[Reader-list] Page 3, Making of Music/Prashant Pandey

Wed Jan 18 19:37:23 IST 2006

Remaining part of the conversation with Music Director Shamir Tandon

Let's talk about your film Page 3. Were you nervous when you got the project?

No I was not because I had done 100 jingles and watta babe(Rakth)
which did very well. Then Lataji and Asha ji blessed the project.

How was it working with Lata Mangeshkar?

She is a goddess because she is Lata Mangeshkar because she is Lata
Mangeshkar because she is Lata Mangeshkar

(Its not a grammatical or typing error, Shamir is repeating it).

She did three rehearsals with us she would arrive before most of the
people. She learnt the song thoroughly. She told me "Tandonji if I
make a mistake please scold me" now how can you correct Lata
Mangeshkar because she never makes a mistake. She also had several
suggestions we took some and we did not take some. Lata and Asha are
in a different world altogether. They make us so comfortable. She has
done a brilliant job.

A lot of critics said that this song (Kitne Ajeeb) is a return to an
old school of composing. Also you have taken care with her scales.

Yes… also because she is not singing it for the young lady in the
film. There is no nubile nymphet lip-synching to her. So the whole
focus goes on the song and its structure and intonations.

Then the song Hujoore Aala by Asha Bhosle ……… You mail a minus one
track to her in U.S and she records it there and sends it to you ….

We were clear that we will record that song if Asha Bhosle does it.

Pressure Tactics?

No its not pressure tactics…. you have heard the song?

Yes.

No other singer in the country can sing like that the way she has sung
it.. Do you agree or not?

Yes I do. She has given so many interpretation of the hook phrase
Hujoor- e- aala.

Yes that's her style… the harkats and the halchal that is there. You
don't have to politically correct. Only Ashaji could do full justice.

Tell me about the song?

We called her residence and found out that she was on a U.S tour so we
some how got her sons email id. We mailed him and he was very
cooperative. He told us that she would be back after two months. Now
we could not wait. So we asked if we put the song on internet and give
you a password will you sing.
To our surprise that a lady who is 70 plus. And not known to be very
techno friendly agreed to do it. She said that for the first time she
is going to sing a song where there is no composer, no lyric writer,
no arrangers, no film director and no producer. Just a gora sound
recordist(who would not understand the song)and her son.

So she was singing there and it was getting recorded here.

No they got the password opened the FTP link. Downloaded the minus one
track and then sang it which got stored on the hard-disk of their
computer and then they put it back on the internet and we opened and
downloaded it here.

You did not use email here?

No ……if you use email it will screw your quality as there is compression.

What is the password thing?

Yes technologically it is possible … it's an FTP Site….You  create a
site…give a password… they tell you that the vocals are being loaded.
So we download it here.

What was the brief that you gave it to Ashaji?

I said imagine that you are singing it for Helen …..That did it …The
engineer there took several takes and put all of it on the site. She
is such a sweet heart she gave 3 different variations for Huzoor-e –
Aala…(Starts to sing all the takes). That's how this song becomes
chocolate and sexy.

Was there a reaction from your colleagues in this industry….

I am sure people must have said several things …. But the greatest
benefit here is that if I need Asha ji or any other singer who can not
come due to certain reasons I do not have to make compromises I can
record my song even if they physically can not come to the studio. Why
take a singer for whom the song is not tailor made?

But if the singer comes to the studio then there is lots of
communication that goes into making a song. There is eye contact
between the singer and director and technician…. There is feedback

Yes ……. I am sure in fact Asha ji told me that she could have sung  it
better had she been here… but that's just a hypothetical thing.

You fancy doing a live take?

This not my fantasy……… this is confirmed and I am soon going to make it true.

Yes by doing this you could offset some the adverse impacts that the
new technologies of making music have brought.

Yes.

Links to this Article-

http://imdb.com/name/nm1340084/

http://www.24x7updates.com/FullStory-News-Asha_Bhonsle_records_in_US-ID-23386.html

http://www.saindia.com/article/articleview/308/1/38/

http://www.nowrunning.com/MusicReviews/musicReview.asp?it=1705

http://in.news.yahoo.com/050618/43/5z0bg.html

http://www.bollywhat.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=e83e7c5562f96114bb4515c993d7d9d0&topic=6281.msg73948

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End of the Interview

Prashant Pandey