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A cliched query that you must be answering a zillion times a day – but it has to be asked: How does it feel to be an Oscar awardee?
Well, I don’t mind because the question is very natural under the circumstances! (Smiles) It feels very nice. It is like a topping of a nice big cherry on your career. I do not know whether this is a plateau or a peak, or how I will fare in the coming years and whether I will maintain my success or not, so it’s lovely to live the feeling, especially since it is for the first thing I did in Hindi films ever – write a song! (see Box)
Are the press reports true – that you did not go to the ceremony because there were procedural glitches in your travel plans?
Well, the real reason was my shoulder – I injured it while swinging my arm during tennis and I am still under treatment. I have just returned from a session with my physiotherapist (the interview happened three days after the Academy Awards). It was terribly painful, and though I may have managed with medicines I thought that if I go there I should be in top health.
Yes, I am terribly sorry and am upset especially for my daughter Meghna and son-in-law Govind who were really looking forward to being there that evening. Rahman himself is pretty upset – he complained, “I am left alone!” so let me say “Sorry” to him through the columns of Screen! And I agree that the best thing about this award is that it is for a song composed by him. I would even say that this award was possible only because of Rahman.
We would like to know how Jai ho was conceived and created.
We made Jai ho like any other song, in the way Rahman works every time. He usually offers one or two compositions for each situation, with ideas and suggstions thrown across on the angles of the situation. It was a song of victory after a struggle – the struggle of romance and love. So as usual, I wrote the words and phrases starting with the obvious phase Jai ho. Then Sukhwinder Singh, who was present, sang the line I wrote and it was he and his exquisite voice that actually created the magic. Rahman and I have won the Oscar but Sukhwinder truly deserves mention for the song as it has finally turned out.
Despite being for a foreign film, did you imagine the song reaching this far?
How could I? (Smiles) Rahman never told me that it was for a non-Indian film. When I asked him, he was very vague and that did make me very suspicious. But that’s something I think about when I look back. Because we made it in the same normal way in which we have been working all these years. Only this time the director wasn’t around.
Rahman isn’t conversant with much Hindi and Urdu. So could you describe this way of working?
Rahman’s compositions are a challenge – because he is innovative and unconventional. His music talks to you and work becomes easy. In the past too, I have written my songs after fixing key phrases first, like Chal chhaiyya chhaiyya (Dil Se…) and O humdum suniyo re (Saathiya). Besides inspiring me with his composition, Rahman is such a good soul that I never feel that I am at work. The atmosphere is very conducive to creativity with ideas being bounced across. There is so much give-and-take and actual exchanges of thoughts and images. And Rahman is making a lot of effort at his Hindi now and is improving – like he sent me this message after getting his awards that said, “Shukriya, huzoor!”
Do you recollect your first meeting with Rahman?
It’s been 11 years since Dil Se…happened. I first met him at his old studio and whether there or at his current studio, the atmosphere is very pious. You have seen how Bal Krishna looks – dark and with long tresses and Rahman reminded me in those days of some chhota bhagwan with that child-like innocence. Now of course he keeps his hair short, but the innocence remains. (Laughs)
I remember when Lata (Mangeshkar)ji sang for the first time for him in that film – Jiya jale – she told me that she felt very lonely in the singer’s cabin!! That was because the studio’s design was such that the singer and those sitting at the recording console could not see each other and could only converse through the machine. Lataji found that very disconcerting and so I suggested to Rahman that I would sit in a particular corner so that she could see me while she was singing.
Of course his current studio is built in the conventional way! But there’s a beautiful tradition that he follows that few know about, because he is a very religious and spiritual person.
And what is that?
The moment his singer stands in front of the microphone, Rahman lights a candle outside. And that candle burns on for hours. So whenever I want to ask him when he is planning to start the recording, I jokingly asked him, “Mombatti kab jalaaoge (When will you going to light the candle)?”
Do you always go down to Chennai for sittings?
