Dil Se Dil Tak - A Meeting Point

Vishal Dadlani needs no introduction at RajaHasan.Com.
As many Raja Hasan fans are here there are that many Vishal and Shekhar fans here and we feel this RajaHasan.Com would surely have been incomplete with the awesome duo. As we were missing them and wondering what is going on with VS, we came across Vishal’s interview with AspiDrift. Enjoy!

Courtesy: Aspi Drift

Aspi: Hey Vishal, thanks for stopping by the Drift and doing this with us. How’s the leg doing now (given that you survived all that bouncing around on The Unforgettables)?

Vishal: The leg is outta action for a bit. Just got that much overdue surgery a few days ago, and it’ll be about six weeks before I hit the studio again!

Aspi: Ok, how did you and Shekhar meet? Mwa-ha-ha, I’m just kidding, you don’t have to answer that ghisa-pita question. You can put the gun away now

Vishal: Thanks, can’t tell you how much I appreciate this!

Aspi: But I will ask you this: is there any specific fuel (food, drink, etc) that you keep handy in the studio to get through those long days?

Vishal: Chinese jasmine tea is a big booster for me! I do about four cups a day!

Aspi: Listening to Dostana, I got the feeling that you were creating the definitive Lite FM CD – it sounded breezy and reminded me of sunny days. Was there an underlying theme to the music or did each track evolve independently?

Vishal: I have to give all credit to [Dostana Director] Tarun [Mansukhani] . He’s the guy who went all out to find a sound that, while commercial, was unique to him, and different from the well-established Dharma [Productions] sound!

He made us put in a lot of work (maybe 200-300 different tune options), and gave us a lot of space and patience. But, it was all worth it! He wanted the light, breezy vibe you feel when you hear it, but without losing sight of the fact that it’s a huge commercial score!

Aspi: On Jaane Kyun there is a Vishal Dadlani who turns in a bravura vocal performance. That doesn’t sound like you at all! Is there another Vishal Dadlani in the industry that I don’t know about or is that you truly singing a personally game changing song?

Vishal: Well, I do a few voices you haven’t even heard yet! Seriously, though, I was getting a little trapped into singing songs that were solely within the rocked-out style, and this was a big opportunity for me to do something different with my voice. I’m glad Tarun and Shekhar took a chance on me, and I’m glad people dig it!

Aspi: Vishal, who hires lyricists? Is it the director, the music director or it depends?

Vishal: Usually, we (music director/director) suggest their names, and the producer pays them.

Aspi: You’ve worked with Anvita [Dutt Guptan] before on Bachna Ae Haseeno and now here on a couple of tracks. Her lyrics seem to suit your music really well. What’s the one thing you hope and pray for in a lyricist?

Vishal: The ability to understand that a music director’s opinion is a somewhat valid one, and the patience and humility to sometimes change lyrics accordingly. That, and a new approach, a fresh insight. Easier said than done, believe me! And Anvita has it all!

Aspi: Do the actors always stop by to listen to the songs? And what kind of inputs do you get from them? Any specific inputs from John , Abhishek and Priyanka on this CD?

Vishal: Sometimes they do, but on this one, it was all Tarun, all the way. Nobody (except Karan [Johar] on a couple of occasions) heard a song till it was recorded! Luckily, everyone loved ‘em!

Aspi: I think it’s really cool that you have found a new way to use an old world voice like Saleem. I think Maa Da Laadla is one of the most unique club tracks of the year but I’m not convinced about those helium vocals. How did that song happen?

Vishal: It’s a mad story. We were badly stuck on that song. It’s a bit of a joke situation, and Tarun hadn’t gone nuts over anything we’d done for it yet, so in a fit of frustration, Shekhar took a day off, and promised Tarun six options the next day.

He played them all to him, one by one, and Tarun kept bouncing them, until he played this one. The duck vocals were a bit of a joke, but Tarun just loved it, and so they stayed as they were!

Aspi: I wanted your thoughts on the following three new singers who I’ve grown quite fond of.

Shilpa Rao

Vishal: Beautiful voice, great determination, will do great things! Her voice made Khuda Jaane even more special!

Himani Kapoor

Vishal: Great singer, unique voice, will also achieve great things! Jogi Mahi was just a voice-test for her with us. We’ll definitely do something big with her soon.

Harshdeep Kaur

Vishal: We worked with her on Le jaa in the film Karam , and she’s absolutely fantastic too! I hope this Junoon victory does big things for her.

Himani (stylistically) and Harshdeep (stylistically and sonically) will have to step out of the Richa Sharma mold, and find their own personal niches, though.

Just so you know, I love the fact that there are so many new singers

To read more details of this interview, please click Link Here