Pritam: “It’s not the music awards but the audience award that matters”
Reena Koak, with Pritam and Satinder Benepal
By Neeru Saluja
They won over the audience the night before and were now winning over the hearts of their fans. In a casual yet colourful setting at restaurant Maharaja Haveli greeted by Satinder Benepal, the music maestro Pritam alongwith his band of singers engaged wholeheartedly with his fans at a meet and greet with the team.
The power packed team consisting of singers Pritam, Antara Mitra, Sreerama Chandra, Nakash Aziz and Aditi Singh Sharma were on a high since their winning performance in Sydney. It was their first time in Australia except for singer Aditi and they couldn’t stop raving about the warmth they felt. A tiring and exhausting tour for the performers, but truly rewarding thanks to the hardworking organisers of the concert.
Aditi Singh Sharma’s ‘Matlabi Ho ja zara matlabi’ made Sydney go wild
While music lovers and fans of the singers were busy taking photos and selfies, thanks to Haveli we managed to get an exclusive interview with the selfie king himself. There is not a song on my playlist which doesn’t have Pritam’s tag on it, and there is not a hit movie without Pritam’s music. Scoring music for films like Dhoom 2, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani, Cocktail, Barfi, Race and the recent Dilwale, Pritam no doubt has the Midas touch.
Be it comedy, action or thrillers, Pritam knows how to mould his music according to the genre of the film. “I like to do films where music plays an integral part of the plot. It gives my music more meaning and substance. I prefer doing romantic films as romance is incomplete without songs. Nevertheless, action films can be spruced up with some light music” reckons Pritam.
So how does the magician of music weave his magic through films which have evolved through years in story and techniques? “It’s a long process. I first read and understand the script. Then I sit with the director and discuss the language and the type of song. If the protagonist can sing the song or not is equally important. For example, in films like Jab We Met and Singh is King, I have infused heavily Desi Punjabi music as the movie is based in Punjab. In a modern romcom like Love Aajkal, the music is more urban Punjabi. On the other hand, Barfi set in the 1970s has retro music keeping in mind the Kolkata artistic atmosphere. So that’s how I connect my music to the film,” acclaims Pritam.
Pritam has delivered hits after hits with his list of awards never ending. But surprisingly, Pritam does not measure his success with awards. “Music awards don’t mean anything to me, the award of the audience is the biggest thing for me. If the audience appreciates my music, that’s all what matters to me, says the humble Pritam.
On a closing note, the music director, composer and singer reveals his biggest secret. “I wear many hats but I enjoy music direction the best. Making songs is my cup of tea. I’m a horrible singer”! exclaims Pritam.
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