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Mithoon recalls the first time he met Mahesh Bhatt with his ‘commerce text book’, says filmmaker did not use his initial work for this reason

Music composer Mithoon spoke in length about his journey and growth in Bollywood, times when he became over confident about his work, and how Mahesh Bhatt moulded his thought process.

Mithoon has completed 17 years in the Hindi music industry.

Music director Mithoon says there was a time in 2008, when success made him a tad over confident after delivering back-to-back chartbusters in Zeher, Bas Ek Pal, Anwar and The Train. “That put me in a zone where I believed whatever I’m doing is working,” he said. But soon, criticism came his way for Aggar. Many held that “it came from a template I created for myself. But I took it positively and responsibly.”

Mithoon took a one-year break and did not sign any new film. “I renewed my thought process and came back with Murder 2,” the musician recalls. With songs like “Aye Khuda” and “Phir Mohabbat”, Murder 2 continues to remain one of the biggest hits of Mithoon’s career.

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In a candid chat with indianexpress.com, Mithoon further looked back at starting off at a young age and how filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt became instrumental in shaping his career. “When I went to meet Bhatt sir for first time with my father, I was carrying my commerce text book. I was that raw.”

Born into a family of musicians, Mithoon made his Bollywood debut in 2005 with Zeher and Kalyug. Though his first two hits were remixes – “Woh Lamhe” and “Aadat”, he soon switched to original compositions, and then never looked back to recreations. Stating that making new music was always his calling, he said, “I’ve never done anything out of a template. I’ve never given in to any kind of pressure from so-called music labels or external forces. I’ve always done what is best for my song. Sometimes it has worked, sometimes it hasn’t.”

In a career spanning close to two decades, Mithoon has aced up to become among the most bankable music directors of Hindi cinema. He has movies like Aashiqui 2, Sanam Re, Ek Villain, Half Girlfriend, Yaariyan, Kabir Singh, and Malang to his credit. His recent projects range from Radhe Shyam to Jugjugg Jeeyo, Shamshera, HIT: The First Case and the upcoming Gadar 2.

“In terms of number, maybe I’m doing more films. But I’ve realised that now, I have a lot more responsibility as a music composer towards my listeners,” he shared. For him the genre of a movie also impacts his tunes. “Every story has a different plot, time frame, set-up and emotions. Shamshera is set in 1871 pre-independence India. So there’s a certain texture to the sounds and instruments,” he said.

Mithoon revealed that many people were not expecting that he’ll come up with something like “Ji Huzoor”. He said Ranbir Kapoor’s Balli in Shamshera was also the sort of character he has never composed for before. “My characters have always been restrained. So this was a new experience for me.”

He said that director Karan Malhotra’s clarity about the visuals of the song helped Mithoon write and conceive it well. “And then when you see Ranbir onscreen, you see his sincerity. I think he’s the most sincere actor I’ve seen in my life.”

Thank you Neeti for adding so much beauty to my music in #Shamshera https://t.co/J5BUaCVVyK

— Mithoon (@Mithoon11) July 17, 2022

But does Mithoon feel the heat with a project like Gadar 2 comes his way, whose first part was a musical blockbuster from the stable of Uttam Singh? Refuting any kind of pressure, he says he views every movie independently, and reacts to its story. So, despite Gadar: Ek Prem Katha (2001) being a benchmark in Bollywood music, its sequel is a new story.

“Gadar is a part of our legacy, but at the same time even I have to live upto to a legacy which I’ve created for myself. There’s an answerability I have towards my own brand name and conscience. People expect a lot from me as well. Idea is to give my 100 percent, whether it is a legacy film or a non legacy film,” he said.

Mithoon with Mohit Suri and Arijit Singh. (Photo: Mithoon/Facebook)

And coming back to his long-standing collaboration with Mahesh Bhatt, who gave him his big Bollywood break, Mithoon reiterated that even while working with him, he never requires to follow any format or mentally prepare himself to get into his universe. It is known that Mahesh Bhatt’s productions have a signature musical aesthetics with a lot of value given to the soundtrack.

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Looking back, Mithoon added that he was 19 when he first collaborated with Mahesh Bhatt, so the latter’s presence became an important part of Mithoon’s formative years in the industry. “I did some work for him in 2005, which he obviously didn’t use. But he told me ‘you have tremendous potential. But this is far from your peak.’ That made a big difference to me because I wasn’t looking for approval that time. I was looking for someone to push me beyond my boundaries.”

That instilled confidence in him. “They said a composer is someone who’s venting out through his music. So don’t hold yourself back. He definitely moulded my thought process.”

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While he revealed that Anwar’s 9-minute-long song “Tose Naina Laage” has so far been his most challenging and time-taking composition, Kabir Singh’s “Dil Ka Dariya” came instantly to him.

Mithoon named Pritam’s recent composition “Phir Na Aisi Raat” from Laal Singh Chaddha as a beautiful number. Rejecting the opinion that there’s a dearth of good music today, Mithoon made a point. According to him quantity has taken over quality.

He opined, “In 1990s-2000s, we only had promos on ETC. So we knew about the five songs that released everyday, which we either liked or disliked. Today with so much music, how much can you listen to? We have 20-30 songs coming out each day. Digital boom is good but it also comes with its clause. There’s no quality control. It takes a lot for a good song to even crack the horizon.”

Agreeing to the tag of being a reclusive composer who stays away from media glare, Mithoon said that’s because he lets his work do the talking. “The work of a musician should be audible and not visible. I’m completing 17 years with billions of streams. I must’ve done something right with so many people listening to my music.”