The musical duo

for some melody

They are not in a hurry at all. Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya joined hands in a 2009 Satish Kaushik film, Teree Sang, as co-composers with other names. Having done Gujarati and Hindi theatre as well (over 300 plays), they also worked on over 30 television serials, mostly daily soaps (with music done for each episode after its final edit!) and jingles.

The two also assisted Pritam, and it was he who encouraged them and gave them the idea that it was time they took an independent plunge into films. Eight years down, from among the post-Pritam generation, Sachin-Jigar are the only composers who can boast of a small repertoire of entire soundtracks of substance: Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya, ABCD, ABCD 2, Go Goa Gone, Badlapur, besides Ramaiya Vastavaiya and Happy Ending. 

Their song ‘Chaar Baj Gaye’ from F.A.L.T.U. remains an anthem till date, and ‘Daingad Daingad’ (Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania) and ‘Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’ (Meri Pyaari Bindu) are among their many well-received songs.

Taking it nice & easy
However, of late, Sachin-Jigar seemed to be going too slow, with …Bindu and Hindi Medium coming almost a year after A Flying Jatt. On the other hand, they have had Wrong Side Raju and a couple of other films in their mother tongue, Gujarati. Why is that? “We were lying low because the multi-composer trend has made tremendous inroads, and we were not comfortable,” says Sachin. “On the other hand, Gujarati films are on the upswing after Bey Yaar, which we did in 2014, Wrong Side Raju and some other films, and we must join in the responsibility of making that industry blossom before people lose faith in it again. For that, we have to ensure quality.”

Jigar adds, “So, we pick up good subjects but charge only actuals, like studio costs and fees to singers, musicians and writers. And we quote an obnoxiously high price to producers we know are not going to come up with quality products!” Sachin adds, “It’s not as if we want to be missionaries, but we want to ensure quality.”

That is also their effort in Hindi films. “We really enjoyed Meri Pyaari Bindu because we got a free hand to experiment. Like the ghazal ‘Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’ is very close to our heart. And ‘Khol De Baahein’ was very experimental. After Shuddh Desi Romance, we really enjoyed our second Yash Raj film.”

For a long while, Sachin-Jigar were not in the T-Series radar. They have now entered the domain of the music label-cum-production company with Hindi Medium. But how does this reconcile with their wanting to do solo films, as its chief Bhushan Kumar spearheads the multi-music director culture?
Says Sachin, “Bhushan-sir genuinely knows what he wants and how he wants his music, and we respect that. From our conversations with him, we know that we are pretty much in sync. So far, I think, we have lived up to his expectations. He understands how we want to do music, and, as of now, both T-Series’s Bhoomi, directed by Omung Kumar, and Simran, directed by Hansal Mehta, are solo films.”

But Hindi Medium itself is a film with two other music makers. “We did that film for Dinesh Vijan, to whom we owe so much for Go Goa Gone, Badlapur, Finding Fanny and Happy Ending,” says Jigar. “He asked us to compose ‘Hoor’ and the climax song ‘Ek Jindari’ as the two other songs were already decided.”
Normally against doing background music for films with songs by other composers, Sachin-Jigar have again made an exception in Raabta for Dinesh. They have given a global feel to a film shot overseas. So, will they be doing the planned Go Goa Gone 2 and Badlapur 2 as well? “We hope we will!” says Jigar. “As of now, things are being worked upon and we hope that, if we are offered them, we will be able to take them up.”

More & more of music
But can someone be ever too busy to take on prestigious assignments, especially their own franchises where the music has been cult? Sachin agrees that composers should never reject and thus disappoint film-makers. So, will ABCD 3 and the Salman Khan film planned by Remo D’Souza (who directed their ABCD, ABCD 2 and The Flying Jatt) also be taken up? The two are keeping their fingers crossed, especially since, like the ABCD franchise, the Salman movie is also a dance drama.

Meanwhile, the duo is also doing Haseena (the gangster biopic that is now complete), John Abraham’s co-production Parmanu, which is on India’s nuclear tests, and another favourite director-duo, Raj & DK’s A Gentleman, an action-comedy produced by Karan Johar. So what’s with the sudden busy phase? Sachin answers, “If we get good, diverse subjects and the time to come up with good songs, why not? We have completed most of the songs for all our assignments.” Jigar adds, “Background scores may take 45 days or more for one film. So, we have decided to cut down on that aspect and do more of songs.” 

Jigar points out that their theatre background has oriented them towards composing entire soundtracks. “We are more suited to that style. We get the feel of a script so that we compose for it. We do not keep a bank of songs. We understand that we cannot compete with the multi-composer trend per se. But if we are asked to make just one song or two, we kind of get detached from the film.”

Says Sachin, “We cannot give our heart to the song then, and frankly, if we have to make a generic song, where is the fun in working? It becomes like a 9 to 5 job!”