MUMBAI: In a recent interview with noted film journalist Anupama Chopra, musician Ehsaan Noorani, composer duo Vishal - Shekhar and composer Amit Trivedi shared fascinating anecdotes about the artists’ journey to fame in film music.

Among the several stories that provide an insight into behind-the-scene activities of these musicians, Ehsaan Noorani’s is perhaps the most compelling. Noorani revealed the strange way in which the song ‘Rangrez’ from the 2013-release ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’  was created.

“The strangest things can happen, and I will give an example of ‘Rangrez’ from ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. Shankar (Mahadevan) came with up with a little idea and he sent it to me on WhatsApp. So I played his WhatsApp melody there and recorded it on another phone, extended the melody and sent it back to him. He again sang something to the extended melody, sent it back to me. By the end of half an hour, we had the whole song with the help of 30 WhatsApp messages,” said Noorani in the interview for Chopra’s latest effort with Saavn, called ‘Film Companion’.

25 days to write one song!

The revelations continued throughout the programme, and Vishal Dadlani added another personal experience to the story involving famous American producer Timbaland. “We were working in LA. And I had got into this tailspin with this label for their demands. So Timbaland asked me ‘How long have you been working on this?’ To which I replied, ‘Two days’, and Timbaland said, “If it takes me more than three hours, I trash it.”

Noorani shared how effortless sometimes composing a hit could be. For example, in Kal Ho Na Ho’s title track’s case, Noorani revisited the day when the guitarist heard Loy Mendonsa play out the iconic intro tune on the piano. Noorani extended the tune when Shankar and Javed Akhtar (lyricist) walked into the room. “Akhtar Sahab heard the song and he said, ‘My God, I am actually stressed. This melody is so simple, that I have to come up with words that would be as simple.’ He took 25 days to write the song. It was an amazing experience.” 

Songwriters and musicians from Bollywood have never received success and a share of the spotlight on par with the actors, and this interview proves Noorani’s claim during the interview that “funniest stories in Bollywood will come from the music composers. These experiences we have are something else.”