<p>A prodigy would be a tepid word to describe Anmoll Mallik. Having completed 5 grades in Music Theory (Piano) from London’s Trinity College, the 26-year-old daughter of Anu Malik and granddaughter of Sardar Malik still believes in talking less and achieving more. She admits also to being superstitious, which is why she prefers to be close-lipped about her assignments to come. <br /><br /></p>.<p>All she will say is, “I don’t want to give details beforehand, but you will come to know that I am singing in many films.” A few days after we meet, the Housefull 3 album comes out, and she is one of the singers in ‘Pyar ki maa’ as Jacqueline Fernandez’s voice.<br /><br />Part of a legacy<br /><br />Anmoll’s clear aim, despite her lineage, is to make a niche for herself that is separate from the crowd. “I want to be known for my own style and stamp and not just as my father’s daughter,” she stresses. <br /><br />Her first hit song as an adult, ‘Talli’ from Ugly Aur Pagli, was a mishmash of her musical influences. “I do have a foundation in raags, thanks to my dad,” she says. “But the turning point was when I watched Titanic as a 7-year-old. When I heard Celine Dion sing ‘My heart will go on’, all I wanted to be able to do is try and sing even 5% of her. I love Western jazz and classical, but I am more comfortable in jazz for its freshness and vibrancy.”<br /><br />Anmoll’s practical experience was first-hand — sitting on her father’s lap during his sittings. “That’s how I got to also sing all my earliest songs as a child artiste. And that was the best training possible because I heard every singer at work.” Her recordings as a child began with Diljale when she was barely 6 years old, going on to more song parts in Biwi No. 1, Badal and Mela till the age of 10.<br /><br />Good times began when she doled out lots of soul in her song ‘Agle janam mohe bitiya na kijo’ for her father’s Umrao Jaan and finally the 2008 hit ‘Talli’. Smiles Anmoll, “I recorded it at the age of 16 in my school uniform, as I went to the studio straight from school. I am not someone who likes to hang out a discos and pubs, but my first brush with success was when my friends dragged me to one and I found everyone dancing to my song.”<br /><br />The achiever went on to get a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree from the University of Warwick, England, graduating in Business, Film, and Computer Science. She has also completed a year at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, California. And of course, there was Trinity.<br /><br />Many influences<br /><br />The scanning of a song in Western music, she says, is different from the Indian way. “I want to sing a Hindi song in my way and breathe fresh life into it while adhering to a composer’s vision,” she says. “I am happy that I was given full liberty to stretch my creative skills in the song ‘Old-School Girl’ by Krsna-sir in Tanu Weds Manu Returns. I recorded it in one take. I received so many calls from people who were surprised at my ability.”<br /><br />What are the pros and cons for a singer like her because her father is so famous? “One plus point is that so many people who love him will love me too. The cons are more — they may expect a lot from me and I may not live up to their expectations.” <br /><br />But Anmoll says that her process of self-discovery is still on. “I am still figuring out who I am!” she says. “I do not have the luxury of a clean slate — there are already chop marks. My entire family — uncle and cousins too — are in the music industry, and I know that if I make one small mistake it is going to be magnified.”<br /><br />Besides, in this line, the only calling-card is good work. “My parents had kept away from the public eye,” she says. “So when I waited for 2 hours along with other singers to meet someone important, no one knew who I was.”<br /><br />Like her father, Anmoll is at her best when challenged. “Challenge me that I cannot do something and I will show that I can,” she says confidently. “I have my father’s resilience that when the chips are down, we get tougher, just like dad with the music of Dum Laga Ke Haisha.” And Anmoll recalls the words of her dad to her, ‘Khoon nikalo gale se (Take out blood from your throat)!’Here is an invaluable (Anmoll) talent from a musical family, who wants to be the Mallik (boss) of all she surveys.</p>
<p>A prodigy would be a tepid word to describe Anmoll Mallik. Having completed 5 grades in Music Theory (Piano) from London’s Trinity College, the 26-year-old daughter of Anu Malik and granddaughter of Sardar Malik still believes in talking less and achieving more. She admits also to being superstitious, which is why she prefers to be close-lipped about her assignments to come. <br /><br /></p>.<p>All she will say is, “I don’t want to give details beforehand, but you will come to know that I am singing in many films.” A few days after we meet, the Housefull 3 album comes out, and she is one of the singers in ‘Pyar ki maa’ as Jacqueline Fernandez’s voice.<br /><br />Part of a legacy<br /><br />Anmoll’s clear aim, despite her lineage, is to make a niche for herself that is separate from the crowd. “I want to be known for my own style and stamp and not just as my father’s daughter,” she stresses. <br /><br />Her first hit song as an adult, ‘Talli’ from Ugly Aur Pagli, was a mishmash of her musical influences. “I do have a foundation in raags, thanks to my dad,” she says. “But the turning point was when I watched Titanic as a 7-year-old. When I heard Celine Dion sing ‘My heart will go on’, all I wanted to be able to do is try and sing even 5% of her. I love Western jazz and classical, but I am more comfortable in jazz for its freshness and vibrancy.”<br /><br />Anmoll’s practical experience was first-hand — sitting on her father’s lap during his sittings. “That’s how I got to also sing all my earliest songs as a child artiste. And that was the best training possible because I heard every singer at work.” Her recordings as a child began with Diljale when she was barely 6 years old, going on to more song parts in Biwi No. 1, Badal and Mela till the age of 10.<br /><br />Good times began when she doled out lots of soul in her song ‘Agle janam mohe bitiya na kijo’ for her father’s Umrao Jaan and finally the 2008 hit ‘Talli’. Smiles Anmoll, “I recorded it at the age of 16 in my school uniform, as I went to the studio straight from school. I am not someone who likes to hang out a discos and pubs, but my first brush with success was when my friends dragged me to one and I found everyone dancing to my song.”<br /><br />The achiever went on to get a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree from the University of Warwick, England, graduating in Business, Film, and Computer Science. She has also completed a year at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, California. And of course, there was Trinity.<br /><br />Many influences<br /><br />The scanning of a song in Western music, she says, is different from the Indian way. “I want to sing a Hindi song in my way and breathe fresh life into it while adhering to a composer’s vision,” she says. “I am happy that I was given full liberty to stretch my creative skills in the song ‘Old-School Girl’ by Krsna-sir in Tanu Weds Manu Returns. I recorded it in one take. I received so many calls from people who were surprised at my ability.”<br /><br />What are the pros and cons for a singer like her because her father is so famous? “One plus point is that so many people who love him will love me too. The cons are more — they may expect a lot from me and I may not live up to their expectations.” <br /><br />But Anmoll says that her process of self-discovery is still on. “I am still figuring out who I am!” she says. “I do not have the luxury of a clean slate — there are already chop marks. My entire family — uncle and cousins too — are in the music industry, and I know that if I make one small mistake it is going to be magnified.”<br /><br />Besides, in this line, the only calling-card is good work. “My parents had kept away from the public eye,” she says. “So when I waited for 2 hours along with other singers to meet someone important, no one knew who I was.”<br /><br />Like her father, Anmoll is at her best when challenged. “Challenge me that I cannot do something and I will show that I can,” she says confidently. “I have my father’s resilience that when the chips are down, we get tougher, just like dad with the music of Dum Laga Ke Haisha.” And Anmoll recalls the words of her dad to her, ‘Khoon nikalo gale se (Take out blood from your throat)!’Here is an invaluable (Anmoll) talent from a musical family, who wants to be the Mallik (boss) of all she surveys.</p>
