
quot;Music is in my blood. It8217;s my life.quot; Himesh Reshammiya grew up with music. He8217;s the son of the illustrious musician, Bipin Reshammiya and he8217;s been singing since the age of two. Ironically enough, the 26-year old Reshammiya has achieved fame as a television producer, rather than as a music composer with serials like Andaz, Amar Prem, Nirma Aaha and now Dum Duma Dum. But he8217;s all set to change the equation. He8217;s got his break as a film music director with Bandhan and Pyar Kiya To Darna Kya, the music for which was recently released.
Reshammiya8217;s story began when his software company, H R Enterprises, struck paydirt with its Zee TV debut, Andaz. Now 175 episodes later, the serial is still going strong and successful. Andaz, Reshammiya claims, came in reaction to DD serials which predominantly had the quot;Hum Log kind of a lookquot;. quot;The idea struck me that anything which is glossy is bound to succeed,quot; he says. There were elements in Andaz which were never tried before on TV but which have been perfected in Bollywood. quot;It is a masala kind of a serial, a big film in the form of a serial,quot; he adds. Reshammiya ensures that his serials have high production values. quot;If I am showing a rich man, I see to it that he wears that kind of clothes, drives that kind of a car and lives in that kind of a bungalow.quot; In fact, Reshammiya insists that after scripting, the next most important aspect of serial making is the presentation. quot; The days of shabby serials are long gone,quot; he feels. The channel choice plays a vital role too: had Andaz been on DD, Reshammiya is confident it would have flopped.
Reshammiya is not content with merely composing music and counting profits. He is on the sets and involves himself in all aspects of a shoot. In fact, he has earned the dubious title of quot;aadha-directorquot;. But the only department where he maintains absolute monopoly is music 8212; music is something where too many cooks are bound to spoil the octaves. Other than the occasional suggestion from his father, Reshammiya insists that he is his own musician. He relies on strong basic Indian melodies. quot;Melody never fails and is the formula for success. A sweet simple tune touches the heart of everyone 8212; whether in Mumbai or in Sholapur,quot; he says. He is inspired by R D Burman and Shankar Jaikishan and has tried to blend the two in his compositions. 8220;I have never copied from anyone. I have over 200 original tracks ready,quot; he says. And he hopes to see a major chunk of his music in movies, rather than on television. quot;Films have a lot of grandeur and situations,quot; he adds.
But if music is his life, then sizzlers are his passion. So much so, that in an unheard of diversification move in television history, Reshammiya has started a fast food joint! quot;Nothing fell into place. Any other hotelier would have earned profits, but I did not. I am a creative person and this was certainly not the right line for me,quot; he admits. So Reshammiya is now concentrating on what is music to his ears: Music.