Micky J. Meyer - Interview

Micky J. Meyer came as a fresh brezee into Telugu films. Though his first film Pothe Poni was not a box-office hit, he was noticed with the film 10th Class and then his work for the movies Notebook and Happy Days was noticed widely, and he even won his first Filmfare Award for Happy Days. I called him before the release of Hare Ram audio and he promised to talk after the release of audio. Once I listened to the audio, I called him to say how I felt about it, and then we had a brief chit chat. Here are some excerpts from our telephonic conversation:

Tell me about yourself.

MJM: As you are aware, I was born and brought up in Hyderabad. Since my childhood, I have had a passion for music, and I used to play songs of Talat Mehmood on the Casio piano that we had at my home. I joined in Tritiny College of Music when I was in fifth standard, studied there for eight years and completed my graduation. I was composing and singing some songs in AIR when Thammareddy Bhardwaja gaaru offered me the film Pothe Poni. Though the film was a not a hit, I got noticed and other films soon followed. ...I haven't composed BGM for the films before Happy Days, but with Happy Days I started doing that too.

So, what's more difficult - composing songs or BGM for a movie?

MJM: Both are equally difficult, I'd say. A song has to elevate the movie, while the background score has to elevate each scene. Either one has its own importance. We simply cannot consider these two separate.

What's your comfort zone - composing music for lyrics or giving the tune first?

MJM: I am comfortable with both, but as of now, I can say I am more comfortable when I can give the tune first for a given situation, as I am not real good in Telugu. But soon, I'll be good in Telugu (laughs)!

Being a Hyderabadi, how come you are not familiar with Telugu?

MJM: I can understand Telugu but cannot speak as most of my friends are Hindi-speaking. I do not understand Telugu word to word, but can grasp the whole concept; I am learning the language now, which will change the situation soon (laughs)!

So, how do you work on the tunes? Would you sit and discuss the lead to the song and work on that, or what?
MJM: No, once I agree to do a film, I sit with the director and listen to the whole script and will know where the song is required. Depending on that, we go ahead with the song.

Interesting! So, would you tell the director if a song is misplaced or that it's not needed at all? Or, would you simply do your job?
MJM: I never faced such a situation... but I'd surely discuss with my director about any such situation. I do not have any problem in doing that!

I know a music director who abuses singers when they sing the tune wrong, be it on the stage or off the stage. How do you deal with singers?
MJM: (Shocked) What...! I can never do that, really! ...That's not my way, it's not how I was brought up, and it's not ethical! I respect singers who give life to my compositions. I do respect them a lot!

Who's you favorite music director?

MJM: I grew up listening to A.R. Rahman, and I am thus an ardent fan of A.R. Rahman gaaru.

What about singers?

MJM: Talat Mehmood sir. My dad has nearly all of his collection and so I grew up listening to them and even practising them on my piano.

What are your favorite instruments?

MJM: Piano and violin. I use these two more than any other instruments!

How did you feel about the Filmfare award?

MJM: (Laughs) What do you want me to say? The truth is that I am very happy and also that the movie got five more awards. So, it is like a bonanza for me! This gives me more responsiblity now.

How is the response for the audio of Hare Ram?

MJM: I am getting calls from all over the place, saying that they liked it! The sales are really good too. Kalyanram and Harsha gave me complete freedom and discussed every scene with me, which helped me a great extent when giving the background music for the movie. ...You must tell me how you felt after experiencing it in the movie. I wished him all the best for his career and ended the interview.