Think Anu Malik and you begin to hear strains of Dekho Baarish Ho Rahi Hai, Oonchi Hai Building, Jeene Ke Hain Chaar Din... and other such immensely forgettable but paradoxically evergreen chalu songs from the 90s and early 2000.
It’s quite easy to forget that there exists another Anu Malik, a man who weaved melodious gems in films like Kareeb, Border, Refugee and most recently Dum Laga Ke Haisha.
Screenwriter and lyricist Varun Grover, who got a chance to work with Anu Malik on Dum Laga Ke Haisha shared some of his impressions of the music composer who celebrates his birthday today.
Grover reveals that while growing up, he considered Anu Malik the more ‘trendy’ music composer compared to others like Nadeem Shravan, Dilip Sen Sameer Sen or Jatin Lalit. “They were very traditional in their approach, they would still use a dholak in every film, every song. Anu Malik broke the idea of the traditional hindi film melody for me when I was growing up”, he says.
Working with Anu Malik on Dum Laga Ke Haisha was of course a memorable experience for Grover, who says that Malik is probably the only music director right now who is still works with a harmonium.
The rest use keyboards in their studio, so you have to go there to listen to their tune, or they will come to you with an MP3 of the track. But Anu Malik is someone who believes in melody, so he will come to you and he will sit with his harmonium and play and sing the song for you, which makes a big difference.
Varun Grover, Screenwriter and Lyricist
What Grover will never forget is Anu Malik’s love for his harmonium, he is so attached to it that he won’t let anyone else lift it and insists on carrying it on his own, reveals the writer.
On our first meeting I thought, he is senior and so I offered to take his harmonium from the car to the room, but he said - “Nahin, aap toh lyrics writer hain, aap kaise utha sake hain? You carry your diary and pen, that is your instrument”. He always maintained that respect.
Varun Grover, Screenwriter and Lyricist
The blissful Moh Moh Ke Dhaage track from Dum Laga Ke Haisha, written by Varun Grover and composed by Anu Malik, is easily this year’s best song for its melody, lyrics and soulful rendition. That Malik could churn out a song as sublime as Moh Moh Ke did not come as a surprise for Grover.
The lyricist believes that Anu Malik has always been capable of creating these melodious tunes but not many filmmakers have demanded that from him. Just because a certain chalu style of Anu Malik’s music became popular – as is what happens in this industry, people only demanded more of that from him, says Grover.
Here’s looking to more gems like Moh Moh Ke Dhaage from the Anu Malik we just rediscovered.
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