But that doesn���������t mean Jeet Gannguli puts in extra effort when composing for the star. And Dev, too, won���������t dance with more vigour because the music is by Jeet, he says.
The title track of ���������Romeo��������� is already a hit. How does it feel? It���������s a great feeling since I���������ve also sung the number apart from having composed it. So far, all my peppy numbers with Dev like ���������Bhojo Gourango���������, ���������Poran jaye joliya re���������, have been huge hits.
This time too, I���������ve been getting great feedback. My phone hasn���������t stopped ringing ever since the song was first aired.
Dev and yours is a hit combination... We are like brothers. He calls me Dada and I, in turn, address him as Bhai. We have a lot in common. In fact, Dev is my soulmate. Somewhere, there���������s a connection. It���������s like the hit pairing of Rajesh Khanna-Kishore Kumar. We bond beyond music as well. There were a lot of pranks on the sets. Dev called me up from South Africa to say I have tarnished his reputation in the industry. I was a li���������l taken aback at first but then I realized that he was referring to the title track, lyrics of which went like ���������Sunday dilam Sheila ke, Monday dilam Mona ke���������. Subhashree too at one point called up to say how Dev was trying to live up to his
Romeo image by flirting with all the women on the sets. While on the same number, Dev once asked who I was dating to have come up with a song like that. I said it was Shrikantda (Mohta) and no one else!
What are your thoughts on ���������Romeo���������? It���������s an out-and-out commercial venture. I would call it a total paisa vasool. There���������s dollops of action, romance and music. The packaging is great.
The title track, it���������s heard, was conceived at the airport... Dev and I bumped into each other at the Mumbai airport. It was a chance meeting. I had conceived the song and thought of singing it to Dev. Once on board, I did exactly that. If a song is peppy, it gets Dev into the groove from the start. His expressions are feedback enough. So, when I began crooning the number, Dev started emoting, much to the surprise of the passengers. They were like, ���������Who are these madcaps?���������.
So, isn���������t it always special composing for Dev? I have given hits like ���������Oh, my love��������� (���������Amanush���������) to Soham and ���������Khujechhi toke raat berate��������� (���������Josh���������) to Jeet, among many others. Melody has to have a soul connect. You never know when it comes out. It���������s not important who I am composing for. Likewise, it���������s Dev���������s job to put in his 100 per cent when he���������s dancing to a track. He���������ll not dance with more vigour just because it���������s a song composed by me. The directors too have a say in the kind of music they want. Raj (Chakrabarty) has his own take, while Rajib might want it to be done differently. My primary job is to please my directors. This is my fourth film with Sujit Mondal after ���������Saat Paake Bandha���������, ���������Bolo Na Tumi Amar��������� and ���������Se Din Dekha Hoye Chhilo���������. It���������s mindblowing the way he picturizes a song. Once I���������m through with a number, my job is done. It���������s like sending my daughter to her sasural. But the director does his best to fit my song in and gives it the best of care.
Since the picturization of the title track of ���������Romeo��������� is the most expensive so far in the history of Tollywood, did that put pressure on you to deliver a hit? Truth be told, I was a li���������l nervous. But then, I���������ve found a lot of support in Shrikantda. Whatever I need, I tell him. So, when I needed Mika for the title track of ���������Paglu���������, I told him that and the singer was roped in soon after. This time around, I felt I would be able to do justice to the song and took the onus on me to sing the number as well.
���������Romeo��������� has an eclectic mix of some of the top singers like Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shaan, Monali Thakur and Zubeen Garg. Yet, the two songs that are playing everywhere ��������� the title track and ���������Kobe aibe amar pala re��������� ��������� happen to be sung by you. Does it feel extra special? I am neither Sonu nor Shreya. Every singer who has sung for the film, happen to be great in their own right. I, on the other hand, sing only when there���������s need for me for to add my voice to a song. I thought I would be able to do justice to ���������Bhojo Gourango��������� simply because I am clued into what the phrase holds for Bengal. Likewise, ���������Kobe aibe amar pala re��������� has a Bangal touch to it. The song blends in folk elements and I thought I would be able to sing it well. But the Shreya-Sonu number is also on its way to become a hit. It has got 25,000 views in two days on youTube.
How is it working with Shree Venkatesh Films? We are like one big family. Why just me, even the scriptwriters and directors will say how they eagerly wait to work with them. So far, Shrikantda has never said no to me for anything. Whatever I���������ve asked for, I���������ve got from them. Even when I���������m doing a Hindi film and juggling my time between both the industries, I���������ve felt no pressure. Working with them has always been a pleasure.