My tunes are not ready-made: Thaman

Ace music director Thaman has struck the right chord with Sarrainodu. In this interview, Thaman talks about working with Stylish Star Allu Arjun, how he updates himself, how he sees competition in the industry, his opinion on composing item songs and remixes, and more.  

How was it working with Allu Arjun?

I have worked in close association with Bunny. Working with him gave me self-confidence automatically. He makes it sure that the song situations are apt for the story. He has special interest in ensuring that the locations, choreography and lyrics are the best. If a musician is a fan of a hero, he can give him successful tunes.

For example, Bunny sat with me during the composition of the party song. He has good technical knowledge about music because he listens to international music. Since he is a stylish star, I took care to ensure that the class touch was there even while the songs sounded massy.  

How do you update yourself?

I keep myself updated. For example, to compose a song drums from Ludhiana were brought in. For the "Blockbuster.." number, I used special drums from core Andhra region to get authenticity.  

Not just musical instruments, even the choice of singers is special for 'Sarrainodu'. Vishal Dadlani (Athiloka Sundari) and Nakash Aziz, for example. Shreya Ghoshal's voice for "Blockbuster.."song contributed in making it a big hit. I had sung "Athiloka Sundari .."song already but felt Vishal's tone will be more apt.  

Why is it said that your tunes are ready-made?

People say my tunes are ready-made. But it's not true. My tunes were actually once rejected by some director or the other. Sometimes a director may like a tune rejected by another director. But I don't cheat my directors by hiding the fact. My directors who ask for rejected tunes ask me for tunes with full knowledge of the tune's history.

How do you see the competition in the industry?

The competition in our times is very healthy. For example, while doing music for mass films and with stars like Allu Arjun, it's to be kept in mind that DSP scored superhit songs like "Ringa Ringa".  So, for 'Race Gurram', I made sure that tunes like "Cinema Choopistha Maava.." are there. It's like a challenge as there is a lot of pressure.   

What's your take on doing so many mass movies?

Composing for mass entertainers is a very tough job. That's why the remuneration for music directors who do that is higher. If songs are not good for a mass entertainer, the film's fate will be affected. But I want to compose music for rom-com movies, too. I did it for Siddharth's 'Love Failure'.  I want to do more.

Are you charging high these days?

Tunes that I give depends on the remuneration offered to me. Producers naturally pay well for catchy tunes.  

Do you have plans to go to Bollywood?

I do have. But I want to work with only our directors. It's because I don't have much clarity about Bollywood directors.  

Of late, remixes are being made. What's your opinion about them?

Remix results in comparisons.  Doing a remix, I am tensed as much as I am composing for ten films.  When I remixed 'Shubaleka rasukunna..', I went through all that.  

What are your upcoming films?

As of now, I have only one project lined up in Telugu. It's the film in the combination of Gopichand Malineni and Sai Dharam Tej.