Go Goa Gone and Ramaiya Vastavaiya music director duo Sachin-Jigar

No ambition in this combination

Go Goa Gone and Ramaiya Vastavaiya music director duo Sachin-Jigar on being BFFs, why their jodi works and more...

    It’s been a busy year for composer duo Sachin-Jigar. With several hits under their belt and more projects to follow, 2013 sure seems to be their year. We pinned the busy pair down for a short chat and asked them to run us through their musical journey and the unique relationship they share... 

Music's always been on your minds, career-wise? Jigar: We come from typical Gujju backgrounds where either you get into business or professions like medical or chartered accountancy. It took some time for our folks to understand our passion. Our families felt, 'Theek hai, music hota rahega.' When we were music arrangers people thought we were part of some orchestra, they didn’t know that we are into composing.
Sachin: My father is a CA so I was pursuing CA studies to join my father’s firm. But alongside, I was doing theatre and television and lot of work had started pouring in. But when I failed the final exams, my father felt I should consider music full time, and so I left CA.
Jigar: I had cleared my CAT to do my MBA. But the day I gave my exam, I had decided to get into this industry. I didn’t even see my results. On the day of my exam there was this 41-year-old guy giving the same exam while I was 22. I shuddered at the thought of struggling till I was in my 40’s. Our families supported us and both of us got the push at the crucial time. 

What brought you two together? Sachin: I started with Gujarati theatre and further moved on to television serials. While Jigar was assisting Rajesh Roshan during the making of Krrish, Amit Trivedi joined them too. Amit and I have worked together on many shows. It was he who introduced me to Jigar, we got along well and decided to join hands. 

Did you have to struggle in the industry? Jigar: We always took risks. Just when we started doing well in theatre we got into Hindi television and while we were flourishing there we got into arranging for Hindi films. We joined Pritam sir who eventually gave us a go-ahead to arrange for other music composers, and we started working for A R Rahman, Anu Malik …Just when we were the highest paid in music arrangement, Pritam sir pushed us to the next level — composing. For us it was, ‘Oh god, it is like going back to zero again.’ But it was always a calculated risk. Whenever we went to the next level, we ensured that we could sustain for six months financially.
Sachin: But it wasn’t easy. When we decided to compose, we were discouraged by two very big directors about five years back. They heard our songs and said that it won’t work and that we should either go back to arrangement, or better still go back to father’s business. But Pritam sir instilled hope in us saying — ‘Times are changing, sounds are changing and so will the music’. He had realised that we can make tunes and had the knack of composing. 

You are known for your party songs but of late, you are settling for tried and tested formula… Jigar: We have to pass this test of versatility. We can’t be doing only party or only slow numbers. Video sharing websites are going to every home and everybody is listening to all kinds of music, and Bollywood is very adaptive. It has to just look like a Hindi song whether you are doing jazz or hip hop.
Sachin: Music is very subjective. What may be superhit for one producer, could be a super flop for the other. One director outright rejected Slowly Slowly calling it ‘Nonsense’. When Raj D K heard he said, ‘Lock, lock lock’. We’ve never done commercial music like we did for Prabhudheva in Ramaiya Vastavaiya. It is mass-y music. 

How do you divide work? Jigar: There is no formula. Sometimes Sachin has an idea and I build upon it, and vice versa. We can both arrange, compose and come up with lines. Nothing is planned, it is a creative process. 

You seem to be getting busier by the day belting out hits one after the other... Sachin & Jigar: We were getting typecast post F.A.L.T.U., people felt we could only do DJ type dance music, and that we were too young to understand melody. Then we did Saibo for Shor In The City which was a huge contrast. We understood that we have to balance between popular and artistic music. We started spacing out different genres of music. Kyaa Super Kool... was commercial, ABCD and Go Goa Gone were experimental and now Ramaiya Vastavaiya is again popular music. Last year we slogged and we are reaping the benefits this year. 

Stars tend to “interfere” a lot in production decisions and music. In the face of this, think you can stay true to your style? Most of our hits so far have been with non-stars. We have survived on our own music, talent and ability. But composers will have to perform even if a star is backing them. For instance, Himesh Reshammiya will have to prove minus Akshay, Sajid-Wajid will have to perform with or without Salman around. 

You’ve had controversies arising from use of raunchy lyrics in your music... Sachin: It is fantastic to have a controversy. 

Where do you draw the line? Sachin: We avoid raunchy songs when we are not briefed about the film’s storyline. We don’t like selling an item number just for the heck of it. For example, a Babaji Ki Booti (from Go Goa Gone) will not fit anywhere in any other film. Jigar: We don’t like repeating ourselves just because one song becomes a hit and they want the same thing again and again. 

 
    JODI JAM Your favourite jodi? Jatin-Lalit win hands down. In their time, they did what we want to do today. They set up a certain legacy in romantic songs. 

But jodis often break up... If our work affects our personal relationship, we'd rather lose that work. All our fundamental calls are taken by Jigar and me, so our jodi will never break up. There is no third person to manipulate you. 

What would eventually drive you apart? Death. Our relationship is like our parents’ marriage, it is understood that we have to be together all our life. There is no ambition in this combination.