Each one of us has our own evolution of life, and each one of us goes through different tests which are unique and challenging. But certain things are common. And we do learn things from...

My mother’s belief in spiritual healers grew stronger after our family went through a rough patch following my father’s death. Sufi saint Karimullah Shah Kadri changed our lives, and all of us converted to Sufism....

Every time I sit for a song, I feel I am finished. It’s like a beggar sitting waiting for God to fill your bowl with the right thought. In every song, I ask help from...

My kids miss me when I’m away, but I don’t mind living out of a suitcase. The U.K., U.S., France, Germany, Iraq… it’s such a thrill meeting people of different cultures, learning about and from...

If you respect a language and culture, it shows in your work.

The more dollars the studio producers put in, the less freedom we have. If the budget hits $100m, they get scared – they’ll take the existing score of a successful movie and expect composers to...

Success comes to those who dedicate everything to their passion in life. To be successful, it is also very important to be humble and never let fame or money travel to your head.

When I travel with my kids abroad, I am not myself, but I’m more a father who wants to protect them. Sometimes, I am even aggressive about certain things and get surprised seeing myself like...

Beautiful film music can be made relevant to any period.

My mother insisted that I pursue music. I rented out my father’s musical equipment and earned some money. As a child, I wasn’t sure about a career goal, but I was always fascinated by electronic...

Comedy is a universal language. I grew up watching Nagesh, Surilirajan, Thenga Srinivasan and S.V. Shekhar’s comedies. And, of course, Charlie Chaplin! These artists are so blessed: they can make other people happy.

Your inner voice is the voice of divinity. To hear it, we need to be in solitude, even in crowded places.

I am a friend when I need to be a friend, a father when I need to be a father, a musician when music calls. I switch roles accordingly.

I have too many responsibilities and principles. There’s no time for ‘guilty’ pleasures.

My music is mostly for the music. And it gives the liberty to do anything which I want. And nobody limits me to one genre of music. But I learn from life and I try...

I joined the Madras Christian College but dropped out after three months. Telugu music director Ramesh Naidu asked me to assist him, and I did so for over a year. I did think of rejoining...

When you do something with a lot of honesty, appetite and commitment, the input reflects in the output.

A good film demands its own score, and if you are a musician, your conscience will never allow you to do something mediocre for a good film.

I want young Indian composers to be able to do more than just film music. I want to give them the skills that will enable them to create their own palette of sounds instead of...

Some things are very low profile, but if they excite me creatively, I accept them. Sometimes there are high-profile projects, and you have to do it. We all have human limitations. It is a painful...

I’m a Sufi Muslim, I would say. I believe in using the medium to create a good vibration because art is so important to society. Some projects I don’t do because I feel that it’s...

I was a common man, and I will always remain a common man. No amount of stardom will ever consume my soul. Money comes, money goes. Fame comes, fame goes. I believe every human being...

A musician is a professional, whether he or she is successful or not. The profession itself must be regarded as a stable job.

If there is no criticism, you become lazy. But it should be constructive, and it should be the truth. If it’s biased and there’s no truth in it, then I don’t care about it. If...

The more I compose, the more I know that I don’t know it all. I think it’s a good way to start. If you think you know it all, the work becomes a repetition of...

The demand in India is to have a hit, which becomes a promotion for the movie and makes people come to the theater. You have five songs and different promotions based on those. But when...

I am the kind of person who does not like to carry baggage. In fact, I don’t go back and listen to my own music. I believe in closing chapters and moving forward. That’s what...

Bollywood music is definitely a big part of Indian music and can be a great way to introduce people to the sound. But I hope to continue to incorporate other types of Indian music into...

For me, there is no day or night for music. I often work through the night – without phone calls disturbing me.

While my mother wanted me to be a musician, I wanted to become an electronic engineer.

I usually work on a film soundtrack for two years, turning in a song every few months, and that keeps my creative energy high, because I’m constantly rotating projects. The trick is to make sure...

Wisdom comes from within. Knowledge is acquired and can sometimes put a screen on your wisdom.

I don’t want to expose my personal life. It’s best that people know me for my work. My family doesn’t want to be surrounded by cameras. We want to live like any other family.

I compose music for films, and by the grace of God, I’ve got a few awards. That’s it.

Compared with other Indian film composers, I only write about six movies a year. Others write up to 60.

Sometimes, a remix is good because it reaches a whole new generation. But when it gets too much, it’s irritating. Also, the original composer needs to be credited properly.

The institution of marriage works better when there’s a spiritual connection. If you’re marrying just for the sake of the woman, then you may lose interest in each other very soon. When we marry in...

I follow a simple formula when I compose. I ask myself, ‘What would the audience want to hear?’ and ‘Why would they buy my CDs?’ And the process of answering these questions through music follows....

I feel blessed and humbled that people have loved my music. Nothing would be possible without their acceptance.

I was famous from the age of 13, and after a while you become immune to it – in a good way. You look at positives and what you can do with it.

I grew up on Bach and Beethoven, and now I’m listening to more modern composers who I can’t even name. But since I’m constantly doing music, it’s difficult to have that quality time to listen...

I basically love classical music. I love a lot of musicians playing together and the whole culture of that, whether it’s Indian or it’s Western.

I think music, in my opinion, is not about motivation in the way it’s – it’s not a running base. It’s art. And my whole philosophy of music is different. It’s almost like cooking and...

So long as you do it truthfully, music is not to be judged.

I like to see a film and then start scoring it in my mind while doing something unrelated. You just grasp a film and start working, and something unpredictable comes out from a third element....

It’s like driving your car. If you drive too fast on the highway, you will topple, so you better maintain your speed. Life is similar to that, and that’s the way you have to control...

The idea of music is to liberate the listener and lead him to a frame where he feels he is elevated.

I divide criticism into two categories – one coming from those who understand music, who are worthy of being critical because they are knowledgeable about what they are saying; and then there is another category...

Music is the only passion I shamelessly indulge in. However, for recreation I enjoy watching movies. ‘Wizard of Oz’ was the first film I ever saw, followed by the ‘Bond’ movies. I also watch a...

I love great lyrics, and I love the way it could shape a tune into a very unpredictable one, and I also like taking a great melody and putting lyrics into it.