I usually do. But Rahman does record occasionally in Mumbai at Ranjit Barot’s studio. He even comes to my home sometime – and when he does, the case is very different from how other music directors do, like he does not use the harmonium. It’s him, his Blackberry with his voice and me. So I always say that we are three people here – Rahman, his mobilephone and me – making music! He stores his ideas and tunes and even records his voice on that.
How have you seen Rahman evolve over the years?
He seems much more at ease now, more at home with the Hindi film mijaaz or temperament. When I was doing Dil Se…, he had mostly done the dubbed Hindi versions of his South Indian films. He has of course grown internationally for the last few years and recorded abroad too. In short, he has spoken in a language of music that has grown beyond the boundaries of human languages and speech to communicate with the world.
Essentially, Jai ho is an “item” number. Whenever there is virtually no situation, how do the words come to you?
Obviously, it is the composition that inspires again, along with the script and the director. I will give you an example – Saathiya’s O humdum suniyo re. Shaad Ali wanted this song during the credit titles. People criticised me for what they called ridiculous images like Nange paao chand aayega, but I was using the moon to symbolise the hero’s character. The hero and heroine are secretly married and he goes stealthily to her house every night. The song was the storyline in a nutshell.
You have always resonated more with music composers who broke convention – like R.D.Burman, Vishal Bhardwaj and Rahman.
Yes, I feel closer to their compositions as they give me scope to write blank verse, which is the form I like the most.
R.D.Burman and A.R.Rahman are the reigning icons of GenerationX, often at the cost of injustice to contemporaries. How would you compare them personally and professionally?
You cannot compare creative people. But yes, they had a common attitude to work – they were both bold enough to experiment and to look for something new and different.For them, music was not about just business but also about expanding horizons.
I worked with Pancham mainly in the films I directed, or at least scripted. He expanded all his horizons and kept himself clued on to what was happening in Western music and in the world, like Rahman does. He too recorded abroad but times were different then, Hollywood had not opened up and Pancham recorded abroad only for occasional albums, whereas Rahman has got to do films. So you could say that Pancham was the breeze and Rahman is the wind – the difference being the velocity!
Interestingly, both were also rooted in folk – Pancham in Eastern folk with its Baul and Bhatiali and Rahman in Southern folk.
Trends and times, as you rightly say, dictate even innovation.
True. Pancham then could not break the mukhda-antara structure, but he weaved in the Bengali tradition – sanchaari – by adding verses in-between in place of interludes in some songs. For a children’s song in my Kitaab, Pancham had even played on tables of different heights instead of the tabla. Similarly the way Rahman uses the sarod or the guitar is so different from the way others use them.
But having said that, and with all due respect to Rahman, there are other music directors today who are also hugely talented, like Vishal Bhardwaj, with whom I am doing completely different music scores in Kaminay and Ishqiya and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Then there is Ilayaraja, with whom I had a great time reuniting 25 years after Sadma in the forthcoming film SRK.
What other films are you doing now?
I am doing two interesting films with Sajid-Wajid, who are sons of Ustad Sharafat Ali Khan, who played rhythm for Pancham – Salman Khan’s Veer and Umesh Mehra’s Office Office based on the hit sitcom with the same cast. Unnke saath kaam karke bhi bada mazaa aaya. Their time as composers, I think, is coming now. Then there is Shoojit Sircar’s new film Shoebite with Shantanu Moitra.
Finally, why did you quit Billu after writing two songs?
The problem lay with my not meeting the director at all! They wanted certain words and phrases that I found uncongenial. I tried pointing out that there was no congruence between the story and the language of the songs and no difference between the three “item” songs. The dialogues by Manisha Korde were so beautiful and the story so appealing. Finally I put my foot down when I was told that certain phrases would be added to my lyrics or that if I did not write the song, someone else would come in and I could write the rest
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housefullatbb, This is first week record (Not weekend), First week of Singh Is Kinng was 38,98,19,763, While RNBDJ was ahead ...
