His life in the banner years

B'town success

Music composer and singer Mithoon is still taking in the success of Aashiqui 2, but has already got producers queuing up to him.

 He is busy with a line up of big banners to his credit from director Mohit Suri’s Ek Villain to Vikram Bhatt’s Creature and Rajesh Pillai’s Traffic. Busy working on three films at the same time, the composer has no time to sit and chat.

Overwhelmed by the success, the 29-year-old says, “I still can’t get over it. People are approaching me with certain expectations and respect of carrying the emotional torch. I feel I have finally carved my musical territory. I need to work hard now.”

At the same time, he does not take any credit for his success. “The credit goes to my father because he has made me what I am today.” Mithoon’s father Naresh Sharma has composed background music for more than 200 films and has done arrangements for composers. “He has taught me the virtue of being creative. If he had not been strict with me when I was growing up, I would have never made it big. I was an ordinary kid, weak in my academics. He pushed me into learning music. Music opened up a new world for me. It was my dreamland. I was 19 years old when I composed for Zehar, my first film. He ensured that I did my best in whatever I had taken up. Later, successful films like Bas Ek Pal, Anwar and The Train gave me the leeway to compose more,” he explains.

Mithoon’s path to success has not been an easy one. But, “It hasn’t been a rough one either. I have had my share of highs and lows. I was out of job for three years, but I don’t blame anyone for it. I was unorganised and took it slow. I didn’t realise the repercussions of my acts. The minute I realised, I put my heart into music and let the flow begin. I was 22 when I achieved success with my films and was compared to legendary music directors. I have realised that success is not everything, hence I pursue happiness more than success,” says Mithoon.

While he is successful as a composer, Mithoon’s career as a singer has taken a backseat now. Mithoon smiles and says, “I am an expressionist basically. My role is that of a music composer and there are good singers around. When people appreciate the songs sung by my singers, they appreciate my creation too,” he says.

While Bollywood music has been evolving, the composer feels that the industry has not seen many changes. “Change is inevitable, but Bollywood music has not gone through any striking changes. It has gradually moved on, from composer to composer. From Naushad Ali to C Ramchandran to Shankar Jaikishan to R D Burman and now, A R Rahman,” maintains Mithoon.

As he is busy with his career in Bollywood, Mithoon has no plans of collaborating with international artistes as of now. “However, my songs from Aashiqui 2 have been covered by many international bands. That is a big high for me,” he says.

In the meantime, the singer-composer reveals that he is planning an international concert tour. “This is my first worldwide tour.” Mithoon is excited to perform for live audiences and gauge their reactions.