi play of the same name) was a sangeet natak, first staged in 1967. "Sangeet nataks, which were hugely enjoyed by theatre-goers at the time, required actors to sing their own songs instead of miming them, much like Broadway," explains Mahadevan.

While composing the songs for the movie was a breeze (Mahadevan says he composed eight of the 20 songs in his car), getting into the skin of his character took earnest effort. It helped that Bhave, an established actor himself, guided him through the process and held acting workshops. "He would sit next to me and tell me how my character was supposed to feel at a certain point. So in the scene where Shastri is happy for his disciple's success, he asked me to imagine how I would feel when my son wins an award. It's a mind game and about putting yourself in the situation your character is in," he says, adding a disclaimer with a laugh. "Not that I've acted in 100 films to talk about the craft."

Mahadevan, who isn't a stranger to the screen, says that featuring in music videos, film numbers and reality shows over the course of his career taught him to face the camera. But essaying the role of an 18th century classical guru required more preparation. "In one scene, my character waves at someone and I went ahead and did it the way I normally do. But my director felt that it looked more like a 'Hey, what's up bro' kind of a wave and not the way my character — a dignified 50-year-old singer in a period film — would probably wave," he laughs.

The role also demanded that he pick up the nuances of Marathi. Married to a Maharashtrian, Mahadevan has always followed the cultural practices and festivals of the community. "We rarely speak Marathi at home but I speak it fluently. Since this is a period film, I had to be extra careful about my pronunciation while dubbing. I didn't want to sound like a South Indian speaking in Marathi."

However, Mahadevan insists that his acting assignments notwithstanding, he will not take a break from music, calling himself fortunate to have a profession that is also a passion. "My iPhone recorder is still my dearest friend," he says, adding that he has simple interests. "I keep myself entertained by cooking and I mean serious cooking, not just flipping omelettes. I cook Thai, Italian, Chinese and even Kerala specialties," he says.

The 49-year-old, who was raised in Chembur and has lived in Vashi since marriage, is also closely involved with government authorities to ideate for a 'futuristic Navi Mumbai'. "I met the commissioner of NMMC (Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation) and shared my ideas for a smart city." Some of his ideas include wearables with distress alarms, dustbins with indicators to notify authorities when they need to be emptied and even cycles at public booths. "I feel that sense of 'my city' in Navi Mumbai. It's clean and has lots of parks. Technology can really help make the city smarter, safer and make basic essentials more easily accessible," he concludes.

Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; February 28, 2015)