Music man and actor Himesh Reshammiya was in Calcutta recently to promote his Friday release Happy, Hardy and Heer. t2 caught up with Himesh for a chat on the film, made famous by the discovery of the Ranaghat music sensation Ranu Mondal.

How does it feel to be back in Calcutta?

Superb! The only thing I’m regretting is that I can’t eat the beautiful mithais as I’m on a very strict diet recommended by my wife (Sonia Kapoor). When it comes to acting, you have to get your jawline, your physique right and the character of Hardy needed a lot of transformation.

I remember when I’d performed here in Salt Lake, the hall was jam-packed, there were about 1,80,000 people ! I’ve already performed 12-14 times here. In the context of the film, the song Teri meri kahani (sung by Ranu Mondal) became such a huge hit from here, so it’s all the more special. It happened because Calcutta has always been a very musical city.

Happy Hardy and Heer will have you playing a double role for the first time

I’m not a born actor, but I’ve learned along the way. For this film, it was very important for me to get past Himesh and get into the skin of the character Harpreet Singh Lamba aka Happy, who’s a Punjabi and Hardy aka Harshvardhan Bhatt. For that I did two years of workshops. First, I got the whole script completely in my head like a play, got the lines right and then took up workshops and physical training sessions to attain the fitness level of Hardy. So, I underwent a complete physical transformation in terms of my look and also got into the nuances of both the characters as they need to be similar in certain aspects but otherwise different individuals.

Yes, this is the first time I’m doing a double role as well as a pure love story. As an actor, I’m keen on getting that one game-changing Friday, like that of (Amitabh) Bachchan saab in Zanjeer or Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh.

Tell us about the music of the film, especially in terms of the Ranu Mondal phenomenon...

Music plays an integral part in this love story and is already doing very well. Releasing the music of the film before the release of the trailer was a big decision taken by the producer and the music company and it worked because we have original music. Teri meri kahani and Heeriye have already struck a chord.

I was looking for a fresh voice and Ranu Mondal’s voice was just right. Teri meri kahani is the theme song of the love story which needed a very divine connect. And that was perfectly brought in by Ranu’s voice. This kind of a classic melody doesn’t work in today’s times mostly, but Teri meri kahani went viral.

What’s your take on the current trend of remixes in Bollywood?

There is nothing wrong with recreation. But the original composer should get the due. I’ve recreated my own songs, so that’s fine. But otherwise, I think that if you want to really keep reinventing your work, then original music is always better.

I think the new composers of today are a little scared of approval, which is where creative bankruptcy is coming from.

Is there a formula to crack a hit song?

When you’re composing an album, there’s a lot of money invested along with the sentiments of the fans. The formula is to have options and test the songs with your friends and family as the producers will always want a hit song.

What’s your opinion on music reality shows?

I’ve been very successful with reality shows. I’ve done more than 13 shows and I will be doing a new reality show next year. There have been mixed opinions about reality shows, but in my case, people have seen that my connect has always been one-on-one with the young talents. When I promise someone a break, I keep my word. I gave Darshan Raval and Akash Singh a break in Kheech meri photo and Mohammad Irfan in Dard dilon ke kam ho jaate, Palak Muchhal in Prem ratan dhan payo. So when I commit, I do give a break.

What would be your advice to aspiring singers?

Earlier, it was difficult to get a break but easy to sustain but now it’s very easy to get a break but very difficult to sustain. And I always believe that they should know what to do at the right age, whether they should continue, whether they should go for professional training or whether they should quit and get into some other line because of the stiff competition in the music industry.