Why Shankar and Co. quit Thugs of Hindostan

Music composer and singer Shankar Mahadevan says the never-ending schedule of the film, Thugs of Hindostan, forced the composer trio of Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendosa, to back out of the film, which stars Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan.

“It was a never-ending schedule with the film, and they were increasing it [even further]. First they said [that] the shooting would be for six months. Then, they made some changes in the script, and increased it to a year, and then a year and a half. We couldn’t afford to take out that much time for it,” Shankar clarifies.

However, the 50-year-old composer says he does not regret missing out on the project. “There are no regrets, really. Things like this happen, and yes, it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t be a part of it, but we can’t think much about it. We are signed on for Manikarnika. That is a pretty big project for us. So, there are no regrets like that,” he says.

The trio has been replaced by the music composer duo of Ajay and Atul Gogavale, who have composed music for Brothers (2015). Shankar reveals that it was the trio who suggested their names to the makers. “We only suggested Ajay-Atul’s name to them. They have done some fantastic work in the past, and I feel they will be able to do justice to it,” he says.

PHOTO:PRABHAS ROY/HT