The Tashan soundtrack is unlike anything we have heard in Hindi film music. Rock ’’ roll, Bhojpuri lyrics, old school Bollywood mukhda, grunge rock... What was the brief?

Surprise me! Victor’s (director Vijay Krishna Acharya) brief was simple: ‘surprise me!’ It’s a film that carries the flavours of the interiors of north India and there’s rock ’’ roll. So, we had a lot of fun mashing the two of them.

The chartbuster has to be Dil dance maare which has the potential to be the next Kajra re...

I hope so, I hope so. I remember Akshay Kumar, just back from shooting the song, meeting us on the sets of a TV show and telling us: “Tum log kya pagal log ho... I have never done a song like this... It was awesome!” And I had the honour and privilege of writing the lyrics.

How can someone who wrote Allah ke bande and Aankhon mein teri write lyrics like White white face dekhe, Dilwa beating fast, Sasura chance maare re, very happy in my heart, Dil dance maare re?

I don’t know whether it is back-handed or not, but I think it’s a compliment. I am basically not a lyricist. I write lyrics because nobody told me I couldn’t. Nobody told me I can’t do Allah ke bande and this at the same time. I am part of the coolest rock band in the country, Pentagram. I am part of the most successful music director duo in Bollywood. I like doing diametrically opposite things.

The situation in this film was unique... you do not get to write such stuff quite often. You just cut loose, go mad, when the film requires it. When you link it to the film it will make a lot more story sense to you. Now it’s just a fun song.

What is your favourite line in the song?

The second antara is my favourite. Rose ke jaisan pink pink/ Humrai gaal gulaabi/ Sky jaisan blue blue/ Tohare nain saraabi/ Bhola chehra jaise moon/ Kaali zulfein jaise cloud/ Aur chhupaya jai na/ Dhadkan ho gaye very loud/ Tohra dil ka theatre ma/ Dil deewana booking advance maare re/ Dil dance maare re... When Victor first heard the track he just went berserk!

I don’t think purists would like something like that coming out from the Yash Raj banner...

We haven’t done anything for purists, man. We don’t do. Tashan is not for purists. We just have fun. We do music for people who enjoy our madness. For the purists there is a beautiful song called Falak tak, which they might enjoy. If they examine the sound, that might surprise them.

In terms of sound, have you broken any new grounds with Tashan?

For me, there’s a strong return to my roots in terms of rock ’’ roll. And there’s a strong return to edgy music. Every song is composed in such a way that there is nothing standard about them. The twists and turns the songs take... Take Dil haara for example. It is a romantic song but one that bites. A new way of portraying love on screen.

You have got Udit Narayan singing two very important songs — Dil dance maare and Falak tak. Everyone had written him off...

Nobody writes these people off. As a music-buying member of the public, I don’t buy CDs for one person. I buy it for a composite package. Udit had a large part to play in the Partner title track. He sang Om shanti om for us also. He’s not gone anywhere. If you credit us for bringing him back, we have no problem. But he is carrying us as much as we are carrying him.

Vishal-Shekhar’s music is all about great hook lines. What do you have to say to that?

I don’t really know. For me a strong hook in a song is important. As long as people remember our songs, as long as they talk about it, I am good. But I would say that there is melody too.

Do you think you have extra responsibility after Om Shanti Om?

Honestly, we didn’t think about it then and we are not thinking about it now. We had a great time doing Om Shanti Om. That music was entirely derived from Farah’s vision of her film. And that’s why Tashan is so different because it is entirely derived from Victor’s vision of his film. Hopefully if we can keep that going in all the films we do, we would be staying true to our job. If I am a film music director and if it doesn’t give the film a sound, I am a failure. The music director’s job is to define clearly what to expect from the film and accentuate every part of the film. Yes, there is a signature. The songs we construct can only come from us, nobody else.

How far are you from being the best music directors in Bollywood?

I don’t think there are more than two or three people who can manage the range that we have managed. We are credited for bringing hip-hop to Bollywood in 2005 (Bluffmaster!), we are also credited with Allah ke bande, and we are credited with Om Shanti Om...

And who are these two or three people?

I would rate Rahman, of course, very highly. I would rate Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy very highly. I love Pritam’s versatility. Even though there are lots of allegations against him, you’ve got to admit he’s got a sound. And he’s a hit machine.

How high would you rate Tashan in your filmography?

We really value Tashan, man. It’s just got five songs but I truly believe there’s something magical about each song. Every film is important. We give two months of our lives. We put a lot of heart and soul into all our films. We don’t franchise our songs in different films.

What’s coming up?

There’s Sujoy Ghosh’s Alladdin. Amitabh Bachchan has done a song which might just overshadow Right here right now. He’s completely rocked it! We hear it 10 times a day. Then there’s Dostana, our first film with Karan Johar as producer. Then there’s Siddharth Anand’s film, Bachna Ae Haseeno, which is musically huge.

Which is your favourite Vishal-Shekhar track? Tell t2@abpmail.com