Rocker, hellboy, Bollywood composer and now political activist. Vishal Dadlani - besotted with his wife of 11 years - plays the shy guy card at this interview
Rocker, hellboy, Bollywood composer and now political activist. Vishal Dadlaniu00a0- besotted with his wife of 11 yearsu00a0- plays the shy guy card at this interview
JUST where does Vishal Dadlani get off sounding like he's the city's last standing crusader? And what's with the boorish demeanour that puts off even the gentlest Zoozoo fan? A couple of years ago, Vishal was a zany, hot-as-hell composer wanting to show off the soundtrack of Kaante with co-composer Shekhar Ravjiani at his first floor Bandra studio called Studio One, before it could hit the shelves. 
Then, he went under for a week or so after apologising to his fans for a nasty microphone stand-throwing episode four years ago at a gig called Moshmania. Suddenly all was forgotten and, like every other famous face, he was pasted all over hoardings and blasting off TVs. He seemed to be getting louder and more aggressive at every Pentagram gig we witnessed. But just how did he turn into this broom-wielding, door-knocking campaigner for citizens' rights?
We meet Vishal at his two-year-old studio in Bandra. He's in great spirits after a fantastic gig Down Under that even drew comparisons to the Australian funk rock band Mammal in a review. He's also just recorded a thumping track composed by Salim Sulaiman for the soundtrack of Rocket Singhu00a0- Salesman of the Year in his trademark gun-throat vocals. We start off on a not-so-easy note when we tell him that we didn't like the soundtrack of Aladin on first listen but Vishal takes it well.
Vishal fields all the questions surprisingly easily and we come back convinced that he's as approachable as the next guy and lives with the same insecurities that all of us regular non-rockers and the world's biggest rockers have to deal with everyday. Here's the definitive Vishal Dadlani
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The soundtrack of Aladin grows on you.
I can't tell the audience that but the trick to listening to Aladin is that every song has a reference point in Mr B's career. Tak dhina dhin refers to Jahaan teri yeh nazar hai. You May Be is Dilbar Mere - there's no similarity between the tunes but that's a waltz and this is a waltz - the structure of the antara in Ore sawariya is Namak Halal meets Padosan tu apni murgi ko rakhnau00a0 sambhal
What was Big B like in the studio?
We were on tour together. He's very kind to us, tolerates our nonsense and participates in it also. He becomes one of us. It's amazing to see that enthusiasm when you've achieved so much and can still keep the buzz alive, and that need to do something new.
Ya but vocally and all that, does he pick up very quickly?
So far, he's the best among the actors we've worked with and quite possibly he's better than some of the singers as well. He'd never admit it but he plays the piano, he plays the sitar, he knows music in terms of folk music. He knows a few raags. He truly loves music. It's not a hobby. It's something that he really digs. He has maybe 20,000 songs on his computer, some of which is the newest, craziest dance music. Many a times he's made us hear stuff that we've not heard.
Like what?
Just DJs from across the world. It's a culture shock really. You don't expect Amitabh Bachchan to come in with electro references and ideas but he does and surprise you everytime.
Were there ideas that he brought to Genie rap?
Absolutely. He co-composed the hook with usu00a0- Aladin give me a taali, sun tera bheja hai khaali... His name should be there as composer, only he turned down the idea.
You've made Abhishek sing for Bluffmaster. Were you mentally comparing the father and son?
They were two different kind of songs. In Mr B's case, Shekhar and I gangsterised the Genie. Abhishek was supposed to sound cool and laidback. Abhishek's definitely inherited it (musical abilities) from him. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree. But this tree is a big tree.
What's happening to the hip hop album with Abhishek?
That you should ask Abhishek. I think he's being coy or shy about releasing it. It's complete. It's banging. Shekhar and I went to LA recently and played it to some people in the hip hop business and they were like 'It's crazy sh*t'. We merged a whole lot of stuff - there's bhojpuri folk, qawwali and hip hop. It's a mad mash-up.
Bhojpuri?
Yeah. Just the vibe. Not the language so much. You'll be surprised how well Indian folk lends itself to hip hop and vice versa
Has there been one film recently which you wished you'd scored for?
Wake Up Sid - what a great film. I would have loved to have done Kaminey as well.
