Music composer Mithoon reveals how he revisited fan favourite songs in Awarapan 2

Mithoon. Pic/By Special Arrangement

Some songs are fated to outlive the film they belong to, living on as listeners keep going back to them, month on month, year on year. Awarapan's (2007) chartbusters Tera Mera Rishta and Toh Phir Aao enjoyed that distinction over the two decades since they were released. When Awarapan 2 revisited one of Bollywood's most enduring soundtracks, composer Mithoon had the tricky task of carrying forward a legacy without tampering with its core. The composer shares with mid-day how he found Emraan Hashmi's character Shivam's new sound while respecting the one listeners never forgot.

Awarapan's music became an inseparable part of Shivam Pandit's story. What made you say yes to the sequel?
My relationship with Vishesh Films is very special. I started my career with them 20 years ago, when Mukesh Bhatt gave me my first film, Anwar. Over the years, the films I have done with him, Anwar, Murder 2, Kalyug, Aashiqui 2 and Hamari Adhuri Kahani, have always come to me for the right reasons. There is a certain connection or conversation that needs to happen. I know that if they have come to me, there is a reason. Then, when I heard it was Awarapan, that Vishesh was producing it and Emraan was coming back as Shivam, I felt very connected to that world. I started my career at 18, so I was still a boy when the first Awarapan came out. That story and that world mean a lot to all of us who were growing up at that time.

The original soundtrack is so embedded in people's memories. How do you make music like this feel fresh without losing what people love about it?
Two things are important. One is that I don't like the word "recreate", because beautiful things are created just once. They can never be recreated in that sense. The job is to protect the essence of it and not let that get diluted in any way. The second part is the creative process, where is Shivam Pandit now? Where is the script taking him? What space is he entering? As cinema composers, I have to justify the screen and its energy in every way possible.

How important was reconnecting with Sayeed Quadri, who was part of the original soundtrack?
It was a very big window into the world of Awarapan because Sayeed (Quadri) sir was part of its genesis. We were trying to understand Shivam's journey now, the kind of man he has become. He carries an inherent silence, but at the same time there is an ocean of pain screaming within him. That dichotomy of dignity versus anguish is something we wanted to hold on to. We kept going back to Awarapan for the character definition, where does this person come from and who is he? The answers are in your roots.

"Ve Junoon" became the first major musical introduction to Awarapan 2. What was the thought behind the song?
That was the first thought that Sayeed sahab and I cracked together. Vishesh Bhatt always felt that no matter where Shivam goes, love will always be the factor that brings him back. He is so upset with his life that only love can convince him to give life another chance. We wanted a song to define that battle, every time he falls in love, he has to give life another chance. We wanted to create a conversation between him and his heart. Shivam is someone who, when he falls in love, will wage war against the heavens for it. He doesn't want to take that path, but the anguish he is facing keeps pulling him there. Sayeed sahab wrote a few lines and we came from a very dark space knowing that this may take me nowhere, knowing that my destiny is completely twisted, but still wanting to burn myself one more time.

Pritam had composed the original's album

Did you feel the pressure of taking on songs as iconic as "Tera Mera Rishta"?
Honestly, I don't. I take it as a job given to me. And if I'm not convinced, I don't do it. I was convinced because Shivam's emotional theme will always be "Tera Mera Rishta", no matter where he goes in life. When I was convinced that they were making this film for the right reason and that these songs should be a part of it, and the original creators were in sync with the idea, that's when I got into it.

What was your approach to the new "Tera Mera Rishta"?
It was based around the thought. The most interesting thing was that hardcore Awarapan fans online actually cracked the thought of the song themselves. They came up with the idea that the original song was Shivam's cry to God, and now God answers back after 19 years.That was something Sayeed bhai and I were discussing too. We weren't trying to force it through the marketing. We were letting people feel because it's a film about feeling things. People came up with this themselves and felt that weight and patience that God takes time to answer your prayers. That thought had to be justified musically. I started on the piano and then added layers, keeping a little bit of grunge because in the film it becomes that final call from God, the motivation that comes from the heavens to stand up and fight against evil.

"Toh Phir Aao" is another song that audiences have carried with them for years. How did you approach bringing it back?
We knew it was going to be the soul of Awarapan 2, so again we had to give it a new thought. If you notice the production of Toh Phir Aao Dubaara, there is a sense of restraint to it. The original version was epic and had a very pronounced turmoil. This one slightly holds back. My idea was to give it more of an inner turmoil. The earlier one was more pronounced; this one is more introspection. It is more about the battle within the man. I tried to give that a sonic quality.

