The signature bluesy guitar playing with a penchant for experimentation has made Ehsaan Noorani a towering figure in Indian film music. Part of the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio, he has composed some of Bollywood’s most popular tunes over the years and will be completing three decades in the music industry this year. “I am lucky to have been part of the music industry for so long,” says Noorani, adding, “For anybody to be in the industry for this long is tough. It has been tough for me as well, but it’s been fun, too.”
The journey
Noorani started off in 1986, composing jingles. He has come a long way since. On working with Shankar Mahadevan and Loy Mendosa, he shares, “It is always great to work with them. I have learned a lot during our journey together as composers.” With over 300 songs in their kitty-including the soundtracks for films like Mission Kashmir, Rock On!!, Wake Up Sid and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, their music has dominated the charts for over two decades. On other directors, he says, “I like Amit Trivedi’s music because he is always on the cutting-edge of things. I also like what Sachin-Jigar do,” adding that he is a great fan of A R Rahman, too.
Playing judge
While shows such as Indian Idol and SaReGaMaPa have been featuring music directors since their inception, Noorani is only just joining the band wagon. He will be part of the jury panel, along with Vishal Dadlani, Monica Dogra and Devraj Sanyal, of The Stage, an English music talent hunt to be aired on Colours Infinity. Starting October 10, the avid supporter of the Indian indie scene believes that including English will change the face of the music industry. “There are so many talented people who do not get recognised because they don’t sing in Hindi. The Stage will give them the opportunity to showcase their talent,” Noorani concludes.
Songs on loop