Have you regretted signing on any film?
That would be betraying the film. If you do the crime, you do the time. If Vishal and Shekhar's name is on it, it can't be bad. We work hard for that and deeply care about our films. Shabd didn't do well and neither was the score rated well, but till date I'd call it some of our best work. At the end of the day, film music works only if the film works.
Sure but there are dud films made by very good directors where the music is the only thing going for it.
For that Dil Se is the ultimate album - whether the film worked or not, the music is going to be around forever. Dil Se changed music for people like me. Dil Se came out in '93. I turned music director in '98. One of the main reasons that happened was Dil Se. Rahman has broken down so many doors for all of us. You gotta admire that. Every sing song on Dil Se - whether it's Chaiyya Chaiyya or Ae ajnabi - that's my favourite track of all time - to Sonu singing Satrangi re - the note he hits at the end of the song just wrenches your soul. The production of it, the beauty of it - it just took it to the next level at that point in time. And even now when you play a song in Dil Se, it stands out even compared to Rahman's work - Dil Se, Saathiya, Lagaan - all of them outstanding.
How did the band react when you told them that you were doing film music?
Shiraz (Pentagram's drummer) in fact introduced me to Raj Kaushal (the director of Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi for which Vishal-Shekhar's scored their debut OST). I can only be true to me. I grew up with R D Burman and Led Zep side by side on the record shelf and nobody told me they were different in any way except for the fact that the languages were different. So for me, there wasn't a wall there because nobody put it there.
It's not even a transition - this is where I get to explore a pop sensibility which I don't get to explore with Pentagram. With Pentagram I get to explore the mad electro edge, crazy freak show sensibility which I don't get to do here so much because it would scare the bejesus out of the audiences. So it might have been a problem if it had affected my commitment to Pentagram. But I'd never made any bones about it - Pentagram is who I am. Those guys are my family and friends and I love them so doing that music is what makes me a musician in the first place. I want to be part of music so I can do just that. Everything else is just gravy.
Is your new Penta album done and does it have a political colour to it? Protest songs?
No, halfway. No political stuff and it all depends on how you perceive protest songs. All our songs are protest songs in some way. It's hard to define. There's a song called Mental zero which we've been playing live and people have been bouncing around off the walls. Mental zero is about the dumbing down of everything around - it's something that I have a problem with - there's a certain space of thought that believes that stupidity is okay and that reflects in popular film, popular music, in a lot of cases. I find that very offensive as a member of the audience so that's my protest right there.
This is not a result of Raju Srivastav getting onto stage?
I don't want to talk about Raju Srivastav.
Is the political activism that you've got into a build up to the album?
No. There were a couple of issues that woke me. You could boil it down to watching too many Manoj Kumar movies in my childhood.
I don't want people to be living in the shambles that the city has become. I believe in the power of the individual. I'm not a collective guy. I'm not a member of any society that acts together. I just feel that everyone contributes to their own causes, which is what Small Change is supposed to signify, then we'd all be set.
There's a very simple principle to democracy and I believe this - all these people represent me - my corporator, my MLA, my MP, my Prime Minister even. It's an empowering realisation that you need to come to. Whatever power they have we gave them and we can take it away.
If I believe I'm not a thief, I'm not corrupt, I'm a decent human being then why would I elect thieves, murderers and the kind of people who are being foisted on us by national parties? Why would I believe the ideology of closing down Maharashtra's borders? Why would I support the ideology that says divide these people on the basis of Hindu, Muslim and Christian or anything? I'm not like that. When you walk into my studio, I don't care what caste, or creed or religion you're from.
Twenty thousand people have signed that petition against the statue (of Chhatrapati Shivaji in the sea) and even if each of those 20,000 talks to two others, the word just spreads exponentially.
What was it like when you went campaigning?
Not one person slammed the door, not one person said, 'B$%#@% off I'm busy.' Half of them didn't know who I was. It didn't stop them being good. I'm thinking purely on national terms - what a resource! These are educated middle class people who are concerned about what's happening locally, nationally and globally and it would be great if you can convince them to have the right people represent them and not let it be the cesspool it has become.
You think you've been able to cause change?
