A fine song for romance

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After he scored the melodious soundtrack for Aashiqui 2, Mithoon is the composer on top of every filmmaker’s wish list. The 28-year-old (who was born to Hindu parents but embraced Christianity later) says he was never pressurised to pursue any path by his family. Mithoon was 18 when he decided to take up composing music for films full time.
“My father, Naresh Sharma, is a musician. He has worked on the background score for more than 100 Hindi films,” Mithoon tells us. “When I decided to pursue this, some filmmakers had faith in me. Others were unsure if I’d be able to match up to their expectations at my age. But in 2005, when Mukesh Bhatt introduced Pakistani singer Atif Aslam to Hindi films, I was given the responsibility of recording a couple of songs with him. At that age, I had to bring out the best in him and me. That’s how we composed Woh Lamhe from Zeher.”
Mithoon admits that there was a fair amount of struggle along the way. “I also had to work hard to hone my skills. But there is no bitterness. I want to thank filmmakers who had faith in me. And to the ones who didn’t — I’m glad my work spoke for me,” he says.
Coming back to the film that’s catapulted him into B’town stratosphere, composing for Aashiqui 2 had to have been a challenge — especially because the original had such an iconic soundtrack back in the ’90s. “I knew that comparisons between the two films were inevitable,” shrugs Mithoon. “The toughest challenge was to meet the expectations, yet retain my style.”
The star composer in the Bhatt camp makes no bones about the fact that he’s happy to be part of the Vishesh Films family. “Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt gave me work when others weren’t so sure (about me),” Mithoon says simply. “I don’t want to restrict myself to one camp or one production house. But I’ll continue to work with people who value my music.”
Mithoon admits that even successful composers need a “hit director, a known actor and a big production house to connect to music buffs”.
“A.R. Rahman worked for several years before Roja, but most people still think he made his debut with it,” he points out. “We’re part of a medium that the audience connects with on the basis of visuals. This has been the trend from the ’50s and ’60s onwards,” he says.
For now, Mithoon is focused on creating the kind of authentic music that’s gotten him to where he is. He says, “I hope I’m able to sustain my success — and the essence of my music.”