Mithoon and Sayeed Quadri talk on their association [Part II] 
By Joginder Tuteja, May 24, 2007 - 03:57 IST
There have been numerous composer-lyricist jodis that have made their mark ever since music became an integral part of Bollywood flicks more than half a century back.
In the current times, one such 'jodi' which is fast emerging as one of the most successful and popular in recent times is that of Mithoon and Sayeed Quadri.
As the music of 'The Train' continues to make a big splash on the stands, second part of this exclusive feature sees Sayeed Quadri speaking to Joginder Tuteja about his association with Mithoon and what makes it special.
As narrated by Sayeed Quadri:
Since I am based out of Jodhpur, Mithoon and myself have been mainly interacting on phone ever since we first came together for 'Woh Lamhe'. Normally it has taken me 10-15 to get a hang of the situation and write a song over the phone itself.
Mithoon and me started off with 'Woh Lamhe' [Zeher] and from there on we have seen a series of good songs together like 'Juda Hoke' [Kalyug], 'Tere Bin' [Bas Ek Pal], 'Maula Mere' [Anwar] and 'Kuch Is Tarah' [Atif's non-film album 'Doorie']. Now we have come up with 'The Train' that can be simply turned soulful.
If you ask me which is my personal favorite out of the songs I have created with him, it would be a very difficult pick. I have enjoyed working on all the songs with him since he knows how to deliver for any kind of song, whether it is romantic or sad.
Is ladke ki sabse achchi baat ye hai ki ye poetry samajhta hai! He asks valid questions. He has a good thought process and wants to understand ki shaayar kehna kya chahta hai! When we are working together on a composition, it is a mutual and a very comfortable relation that we share.
Talking about sharing good comfort with a composer, since I am myself a very comfortable person to work with, I share good vibes with each of the composers I have worked with, be it MM Kreem, Anu Malik or Pritam. I don't have to try extra hard to be comfortable with anyone.
Thankfully I have worked with people who understand situations and build songs based on that. I remember writing 'Awarapan Banjarapan' with MM Kreem. Since he is not too comfortable with Hindi, he used to translate the song in his own language and get a hang of what it was trying to convey. I still consider it to be my all time good song.
I love writing songs in such a way that they say good, make you feel good as well as think good. The writing should be such that it shouldn't be restricted just for the elite. What's the use of writing heavy-duty songs if you cannot make people understand what you are trying to say? If you want elite as well as a commoner to get an idea about the situation and a song, why not write the same way as you think?
I try to follow this approach rather than stuffing my songs with 'bhaari-bharkam' words where as a listener you have to ask your peers about its meaning! There is no use creating such songs.
Thankfully Mithoon too comes with a similar mindset of keeping things simple. This is why we have hardly got stuck at any point while creating a song. Also, even if we get into a debate, we never mind it and instead look forward towards the positive of coming up with a better result.
We look forward to convincing each other but meanwhile make sure that there are no conflicts in the way we try to agree with each other. The only condition there is that none of us would walk out before completing what we were set for!
And by the way, when we get the final results in place, you should look at the glee and pride we have on our faces. That sense of accomplishment and achievement is hard to take away from us then!
While creating a song, both Mithoon and myself try to understand what's happening in the background for the situation in the film. This is what gets the best out of us since this is one area where it is not possible to compromise for any of us.
There is an interesting instance I can cite while we were working on the songs of 'The Train'. If you notice 'Woh Ajnabee', every word is repeated twice as it is sung. For example, 'dhadkan dhadkan', sansein-sansein' etc. I am not sure if you would believe but this song was created in 20 minutes flat which included narration of situation as well as an overall setting.
I strongly believe in learning from all people with whom I am associated with. Whether it is a composer I am working with or a film's director, there is a positively that I have tried picking up from each of them. You get to see a different perspective of life from them, different ways of looking at things. You live, you learn and you share everything that you have. That's the motto I always carry with me.
I see something similar in Mithoon as well. Despite coming from a family that has done so much musically for decades, he doesn't have a big ego around him. He knows how to respect seniors and elderly people and when I see that sanjeedgi in him at such a young age, I feel very happy to be working with him.
Also there is this vulnerability about him which appeals to me. He is a plain and simple guy. Usme kuch aise sansjar aur tehzeeb hai jo usse doosron se alag banate hain!
We are now working together on the music of 'Agar', the next film from the producers of 'The Train', and looking at a soundtrack comprising of 5 songs. There are 1 or 2 more good banners on which we should be working together soon.
Check part 1 of this interview
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Mithoon replaces Himesh Reshammiya for 'Train'
