Ashis Ghatak’s biography of Shankar Mahadevan is an ode to a musical maverick and his forays

Nonika Singh

Shankar Mahadevan is a musical genius — in a way, the opening line of the ‘Foreword’ written by celebrated lyricist Javed Akhtar sets the tone. Not that those who have been following the musical graph of this amazing composer and flawless singer, and have been held captive by the sound of his music are likely to disagree. The biography, which celebrates the life and music of Mahadevan, is certainly laudatory, if not reverential. Like the singer-composer, it strikes a note of harmony. There are no conflicts in the journey of this pied piper whom the author himself calls the ‘poster child of positivity’.

The prelude takes us into the mind of the maverick who could/can compose a new tune while caught up in a traffic snarl-up. Mahadevan is no ordinary talent, but a prodigy who could play veena at the age of 13. He mastered alaaps, taans, kritis, ghazals, bhav geet and bhajans early on. His childhood influences, which also included his father’s morning prayers, did firm up the singer in him. Till date, each concert of Mahadevan begins with Ganesh Vandana.

In the early part of the book, his meetings with his then girlfriend (now wife) Sangeeta, his childhood friends, all have the ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’ sugar sweet ring. Still, there is earnestness.

For a singer as talented as Mahadevan, things fell in place almost serendipitously; and surprisingly, even his engineering degree did not pose an obstacle in his musical ascent. Of course, he later quit his lucrative job to devote his life full-time to music. If music is what defines Mahadevan, it’s exactly the leitmotif of the book.

Expectedly, illustrious names like the legendary percussionist Zakir Husain, who took him aboard his band Shakti and with whom he recently won a Grammy, figure prominently in the book. There is a fan-boy moment with Louis Banks, too, whose band Silk he joined.

However, more than one chapter is dedicated to his creative partnership with Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa, which has endured over two decades of musical-mindedness. The trio has embellished many a Hindi film and given us unforgettable tunes like ‘Har Ghadi Badal Rahi Hai’, ‘Pretty Woman’, ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ and the irresistible item number ‘Kajrare’. Incidentally, though written by Gulzar, the words ‘Kajrare’ and ‘Kaale-Kaale Naina’ (later changed to ‘Kaare-Kaare’) came from Mahadevan. The soundscape of nearly every significant film of theirs is recreated in words by the author. From their debut film ‘Mission Kashmir’ to superhits like ‘Kal Ho Na Ho’, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, ‘Rock On’, ‘Bunty Aur Babli’, ‘Taare Zameen Par’, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’… it’s like a ‘music-pedia’, described in vivid detail. A musicologist’s delight otherwise, the pattern does get a bit repetitive. However, we become privy to how the famed triumvirate of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy manages to create a new sound each time.

The book also puts on record the appreciation of the film and music fraternity. One does wish the book had given more space to how the directors that he worked with shaped his musical sensibility, though we learn of Mahadevan’s equations with stalwarts like Gulzar and others. The book is primarily an ode to the ‘Breathless’ singer Mahadevan and chronicles his musical forays and endeavours, including setting up of the Shankar Mahadevan Academy.

Carnatic music, jingles, jazz, rock, fusion… there perhaps isn’t a musical genre that he has not touched. Interestingly, while his music is cathartic for most of us, the man himself unwinds not by listening to music but cooking. Well-researched, offering insights into the making of the melody, the author constructs more than the man. For, isn’t his music emblematic of the times in which he has risen to fame and glory?

At the time of writing the book, Mahadevan had not won the prestigious Grammy. But then, ‘the journey continues’. Mahadevan 2.0 might seem implausible, for, isn’t he already the best version of himself? Clearly, the last word on the ‘true blue maverick’, who has reinvented himself and his muse time and again, has not been said or written. Yet, the book brings him and his music up-close. Even if not intimately personal, there is much for a music lover to soak in and rejoice.