You have brought Subodh Sharma into this musical world. What made you feel he was the right voice?
My idea was never to outrun a particular voice or do better than what came before. When people connect to a voice, that connection is lifelong. That is the beauty of what we do. Whether it is me, Pritam, Sayeed Quadri, Mustafa Zahid or any artist, those connections are what make us. I was aware of the reverence people have for the first album, so the idea was never to outrun that connection. We simply needed to bring a new voice to the album. What I liked about Subodh when I first met him was that he sang for the joy of singing. He sang to express his angst and whatever he was feeling through his music. It was never about impressing me or trying to sing Toh Phir Aao well. There was a sense of abandon and freedom of expression. That is what I wanted on this album because that's how Shivam is. He isn't here to impress people or convince them about who he is.

And what did Saaj Bhatt bring?
I am personally very fond of Saaj Bhatt's voice. I felt that the silence needed for Tera Mera Rishta was very personal. The conversation between you and the Almighty is an intimate space. What God speaks to you in your heart in the middle of the night is something only you and He know. I found that intimacy and sensitivity in the way Saaj rendered the song, which is why I added him as a layer along with Subodh's voice.

Almost two decades later, what do you think makes the music of Awarapan continue to resonate?
For me, it comes back to the character. Shivam is defined by silence, pain, dignity and anguish. The music has to come from that space. When you understand where a character comes from and what his roots are, the music naturally finds its emotional language. With Awarapan 2, the attempt was never to compete with the past. It was to protect what people loved, understand where Shivam is today and allow the music to grow with him.

Mustafa Zahid has announced the Awarapan 20 Years Tour and has also recorded his own rendition of a song from the original. Have you heard it?
I have heard snippets of it. In fact, he sent me the snippets himself. Even when he was ideating on it, he sent me the ideas. When the film was offered to me, it was very important that all the original creators were, even if not technically, somewhere down the line emotionally in sync with what we were doing. We are dealing with artists and their creativity here, so it is very important that we show that mutual respect. I spoke to Mustafa and he was completely invested in the film. He has a lot of gratitude for Vishesh Films, Mohit Suri, Mukesh Bhatt and Sayeed Qadri. I also have a great relationship with him. He sang one of my personal songs, "Teri Zaroorat", so there is a personal connection there as well.

What does it mean to have Mustafa Zahid's blessing, in a sense, while you are working on music that is so closely associated with his voice?
If we're making films, telling stories, love stories and stories of connections, I feel that this mutual respect is very important. That's something I don't like to compromise on. There has been a lot of emotion around Awarapan returning almost two decades later.

Mohit Suri also shared a very heartfelt post about the film. Does it feel like this world now belongs to a whole new generation as well?
When a film goes out to the audience, and when any piece of work goes out to the audience, it actually becomes the audience's more than the people who made it. So it's almost like new people have come into this world, which is very lovely. I think we should just hold on to that and hope for better times.

Has Pritam heard your Awarapan 2 soundtrack yet? Has he responded?
I haven't got his feedback yet. But the kind of commitment and consistency that man has shown in delivering music constantly for the last 25 years is something I wouldn't even expect feedback from. I would just want him to be in his space, be in the zone where he exists, and keep churning out the great music that he does. I would want him to be there only, and I would pray for his long life there. I don't expect any reactions from him. That would be very selfish of me.

You've spent so much time on Awarapan 2. What's next for you?
I'm working on something very different that I haven't done before. I'm doing something with Remo D'Souza. It's too early to talk about it, but that's a very different space that he and I are in right now. I'm also working with Mohit Suri again on something.

Jeet Gannguli, Amaal Mallik, Akhil Sachdeva, and Wasif Ahmad have also composed songs for ‘Awarapan 2'

Pakistani singer Mustafa Zahid, who voiced the original ‘Tera Mera Rishta', recently announced the ‘Awarapan 20 Years Tour' and recorded his own rendition of the chartbuster. Revealing that he has heard snippets of Zahid's rendition, Mithoon said, "When the film was offered to me, it was important that all the original creators were, if not technically, emotionally in sync with what we were doing. We are dealing with artistes and their creativity, so it's important that we show mutual respect"