On composing for Mom…
I am a big fan of Sridevi from my younger days. I never thought I would do a movie with her. This is the first time I am working with her. There are three songs in Mom. The songs are not so important, the background score is. She came down all the way from Mumbai to Chennai to meet me. When she said: ‘You have to do this film’, I could not say no. 

On his mom… 
Most people get married at 26. My mother became a widow with four children at 26. Her life is the foundation of my success. All my songs are dedicated to her. I have never seen her react to any song. But when I did my first song Chhoti si asha (for Roja), she had tears in her eyes. 

On singing at talent hunts like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Li’l Champs…
These kids are performing so well. Their families put all their energies to develop them. I know some people don’t like that there are so many reality shows. But everybody is hooked to the TV. It is nice to see the next generation. It is better than seeing news of violence and bomb blasts. 

On the experience of judging the episode…
It felt nice to hear the young generation sing, performing my songs. One can say ‘beautiful, beautiful’ to everything they sing, but I think it is important to tell them what could be done. They are all promising singers. At a younger age, they can rectify more easily. It was nice coming here and meeting my musician friends, Himesh and Jaaved.

On Justin Bieber performing in India...
I have performed with him for the We are the World 25 for Haiti (in 2010). We were part of the choir. It is nice to see him grow as an artiste. I wish him all the best. 

On the upcoming film 2.0…
2.0 has a lot of fan following. Robot was such a huge hit. Seeing how Bahubali 2 has done, we want everyone to support 2.0. It is a dream child of Shankar and Rajinikanthji. I am also a part of it.