Music man Amaal Mallik is on a high after the stupendous response to his version of the Bhool Bhulaiyaa hit Ami je tomar. In Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, now playing in theatres, Amaal not only reworks Pritam’s original as Ami je tomar 3.0, sung by Shreya Ghoshal, but also recreates a version of it, called Mere dholna, rendered by Sonu Nigam. t2 caught up with the young composer for a chat.

Congratulations on the response to Ami je tomar 3.0 and for the overall success of Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3!

The success of the film has been a great comeback (for Bollywood) this year. Ever since Pathaan, Bollywood has been attempting something different in the genres of action and horror. I am also glad that Singham Again has worked. It is great that two films clashing on Diwali have both done well. I think it shows that people like to watch movies on the big screen.

Take us through the making of Ami je tomar 3.0. You are not usually known to do remixes...

Being part of Bhool Bhulaiyaa (3) has been special. I loved the first film (Bhool Bhulaiyaa, 2007). Its music has been going strong for almost 20 years now. Ami je tomar has been the backbone of the franchise. For me, working on Ami je tomar 3.0 has been quite a journey. There has been a lot of hard work and effort from everyone.

A lot of people were skeptical to do this. But I felt it is a good challenge, though I do keep away from remakes and remixes. But in this franchise, both the title track and Ami je tomar are iconic, they are synonymous with the film.

I have done EDM and I make popular music but this is my first tryst with Indian classical music in a glorious, powerful way. I knew that if I did the recreation right, it will get a good amount of love.

For Ami je tomar 3.0, I made an entire new stanza. That is what I want people to focus on more. It is just not Ami je tomar as it was. I never want to jump onto someone’s track and not add my vision to it. If I cannot add my own world, own lyrics and create a completely new world and then somehow give a bit of a nostalgic resemblance too, then I usually don’t do it. I will do a recreation if I manage to make at least a whole new stanza and a 16-bar melody which is my own.

The kind of response I am getting from the audience, it seems like it is a whole new song! People are making Instagram Reels on the new stanza, which is amazing. I come from an era where music was not judged by these things but today, all this is also a parameter of popularity. Sonu sir (Nigam) has received so many calls for the way he has rendered his version (Mere dholna) and Shreya Ghoshal is, of course, the original owner of this song along with Pritam and Sameer sir, who has also written the new version.

I am glad that this decision has paid off and I think I will go in with this intuitiveness into every project. Now, I listen to my inner voice and I want to add my shade to that overall painting of a movie. Otherwise, I don’t see myself jumping into everything like I would do when I was younger. I have the capability to do many songs in a year, but I want to do justice to every melody.

You will agree that most remixes these days are lazily put together, with many ending up spoiling the original song...

There are so many songs that have been destroyed and I can’t even begin to name them. But no composer wants to do a bad job. There are just too many cooks trying to teach them... director’s vision, actor’s vision, music label’s vision, production house’s vision, marketing team’s vision. We are told: ‘This is not today’s language. Use some trendy words’. Very few can stand their ground and fight for what their inner voice says, which is what I do. I don’t want to do something which makes people feel cheated.

If I had to name a dance remix which did a good job, it would be Aankh marey (from Simmba). But Masakali 2.0 just added the same beats to the original song and disturbed a classic created by a legend (A.R. Rahman).

I have changed five phone numbers in the last five years just to run away from people who want me to do remixes. I am not running a race to prove myself to anyone. My goal has been to prove to my father (Dabboo Malik) that his DNA has a true musician.

Today, when everything is a remake, it is very tough for original new voices, new composers to come in. I have also done masti mazaak tracks like Aashiq surrender hua, Kar gayi chull, Sooraj dooba hain.... I believe I can do whatever is needed. I am also ready to do solo soundtracks, which is a rarity nowadays, but that is my space. I am a complete musician.

For M.S. Dhoni (The Untold Story), I did about 27 songs and we shortlisted seven. That kind of work happens only if everyone involved invests equal time and effort. That happened with Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3... (director) Anees Bazmee is so passionate and has an amazing energy on set. Kartik Aaryan is also very involved.

Taking yesterday’s classics and spoiling them is something that I am very careful about. Anyone who remixes should add a little bit of their soul into it, not just a beat.

Ami je tomar 3.0 has an even more soulful version in the form of Mere dholna, sung by Sonu Nigam. What has the reception to that been?

Ami je tomar 3.0 (by Shreya Ghoshal) plays out in the dance-off between Vidya (Balan) and Madhuri (Dixit) and Sonuji’s version, of course, comes at the end when the big reveal about Kartik’s character is made. That was a surprise that was kept for the movie.

The director wanted three songs in one because there are three pivotal points at which the song is played. Getting Sonu Nigam to sing Mere dholna was my idea and I am glad he agreed. He has been the best singer in the country for many decades now. His range is immeasurable. Vocally, he is still so fresh.

I respect that he just didn’t come in and say: ‘Let’s sing it!’ He has gone to the depths to bring out every emotion. He spoke to Kartik and Anees Bazmee, he sat with me and rehearsed and then came in and knocked it out in an hour in two single takes.

This song needed a lot of ‘cinema’ in its singing. No one could have done it better than him. When Shreyaji heard this version, she was like: ‘Damn, this is a whole new song. This has become so dark.’ It is a magical, cosmic continuity of a song.

Does Mere dholna feel a lot more personal to you? You have mentioned that this song takes you back to your childhood... the loss of innocence and a feeling of betrayal...

Yes, completely. As a child, when I used to make music, people who I thought were mentors or like family, didn’t turn out the way I had thought them to be. Growing up, I saw more of the bad side of people and this industry. There was an intense, painful, dark emotional space that I was in when I was 15. There was no one I could approach to even play my demo. People have different notions because we come from a music family and my brother (Armaan Malik) and I have now achieved some level of success... but it hasn’t come easy. In fact, I think we are a good product of nepotism.

In this song, I wanted my audience to know that this is not just a part of the script. This is me taking myself back in time. I took myself back to the time when I was making demos and getting bullied in school. There were times when I made songs that I presented to people but they got stolen and I was never credited. But those things have all managed to make me emotionally aware and I never shy away from bringing that to my music.

You just said that horror and action are doing well in Bollywood. Is there any scope for pure melody in these genres, like there is in the romance genre?

Sometimes, I wish I was working in the ’90s. Or even before what. The era of Madan Mohan, S.D. Burman, Sardar Malik, and then Nadeem-Shravan and Anu Malik, which is the time that we have all grown up in.

I am not saying that kind of music is not possible today but nowadays, different people come in with different visions on a single project. You will still see a bit of pure melody happening in the indie pop scene, especially filmy pop. My own single Mohabbat has a music video which has been shot as a tribute to Shah Rukh Khan. The song is completely Indian at heart and has been immensely successful.

There is love for this kind of proper melody and music like we had in films like Dhadkan, Raja Hindustani, Aashiqui and Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee.... People have not stopped listening to those songs. We have had some melodious songs even in this generation over the last few years, but there is a thirst for much more. I strive to do that, but depending on the subject of the film and what the makers want, we are stuck and tied down in those areas. It’s difficult for us to put up a fight, but I do. I still put up a fight and I get through with lyrics and melody.