With the biggest hit of 2013, ‘Sun Raha Hai Na Tu’ singer/ composer, Ankit Tiwari achieved a lot of accolades. However, the year 2014, did not start on a good note for him. Songs like ‘Tequila Vakila’ did not meet the expectations of audiences. Nevertheless Tiwari made a comeback with the track ‘Galliyan’ from Ek Villain’, which is ruling the charts. Ankit Tiwari spoke exclusively to Radioandmusic.com’s Dhairya Ingle about his song, completion in Bollywood and a lot more in this section of Rendezvous.

Post ‘Aashiqui 2’

Mohit Suri told me about the about the project, ‘Ek Villian’. But by then we already had songs like, ‘Tum Hi Ho’ and ‘Sun Raha Hai Na Tu’, so the question for all of us was “what next?” I was told that the song does not have an element of sadness and there was no ‘rona dhoona’. He mentioned some of the scenes, including the butterflies and the underwater shot. By this time even Manoj Muntashir (lyricist), had only written a few lines of the song. The situation was crystal clear but I somehow could not nail the final tune. I went for a walk, so I obviously did not have my system. I had the lyrics and kept on reading them. I switched on the recorder and started singing the first few lines, but stopped at the word ‘Galliyan’. Since Muntashir just wrote it as ‘Gaaliyan’ I sung it as,’ Tere Galiyan’. All this was happening while I was walking. I recorded the whole song and in the following meeting with Suri, I played it for him and then dubbed it.

Unplugged ‘Gaaliyan version

After we worked on this version, Suri told me about the unplugged female version of the song which was to be used for the theatrical. He wanted to have an innocent voice which will be used as a background and the scenes in the foreground will be violent. It was then he suggested Shraddha Kapoor’s name for the same who was shooting in Pune. I called her up and told her about the plans. She was extremely delighted and then I asked her to sing the first few lines of the song, I liked her voice and I am extremely happy that she understood what I expected from her. Initially I thought that only Shraddha will sing the unplugged version, but then again Suri chipped in with the suggestion that I must sing a few lines.

On competitors

Being a composer and a singer I do not think about competition and believe in giving my best. In Bollywood I believe only good work can take you ahead. If I keep on thinking about competition, I will not be able to work. Also according to me, I cannot stop anyone from doing good work. All I can do is give my best and appreciate other people’s work too. For e.g. I loved Jeet Gannguli’s ‘Suno Na Sange Marmar’ and I even told him that I would love to sing a song like this for him. I have always admired AR Rahman, Mithoon and Pritamda. I also like the work of people who work whole heartedly.

Being a one-hit wonder

People often told me that I have only delivered one hit especially after my songs in, ‘Samrat and Co’ not being a hit. This was when I realised that something was missing so I worked harder. With the song ‘Galliyan’ topping the charts people actually released that my success was not a mere fluke.

I did not face the pressure of expectations post ‘Sun Raha Hai na Tu’ but I became a tad cautious since globally people have loved my songs and are waiting for my next release. The only thing I keep in mind is that I need to be better than yesterday and keep doing better work. So I think there is no point in pressurising yourself.

Love for fans

For me my fans matter the most. It is because of them that we all are here and we become celebs. I want my fans to be extremely happy and I love seeing people smile at the songs I make.