nice find
You sued the makers of Toonpur ka Superhero for the cartoon character Guppy Beheri that was modelled on you. Why?
Dekhiye, India is the number one country of the world! India mein respect is important. I did court case on Toonpur because I was hurt very much. Main nahin chahta aisa phir ho… senior log ko leke mazaak. Those who made this picture, the hero and heroine (Ajay Devgn and Kajol), unka janam nahin hua jabse main kaam kar raha hoon! My career and Amitabh Bachchan career, neck to neck. He just completed 40 years. I’m completing 40 years in 2012. Bade log ko leke mazaak nahin karna chahiye, without permission. I could have given permission because my image is hit, dark glass is hit, gold chains are hit and I am doing now very big TV serial for the first time. Ishaan, for Disney channel. There my portrait is of gold man, disco king! I eat with gold spoon from gold cup. My house is a gold mahal. Children come to me and I ask, “You want disco?†Then I sing to them [starts singing] Tim tim yeh taare disco, pappa ka pyara disco, mummy ka dulara disco, disco!
What do you have to say to those who complain that your songs are copied?
See, I am the father of the disco. I can say this straight because before me nobody! My song Mausam hai gaane ka from Suraksha was the first disco song in India. But if you are asking about copy, everybody has done! SD Burman, Shankar Jaikishan, RD Burman, Laxmikant… but they also have originality. I have done three or four inspired songs. Like Sochna kya from Ghayal. It was Lambada. Now Lambada dance if you want to do, I can’t compose classical, kirtan or bhajan. I have not done any copy from Michael Jackson song. Only one I have taken the beat and that is Beat It! [Sings] Jeena bhi kya hai jeena. Why? Mithun was a fan of Michael Jackson! For Hari Om Hari I was inspired by Boney M’s One Way Ticket. Why? Because character of Kalpana Iyer is like the Boney M girls! But today’s music? Ha! If you go to Internet, all the songs [pauses]… Xerox copy! My songs, two of them this year have become the biggest superhit.
Did you point it out to the Munni and Sheila composers?
These things I don’t mind. Inspiration ho sakta hai. You can be inspired by Bappi Lahiri. Vishal-Shekhar is like my brother. They can take because I am the seniormost. I’m not angry or anything because after me chapter is finished! Abhi, I’m so happy that my songs ghumake phirse release kiya, superhit ho gaya!
Who is your biggest competition?
Now I feel my competitor is John Williams. Hollywood’s big composer. I have to do that same type of symphony with big Hollywood film. That is my dream. Grammy ka toh ho gaya. Ek ya do saal ka baad Grammy mil hi jayega but my sapna is I have to compose Hollywood film like John Williams, jo remember rahe. Not like Slumdog Billionaire (!). This type of songs I have done so much. I want to do something great, my God, wah! What a compose Bappida!
Like Titanic, Dr. Zhivago and Love Story theme song. Like [sings] Kabhi alvida na kehna the amar song and in Bengal Chirodini tumi je amaar which remain history jab tak dharti rahega... we alive on Earth.