Rab ne banadi jodi did not open better than Singh is kinng yakuza. 
Doga,
Yes it seems so at ths moment.. 
Raj, MNIK should end around 73 cr from India, Theatrically. 
Dhoni is one of the best wicket keepers now. Dont complain about the few dropped catches. He has caught some ...
1 more held in fake IPL ticket 
btw - from the FI numbers MNIK has done 68-68.5 cr in 4 weeks in India.
BOI is already 5 cr ...
Well, a universally accepted repeat-watch movie from Hrithik IMO would make way more than 60cr. 
Aarohi 6 March 2009
05:54:38 am
Sounds very interesting.
Which is the film with SEL?
Salim 6 March 2009
06:04:55 am
I love this guy.
neelu 6 March 2009
09:47:42 am
Gulzar’s genius shows not just in his lyrics but also in the films he directed – like Mausam, Maachis. I really hope he will direct another film soon. His lyrics are otherworldly, and I like all the music directors he mentions, particularly Vishal Bharadwaj. Much time has gone by but the Omkara album still stands out as one with no sub-par song, and every song still brilliant.
Salim 6 March 2009
09:57:12 am
Totally agreed neelu – would b awesome to see Gulzar make another movie. In his biography that released recently, I read that funds are a problem for him. If that’s true, its really tragic, that one of the greatest living directors can’t get money to make a movie.
Having said that, in a very recent interview, Gulzar said that people often ask him when he’ll make his next film. He said that he answers them ‘first bring me Sanjeev Kumar, and I’ll be ready to shoot’.
What a combination they were – Aandhi, Namkeen, Angoor, Mausam, Parichay.
S.
neelu 6 March 2009
10:02:37 am
He did make Maachis, a film not at the level of Angoor and Mausam and Aandhi – but still great by any standards.
ritz 6 March 2009
11:31:38 am
“Lekin” is my personal favorite from this genius after Angoor. The movie which can not be categorized in any genre – mystery, love story, psychological. The movie came at wrong time…in 1991 when nation was in different mood in terms of cinema. Had it been released before 80s or even now – it would have achieved altogether different critical status.
The songs the emotions the narration everything is perfect in this. “Mai ek sadi se baithi hoon” and “Suniyo Ji” still make me cry when I hear. Thanks to Lata and Hridaynath also for making this masterpiece.
Sample this..
“Aakash bada budha baba sabako kuch baantke jata hai
Aakhon ko nichooda maine bahot …
par koi aansu utra nahi.
Mai ek sadi se baithi hoon..”
He can also efforlessly write a kickass children’s song like Masterji Ki aa gayi chitthi..well mai bhi kahan se kahan aa gaya..no need to start all this on Gulzar..
BTW I am dying to see Achanak(1973) by him – I have heard it has has an excellent screenplay.
rks 6 March 2009
11:37:10 am
He made ‘Hu Tu Tu’ but that was in 1999. He probably is smart enough to recognize that there is less audience for his type of movies.
ritz 6 March 2009
11:38:37 am
“Achanak” review on IMDB – I will be ordering this one soon. Seems interesting.
—————–
“Achnak tells the story of a soldier who returns home as a war hero. However unfortunate events unfold in his life and he is pushed to use the actions he was once taught in the army to defeat the enemy, on his loved ones. Yet the burden of his actions is too heavy to live with and he takes drastic steps to seek redemption. These actions bring him close to a horrendous death and from thereon he gets a grip on himself and tries to start afresh. The film belongs completely to the writer/director Gulzar. His direction and storytelling skills are at a zenith and there are numerous scenes that work at different levels and that stays with the viewers for a long time. The doctor’s dilemmas have been presented effectively and army tactics used by Vinod Khanna bring in a realistic touch to the film. But above all, its the anti – war message that the film gives that hits home the most. The soldier who made a name killing people in the war reverts to the same actions in civil life when he comes across unforeseen events. He does not think about the aftermath and in fact starts getting haunted by his awards and medals. This is the most intelligent film making regarding a sensitive issue. Vinod Khana performs well but the supporting cast including Om Shivpuri, Iftikhar, Farida Jalal, Asrani, all deliver as well. There are no songs although songs as a means of sending messages have been used wisely. All in all, Achanak is a thorough classic film that would make anyone associated with it mighty proud. The film has got a timeless attraction and is as much relevant to the modern India as it was thirty five years ago.”
