Himesh Reshammiya discusses taking the 11-song soundtrack of Happy Hardy And Heer across India via his multi-city tour in a bid to establish the music before the film's release
Himesh Reshammiya
Having landed in the city only hours ago after departing from Abu Dhabi, where he had accompanied Himesh Reshammiya for his UAE concert, the musician's manager is too weary to instantly comprehend our request for an interaction. But when Reshammiya gets on a call an hour later, he, in fact, is bubbling with energy. The exhaustive multi-city tour that he has been on to promote the music of Happy Hardy And Heer — accompanied by his new role as judge of Indian Idol 11 after he replaced Anu Malik — doesn't seem to have debilitated him at all.
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And if his Instagram posts are anything to go by, the overwhelming reaction to the film's 11-track soundtrack during his city tours could have a lot to do with his current state of mind. "The reception has been great. [Listeners] have been reacting to songs like Arijit's [Singh] Heeriye, Teri meri kahani, Aashiqui mein teri 2.0 and Cutie pie. In the past, musical hits in Bollywood have been [created] when the film's music was released before the film itself. People have appreciated a soundtrack as well as they have this one, after a long time," says Reshammiya, who has finished gigs in Pune, Kolkata, Jaipur, Mumbai Surat and Baroda, and will head to Delhi, Punjab, Indore, Lucknow and Banglore in the upcoming weeks.
Despite juggling duties as musician and actor for Happy Hardy And Heer, the screenplay of which has been written by wife Sonia Kapoor, Reshammiya makes his acute skills as a businessman evident when he says, "Music is an important part of every love story; case in point being films like Sajan, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Tere Naam. Today, filmmakers unveil a film's promo, along with one or two songs, a month ahead of its release. Then, if the film does well, the soundtrack may receive attention.
But, pure love stories have stopped being made because people have stopped establishing the film's music before its release. In the past, [producers] would release the music seven months in advance. If the music worked, the film would work. So, we knew that the music of Happy Hardy And Heer had to be popular, and that it should connect with viewers before the film's release." Among an assortment of romantic tracks, heart-wrenching numbers and playful offerings, the singer has retained his trademark song, Aashiqui mein teri, giving it a contemporary rendition, since the hook line: Aashiqui mein teri, jayegi jaan meri, pretty much establishes the film's theme.
A quick scan at the soundtrack will reveal that Reshammiya has roped in a wide array of singers, right from the top brass (Arijit Singh, Udit Narayan), to budding and even débutante singers (Kumar Sanu's daughter Shannon K in her Bollywood debut, and Aaryan Tiwari). It also features his latest find, Ranu Mondal, belting out one of the film's crucial numbers, Teri meri kahani, which, he says, "needed a Lataji-kind of alaap".
Even though the established singers admire his work, Reshammiya particularly has the younger brass in awe of his methods, with the latter always referring to him as the ideal mentor. "I always tell singers that they are [appointed] for a song because their tone works for it. But, singing it in accordance with a composer's notes, is crucial. The modulations should be in sync with what he has written. For instance, when Arijit sings, he takes a song to another level without meddling with the notes. That marriage leads to a hit track."
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