‘Filmmakers come with preconceived notions’

Bollywood composer and singer Amaal Mallik doesn’t believe in following the “same old trends” that make songs a hit. The 26-year-old believes in “breaking the mould” when he is asked to compose a song.

“In our industry, people (filmmakers) wake up to a sound that has been popular in the West for two years. It takes that long for people in the film industry to accept that song. There are many filmmakers who come with preconceived notions about how they want a song to be; they generally want a composer to follow the lines of a hit track. That’s why I like to work with filmmakers who aren’t averse to trying something fresh,” he says.

Amaal has composed the song, Subah Subah, from the film, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety. Views of the song crossed 15 million at last count since its release on January 2. He feels that the film’s director, Luv Ranjan, gave him that “space” where he could work with the song “on his own”.

“Working with Luv was really fun. I fell in love with the film [when] Luv narrated it to me,” says Amaal.

This song was even more fulfilling for another reason. He says, “So, it was after some time that I was approached to do such a song — a happy party number. This is my genre. For it, I went into the space of the electronic music of Bob Sinclar (French record producer, and house music DJ), a very Nineties disco sound, something that musicians like Kygo and [The] Chainsmokers are also doing.”

I like to work with filmmakers who aren’t averse to trying something fresh, something that’s just starting to become a trend AMAAL MALLIK COMPOSER AND SINGER

PHOTO: FOTOCORP