Going Solo

composer for the level of sustained success and excellence that we got from the duo (who believed in complete scores in which every song made a mark rather than single chartbusters). But what was much more remarkable was the fact that the Jatin-Lalit score never palled or paled with the passage of time and changes in trends and generations. Their songs sound as contemporary today as they did when they were first made and proved hits. Even more significantly,none of the filmmakers they worked with could quite attain equal musical calibre with anyone else in their later films!

The Jatin-Lalit style was moulded along the lines of R.D.Burman’s penchant for rhythms and a clean orchestral sound,and recorded in earlier years at R.D.’s favourite recording haunt Filmcenter. This led to the apparent similarity in acoustics,according to the duo,who had also stated that they looked up to Madan Mohan and Laxmikant-Pyarelal in our first interview in 1992. Their songs had solid melody at the core,a neat blend with rhythm and a prominence given to vocals and good lyrics that gave their songs both quick popularity and longevity. Their style was distinct and inimitable,and yet found mimics in many later composers,making the duo the youngest music directors to be ‘honoured’ in this fashion.

And so it was a huge shock for music lovers when Jatin-Lalit,in the epidemic of splits among music duos in the mid-millennium,also parted ways. And while Lalit Pandit did several films in the next few years,Jatin seemed to disappear,but for occasional unconfirmed rumours that led to nothing.

“Yes,I did not do anything for quite a while,” admits Jatin,looking as young as he had looked five years ago when we had last met. “The split did affect me a lot,personally and professionally. We were the first duo formed by brothers that broke up,and in such cases not only common friends and professional associates but even family members are affected. I have always wished Lalit well. He has had a major hit in Munni badnaam hui (Dabangg) recently and I am happy for him.”

Jatin also adds that Shah Rukh Khan,Karan Johar,Sanjay Leela Bhansali,Aziz Mirza and Javed Akhtar boosted his morale a lot in that phase. “They all gave me moral support,” he says. “But because we,as a duo,had given them all such exceptional music,it would have been wrong on my part to ask for work because that would mean asking them to choose between the two of us. Also,they knew how we worked as a team,and probably would be justified in thinking that something would be missing if only one of us worked on their films.”

The first solo film that Jatin Pandit signed was Smita Thackeray’s Society directed by Rahul Dholakia,for whom he had scored music in his 2002 debut Kehtaa Hai Dil Baar Baar. Society had just one song written by Sanjay Chhel,whose 1999 debut as director-lyricist,Khoobsurat,also had the duo scoring music.

Recalls Jatin,“So many filmmakers began their careers with us,from Aziz Mirza and Aditya Chopra to Karan Johar,John Matthew Matthan,Tigmanshu Dhulia and Sunny Deol. Also,Abbas-Mustan’s,Anees Bazmee’s,Vikram Bhatt’s and Kunal Kohli’s first hit films had our music!”

About Society that was launched in 2008,he says,“The film has got delayed but I hope that it will be released soon,” says Jatin,whose next work,again as just one song penned by Chhel,will be USA-based Manan Singh Katohara’s 9 Eleven,to be released this year. “It’s an item number sung by Tarannum,who had sung in What’s Your Raashee?. It is filmed on Kashmera Shah,who has earlier enacted our hits Jawani se ab jung (Vaastav) and Chhalka chhalka (Aankhen).”

But the film that Jatin is justifiably excited about is Mahrukh Mirza (of the erstwhile writer-filmmakers Mirza Brothers)’s Say Yes To Love. “It’s a musical subject with newcomers and my singers include Sonu Niigaam,Shaan,Sunidhi Chauhan and a new singer named Khushi,” he says. “I am very charged about this film. I pray that it will do for me what the Mirza Brothers’ Yaara Dildaara did for our career 20 years ago. There are six songs,five written by Jalees Sherwani and one by our old associate Vinoo Mahendra. If the music works big-time,as I hope,I will have some armour for approaching my old associates for work.”

But Jatin will not do piecemeal work like one or two songs if there are other music directors in the same film. “I got such offers from our past as well as other filmmakers after Lalit and I parted ways,but I turned them down. We had trouble in a few of our films with guest composers coming in and I do not want that,” he stresses. “We have done some great work with legends among filmmakers,stars and lyricists. The dignity has to be upheld.”

Jatin wants to approach those filmmakers who will make a film that is complete musical with total faith in him. “Mahrukh has complete confidence in me. He agreed with me when I said that the music of our film will stand out as fresh and different only if we do not have an item song,” he points out. “I have another of our past filmmakers in mind and I hope to approach him too. Everyone needs a big-ticket,top star-cast film for good music to be really noticed,” says Jatin,whose track-record with the three Khans,Yash Raj Films,Karan Johar,Venus,Tips,Aziz Mirza and even Rani Mukerji is hundred percent in both popularity and calibre.

As for the approach to his songs five years after he last worked,Jatin says,“My songs do have a contemporary element,but the melody is very strong. I am not going to become desperately trendy by going against my grain. Our fans find even our ‘90s music modern,so why should I compromise?”

Could he speak about the split now? “Why go back into the past almost six years later?” he asks,his face troubled. Their fans want to know,we stress. “To be honest,I was very shocked when Lalit expressed the desire to part. He said that he was not very comfortable working with me any more. I tried my best to make him change his mind. But when he kept saying this over a period of time,I thought it was better not to force things.”

Jatin does not believe that their pre-Fanaa low phase was either a cause or an effect of this disturbance. “Every composer who is busy goes through bad phases,” he explains. “We have been harmed more after parting ways than by some weak music we may have composed together during that phase.”

What was he doing between the split and now? “I kept making tunes,after all that’s the only thing I know to do. I now have a huge stock of songs. I was invited as judge on some reality shows like Vaar Parivaar and Jhoom India. When I went to America for a few months last year,word spread that I had gone and settled there. I do not know how such things happen!” he says with a wry smile.

How does he look after his brother’s side of contribution to their music now? “We never had any hard and fast division in our music anyway,” he replies. “We would both compose songs and let the filmmaker choose. I loved looking after the harmony and lyrics,teaching the singers and rehearsing the songs,even when the tune was Lalit’s,while he was great at balancing and programming our songs. But what was more important then was the fact that we would,just by being present,impart inputs as well as energy into each other’s work,whether it was in the compositions or the arrangements. This is the fine tuning in all the legendary duos.”

Going deeper into the past,why did his team with elder brother Mandhir (Mandhir-Jatin) in the ‘80s give way to Jatin-Lalit in the ‘90s? “That was also Lalit’s idea. Mandhir and I both agreed because as a team we were not getting anywhere for over six years. Mandhirbhai remained as a part of our team for a while,” says Jatin.

How does he look at the changes in singers and lyricists that have come in since he had stopped work? “I have not yet worked with any new lyricist other than Jaleesbhai,who is very good. The same is true of singers,but the improvement in singers like Sunidhi Chauhan,with whom we had worked in Fanaa and some other films,is phenomenal. She was very good even then,but now she is extraordinary!”

rajiv.vijayakar@expressindia.com