Singer-composer Raghav Sachar has been quite the talent in the music arena. I still remember dancing to the One, Two, Three title track, while growing up. But it’s not just the man’s songs that define him, he is a powerhouse of talent who can play 36 different musical instruments as we speak. While he has been training since he was a child, there has been a lot of work the man has done. Raghav has some amazing films to his credit, namely, Rustom, Helicopter Eela, Guest In London, Bhaiyaji Superhit, Taish, and Bole Chudiyan.
From starting his own production label in 2009 to having his own production company in 2011 and owning a studio by 2017, Raghav has surely done well for himself. And while he has come a long way, I must say, his recent song from Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Tamannaah Bhatia‘s Bole Chudiyan called Tum Pe Hum Marey Jaa Rahe Hain has won many hearts. So I decided to catch up with this talented singer-composer who shared his interesting journey with the song in an exclusive interview.
Here’s what he had to say:
What was on your mind when you started composing Tum Pe Hum Marey Jaa Rahe Hain?
I have been waiting to do the ghazal space for a long time. And I thought that it can’t be a traditional ghazal because that consumption has kind of gone low. So it had to have a very ghazal vibe but be easier not like a couplet format. That’s how I started on Tum Pe Hum Toh and I really enjoyed the mukhda when it turned out because it was very simple and had a ghazal feel also in it and it was just right, simple enough for people to understand.
Did you know that it would be used in Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Tamannah Bhatia’s Bole Chudiyan?
Yes, I did know that but the song was made about five years prior to going into the film and usually, you know how these films happen these days. So, they pick up a song and put it in some film, and then it just gets plugged. It’s no more the earlier space where you would sit with the director and you would create a special song for the film. Zee Music loved the song, they picked it up and put it in this film with Nawaz and Tamannaah.
Did you have a brief given by someone about the required mood of the song? Like a happy song, a romantic, or a sad song?
Not really. These kinds of songs just get made the way they do and then eventually they get plugged into a film. So, the days of actually sitting with a director and creating something with a mood are kind of long gone now. This is just done because I felt like it.
Which instrument did you first compose it on and what instrument did you use in the final version as the dominating one? Why?
The instrument that I composed it on was the piano and it is very piano-dominated as well if you hear it closely but of course, other instruments were also used. But the composition instrument was the piano and that’s dominant.
Whom would you like to dedicate this song to? Why?
I would like to dedicate this song to my wife because the lyrics state so and there’s just one love of my life and that’s her.
Any particular incident that happened during the composition of this song that you cherish or remember?
Since the song has lived with me for quite a few years. It was initially composed and sung by Mohan Kannan because I wanted that kind of a feel to it. Then later on when I played it to Anurag Bedi, the head of Zee Music, he loved the song and said that he wanted a female version of it also and so he dubbed the song also with Jyotica Tangri. And then eventually, of course, because the song was going in the film and the song was being picturized on Nawaz, we needed a male version also but we had to change Mohan’s voice into Raj Burman’s voice. So, I have actually lived through different varieties of this song which is very interesting and also very experimental because every singer has their own style that they add on to things and that sometimes changes the compositions and sometimes adds on to the compositions. But I feel we have really made a great balance between the two versions and the song is being loved by almost everyone.
What is the one thing that comes to your mind when you listen to this song? What does it mean to you?
The song is extremely close to my heart. I have recently done a very cute acoustic unplugged kind of a version because I love the melody a lot. It’s just a simple melodious old-school kind of a song which gives you a good happy feeling, it gives you goosebumps. So, if there’s a loved one that you are imagining along with the song, then it really touches your soul.
Why do you think people should listen to this song?
I think it’s a very long-lasting melody. I think it’s going to live with people for years and years to come. It’s not that kind of a melody that just comes and fades out. So, if youngsters consume it, they will consume it even when they are fifty. And the people in their fifties right now will reminisce similar compositions from their time like abhi na jaao chhod kar or Jagjit Singh ghazals. So, it has a very likable quality to it and it has easy listening so to say. These kinds of songs live a very long life and they only grow more beautiful with age. It’s like wine or single malt.
Well, the Bole Chudiyan song is truly soulful, and if you hear it once there is no way you won’t fall in love with it.