Vishal's judging it right!

Vishal Dadlani, who was in town recently for a performance of Pentagram, talks to TOI about his musical preferences in the city and the recent composers, whose music he loves 

What is the best and the worst part of performing in Kolkata? 
The worst part is that all flights to Kolkata are really really early in the morning. We have to sacrifice our sleep in order to catch them. The best part is of course, the crowd and the mind boggling response that we get each time we play in the city. The same thing happened this time too. So we are very happy to be here each time. 

What is the music scene like in Kolkata? 
The music scene is pretty cool out here. There is whole bunch of Kolkata bands, whose music I admire, like Skinny Alley, Pink Noise, The Supersonics and Prachir. The urban music scene is also pretty strong in the city. Musically, this city has always been much ahead of others. It has been the breeding ground of some of the greatest musical talents that India has produced so far. Our National anthem too is from this place. Look at RD Burman, Kishore Kumar and even Shreya Ghoshal...they are all Bengalis! I wouldn’t have been a composer if not for RD. He is a true legend.KKR still remains our (mine and Shekhar’s) favourite team, no matter what. After composing the theme song, Korbo Lorbo Jitbo, for KKR many other teams approached us for their theme songs as well, but we said no to them, as we are both very loyal to KKR. 

A composer, a singer, a VJ or a member of Pentagram — What do you prefer being most? 
Though there are many sites like Wikipedia, which says that I was a VJ, I want to clear this once and for all. I was never a VJ. I used to host a programme on rock music for a music channel. That’s it. Don’t believe anything and everything that’s available on the Net. It isn’t always true. Now coming back to the question, I enjoy doing all three that is composing, singing and being a member of Pentagram. The ultimate aim is to create good music for the listeners and that is what I am striving for, everyday. Basically, it’s all the same and I don’t see them as different job responsibilities. 

What about being a judge of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa? 
I never consider myself a judge. My basic aim is to have some good time through good music and listening to some real good singing. This year’s participants are phenomenal. You will get to see and hear some real talents this year. 

Post I Hate Luv Storys, what are your forthcoming projects? 
There’s Anjaana Anjaani coming up. The promos are already on air. They are just a few days old, but we are getting huge response for the same. Then there is. 

Recently, you tweeted about Amit Trivedi composing super scores for Aisha. Who are the other composers of recent times, whose music you really like? 
There is a long list of names including, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Pritam, AR Rahman (he is a genius) and Amit Trivedi, whose music I admire. 


Read more: Vishal's judging it right! - Music - Entertainment - The Times of India http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/music/Vishals-judging-it-right/articleshow/6325734.cms#ixzz0x2MKlZJ7