rks 6 March 2009
11:40:09 am
I believe Libaas was not released in India.
ritz 6 March 2009
11:46:52 am
maybe yes .. I cant find Libaas on seventymm.com
Salim 6 March 2009
06:04:17 pm
Neelu – I still haven’t seen Maachis! it’s the only Gulzar movie (released) that ‘ve not seen. I did start it some years back but the video messed up. of course the soundtrack is awesome.
Ritz – Lekin!! It’s one of my all time favourite films – definitley in my top 10. It’s incredibly moving and sooo poetic. Dimple is magical. The soundtrack is nothing short of perfect. I met Dimple a few years ago in London and asked her about the movie – she said it was the most special experience of her life. She said she still has the thank you note which Lata sent her after the film was shot.
Yeah, Achanak is very good. Different, but still has the Gulzar stamp
As for Libaas…will it ever release??? It’s tragic that we don’t get to see it, even on DVD. Apparently it was shown at some film festivals…
S.
Salim 6 March 2009
06:12:20 pm
Gulzar’s filmography:
Hu Tu Tu (1999)
Maachis (1996)
Lekin… (1990)
Libaas (1988) (as Gulzar)
Ijaazat (1987)
Angoor (1982)
Namkeen (1982)
Meera (1979)
Kitaab (1977)
Kinara (1977)
Mausam (1975)
Khushboo (1975)
Aandhi (1975)
Achanak (1973)
Parichay (1972)
Koshish (1972)
Mere Apne (1971)
It’s quite notable that just about everyone he worked with, gave the performance of their career in his films. Sharmila in Mausam. Jeetendra and Hema in Khushboo/Kinara. Sanjeev Kumar in Aandhi/Mausam. Maushoomi in Angoor. Dimple in Lekin. Rekha in Ijaazat. Mere Apne gave some lovely roles to a bunch of new young guys (Danny, Vinod Khanna, Shatru) and was perhaps Meena’s last memorable performance, apart from Pakeezah of course.
And each one of his movies has had a brilliant soundtrack – in particular Lekin, Ijaazat, Mausam, Aandhi, Libaas etc.
I’ve seen everyone of his movies now, except Libaas and Maachis.
I have his serial Mirza Ghalib on dvd but not watched it yet. The other thing i’d love to get my hands on, is Shairaa, his documentary from the 80’s, about Meena Kumari.
What a guy!
RAJ 9 March 2009
04:42:32 am
Looking at the filmography as a director and as a lyricist..its safe to say that this man is a genius…
julie 9 March 2009
05:23:11 am
Gulzar Sahab has orchestrated some of the most magnificient films in Bollywood and has been the lyricist behind some of the greatest compositions. Right from his first film i.e. Mere Apne going upto Angoor, there is not a film of Gulzar Sahab that does not deserve a noteworthy place or recognition for creativity.
He is one of the rare cinematic geniuses who could make a connection with the masses and the elite without compromising on his intellectual work.
In movies like Parichay, Kinara, Kitaab, Aandhi, Mausam to name a few, one has the rare privilege to see the multi-dimensional side of Gulzar Sahab in one frame – the side of a director, writer, and lyricist. In fact some of Hema Malini’s most prestigious work including Kinara, Meera and Khushboo, is under Gulzar. Gulzar’s favorite male lead stars were Sanjeev Kumar and Jitendra.