On a lighter note Rajiv Vijayakar Posted online: Friday , May 30, 2008 at 1515 hrs Print <http://www.screenindia.com/story.php?id=315261&pg=-1>Email<http://www.screenindia.com/static/story-email/>To Editor <http://www.screenindia.com/static.php?q=feed>Post Comments<http://www.screenindia.com/news/On-a-lighter-note/315261/#postcomm>Rate this article* <javascript:void(0)> <javascript:void(0)> <javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)><javascript:void(0)> * Avg. Rating:0 *He's evolved from an ace tabla player to ghazal singer and composer, playback singer and film composer. But Roopkumar Rathod is not too fond of his serious image, and considers himself lucky to get to score for comedy Dhoom Dadakka*
Roopkumar Rathod admits, however, that there is no comic song in the film. "It is enough, I think, that it is a new genre and this itself is enough to shock people who know me as the composer of Woh Tera Naam Tha, Madhoshi, Zeher and Woh Lamhe..., all serious or dark films!" smiles the singer-composer. "I have been receiving compliments for the Punjabi-beats-oriented title-track from David Dhawan, Sanjay Gupta, Deepak Tijori and others. Their common emotion is surprise." Why was he thought of for the film at all? "I have been associated with Shashi Ranjan in several projects of his, like composing songs for the Women Achievers Awards, the GR8! celebration, their serial Jeene Isika Naam Hai and his recent show Mr & Mrs TV," says Rathod. "I thought that such a film would do me good, for I want to explore all shades of film music and would not like to be branded." The other songs are Hari Om by Sunidhi, an 'item' song and the folk number Ara ra ra ra ghar aaye chhailwa, but the title-track remains Rathod's favourite. "The song actually starts out as a seduction number but we thought of a hip-hop beat and from the bedroom we took the song outside!" He adds, "The Holi song has a U.P.Bihar-flavour that was needed. So I constructed an original composition around the Ara ra ra ra groove." Rathod is now busy with two more films that will release in 2008 - Paroksh, a sensitive story of surrogate motherhood directed by Anup Das and Gajendra Ahire's Hindi-Marathi bi-lingual Gulmohar that stars Sonali Kulkarni and Rajat Kapoor. "I am composing the Marathi songs too," beams Rathod. Coming up next year will be Ratan Irani's social, Devi - The Goddess. Why has Rathod not come up with any album since Bazm-e-Meer way back in 2003? "The environment for albums is not congenial," explains Rathod. "I do not want to do anything against my sensibilities. Still, I am now working on a Sufi album and another project wherein 200-year-old bandishein are being sung by my wife Sunali with a Philharmomic-like musical presentation." Rathod is also singing Parchhaiyan, an album produced by Yash Chopra with music by Shivkumar Sharma. "This is a 45-minute-long nazm by the legendary Sahir Ludhianvi," he explains. Singers turned composers rarely get ample work as playback singers. Is he singing playback for other composers? "I can't complain because I am out of town a lot for my shows and concerts," says Rathod with a smile. "But I have recorded for Yashji's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi with music by Salim-Sulaiman and Goldie Behl's Drona, with music by Ashutosh-Dhruv. I have also sung in Sandesh Shandilya's Rang Rasiya directed by Ketan Mehta and Bapi-Tutul's Sarkar Raj directed by Ram Gopal Varma and there's a beautiful number by Bappa Lahiri for Sanjay Gupta's Alibag. I have also sung for Rozana, which has music by Ilayaraja and *two songs for A.R.Rahman in Subhash Ghai's Main Yuvraaj and Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's Dilli 6 respectively." * Having begun in the more melodious '90s with Angaar (Kitni jaldi yeh din with Lata Mangeshkar), followed by Border (his breakthrough song Sandesen aate hain with Sonu Niigaam) and then sung highly-appreciated songs in Gumrah, Mohabbat Ki Arzoo, Naajayaz, Vinashak, Kareeb, Sarfarosh, Dillagi, Thakshak, Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein, Filhaal, Baaz, Pinjar and many other films, what does he think of music today? "I think that melody is not being given enough importance," he says candidly. "There are too many things happening under the track and the basic composition. But the era of giving importance to the composition will return, because people always want good music." http://www.screenindia.com/news/On-a-lighter-note/315261/ -- regards, Vithur HELP EVER; HURT NEVER; LOVE ALL; SERVE ALL