I don't know man. I don't think I'm the kind of celebrity who people follow. I don't think anyone would change the way I live or sign up for a cause because I said so. They'd only do that if they believe it.
Your manager Vijay Nair is also pretty politically active. Do you guys discuss politics and stuff?
All the time. I don't do any of this stuff without advice from him. He's very strong guy in his beliefs and a very clean person so that gives you a lot of strength. My wife is like that as well - for her right is right and wrong is wrong. It can't be any other way. Any conscience that I have has come from conversations with her. She's got the greatest compassion that I've ever found in any human being.
What does she say about your music?
It's her music really. Anything's that come out of my head, Priyali's heard first. All the songs I write are for her.
You don't come across as this guy on stage.u00a0 What happens on stage? Is there some sort of backstage preparation for your act?
I have to tell you the truth. I'm desperately shy. I have a serious social problem. I can't be in a room and talk to people. I'm very uncomfortable unless these people are my friends, and I trust them and I know them. It sounds ridiculous when I say it because I'm in this space but it's true and that whole energy on stage comes from morbid fear. I remember the first time I got on stage, the fear was overcome by adrenalin and my hands were shaking and I turned into this beast on stage. I got off the stage and thought I wanted to be like that all the time. I went upto my dad and said, 'I'm sorry, but this is who I am. This is what I have to do.' He was kind enough to say, 'Go for it do. Be strong.'
When and where was this first gig?
It was on June 14, 1993. It wasn't Pentagram but a band that lasted a day but the lucky part is that I met Shiraz, who was the drummer of that band and Shekhar, who played the keyboards.
This was for that fashion show?
Correct. We were there to meet women. You gotta have the right objectives. I believe that music was invented to get laid. It was invented by the caveman to impress that cavegirl, to get that edge over the next caveman. It's peacock feathers. It's the truth and because there are other things that you want to say music evolved but I have no doubt that the primal reason for the existence of music is sex-drive.
Did you meet your wife at the fashion show?
No, I met her a few years later at a chaiwala down the lane where we used to rehearse. She was at Sophia's and I used to live on Pedder Road at that time. Recently, Pentagram played at Sophia's and we back to anna. He's got pictures of us on his wall. It's probably one of our bigger achievements that anna loves us.
There's no doubt about Pentagram's status in music industry. Why do you want to be the headlining act at every concert?
That's a management rider. It's the standard thing.
Isn't that something you insist on?
That's how it goes. In Australia we were not headlining and that was refreshing
C'mon that was an international concert, but at an Indian gig you always want to be the headlining act
That's how it is. It did happen once in Bangalore and we played the show. I would want the status that Pentagram has achieved or the size of it to be pushed around by an organizer. If I felt legitimately that there was a band better than us it's okay not to headline. We took second place to Megadeth. I'm being absolutely honest. It's business. If you find me a band better than Pentagram, put them above us. It's not an ego thing but don't show Pentagram for less than it is. We are a band that changed everything in this country - from the playing of original music to the sound of rock n roll in this country to the way rock n rollers behave and look on stage. Whether they admit or not, a lot of it comes about Pentagram. It's not about the billing but you should get what you deserve.
Where did you get your stage act from?
I was a big Elvis fan. His twitching was nervous as well. I remember reading an article by Bobby Duggal about some show at Rang Bhavan in MiD DAY maybe in 1992. The article said: "Great band and because it was an Indian vocalist, his feet stayed on the ground." That's when I thought to myself my feet are not gonna stay on stage. So between that and Elvis, Phil & Selmo and watching all the videos. Eventually now it's none of them. Now when you hear what Shiraz, Randolph and Papal are doing, it's not that I'm dancing or anything that there's identifiable step like Elvis had that pelvic twitch. I just do whatever the f%$# I feel like. When you're on stage there's this cosmic light that emanates from you and takes everyone with you on this ride. Everything else takes care of itself. You just have to get into that post psychotic space. I've fallen down on stage and cut my head here. I tripped and fell down on a monitor and bled through the whole show and didn't notice. I came off stage and everyone was like, 'Dude your head's bleeding.' I busted my leg at Blue Frog. I had to have surgery but I finished that show and did another one a week later. If you don't buy it nobody would buy it.
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