In Tune Last When Moulin Rouge, Hollywood's 50 million dollar musical extravaganza was released in the United States last week, its lush creditline read like a who's who of the pop pantheon: Roger and Hammerstein, The Beatles, Elton John, Sting, David Bowie, U2, Madonna and many more. Among this elite list of 'original' composers was a very original name: Anu Malik. Thankfully, at least the song used for this Nicole Kidman movie, Chamma Chamma from Raj Kumar Santoshi's flop, China Gate, was actually his own composition. And, Malik, the 40-plus, fast talking composer, is on cloud nine. Truth to tell, though, having snatches of a song included in a Hollywood film is no proof of real international success. Perhaps, the late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan had far better claims to that having composed the music for the redemption classic, Dead Man Walking. Moreover, Chamma Chamma lasts less than a minute on celluloid. That too as one in a medley of songs. But being selected for filmmaker Baz Luhrmann's grand musical, a carnival of passion and creative inspiration in a 1900 Parisian nightclub, is great for any composer's resume. After all, in an era of globalisation, international recognition of any kind is considered as the ultimate benchmark of success. Ask all the Indo-Anglian writers. Shekhar Kapur too. And, nothing could be a bigger stamp of credibility for Malik, often contemptuously dismissed as a lucky copycat in the past, than his gone-in-60-seconds song, referred to as Hindi Sad Diamonds in the film. Bollywood biggies have already acknowledged his rising reputation. Top director Subhash Ghai signed him up for the first time in Yaadein. The film's music released last week showcases a mellow and mature Malik; the compositions blending taut Western orchestration with tunes of distinct Indian feel. In Amitabh Bachchan's forthcoming film, Aks, the music director experiments and innovates with delightful abandon. And, if he is good enough for a perfectionist like Sooraj Barjatiya (Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon) and a visual artist like Santosh Sivan (Asoka the Great), he is good enough for anybody. No surprise, Malik now wants to win a Grammy. Don't laugh. Many had to eat their words when he won the National Award for Refugee earlier this year. And unlike the categories for the best film and the best actress, it didn't raise a controversy. Malik must have heaved a huge sigh of relief at that. Not only because he had missed out on the same award for Virasaat and Border but because controversies have constantly hounded him in the past. He became the talk of the tabloids when pop singer Alisha Chinai alleged that the composer had tried to force himself on her. The music director denied the incident. The controversy subsided with the passage of time but not without leaving a trail of bitterness. The other allegation - about him being a copycat in the Bappi Lahiri mould - can be easily substantiated. Malik doesn't deny the charge. Instead, he points out that other composers do it as well. 'If you hear R.D. Burman, Shankar Jaikishen, Naushad sa'ab, all great composers, they are all 'inspired'. Salilda made Itna na mujh se tu pyaar badha. But when he does it, it means he's inspired. Aur mere saath, copy word aa gaya,' he said in an interview sometime ago. Perhaps, his long days of struggle made Malik a touch more desperate for success; hence the willingness to compromise. One can surmise that for him being original was far less important than being successful considering his father, the redoubtable Sardar Malik, never made it big in the Mumbai film industry. Few know that the young composer made his debut way back in 1978 in Hunterwali 77, a C-grade venture directed by the late comedian Mohan Choti with Bindu as the heroine! The film bombed at the box office and Malik had to wait for five long years before he got his next chance in Poonam and Ek Jaan Hai Hum in 1983. The latter (where the youngest Raj Kapoor son, Rajeev, made his debut) was a moderate success and Malik's music was noticed. Songs like Bolo kuch to bolo and Yaad teri aayegi was evidence that here was a composer of promise. In the following years, Malik signed some big films such as Manmohan Desai's Mard, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Toofan but also showed signs of creative stagnation. With a few exceptions like Ek Chadar Maili Si, much of Malik's music between 1985 and 1993 neither won commercial success nor critical acclaim. Malik tried everything - even dropping the second 'n' from Annu on the advice of a numerologist - but to no avail. It appeared that he was destined to fade away without really making a name for himself - with one 'n' or two. But Malik proved the doubting Thomases wrong. So far his music was trapped between the traditional and the modern and his compositions lacked identity and style. But in 1993 with Abbas Mustan's Baazigar and Mahesh Bhatt's Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayee, Malik got his confidence back. His orchestration was tighter than ever before. And, it seemed, he could come up with tunes that were easier to catch than flu. Soon, it was obvious that there was two Anu Maliks. One, who could come up with interesting and innovative compositions as in Virasaat, Border, Duplicate, Fiza, Kareeb, Refugee, Josh, etc. But one, who could sleepwalk through films such as Sapoot, Jordaar, Khauff, Krishna etc. In some sense, Malik the composer is quite similar to Malik the man. Watching him talk, with the colourful beaded cap on his head and words pouring out in a torrent, one gets the impression of a restless, energetic artist in a hurry. Post-1993, Malik has been able to harness this zany, nervous energy into his tunes. Now he is enjoying its rewards. Songs of Josh, Biwi No 1, even his latest hit, Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, carry a joie de vivre and a paisa vasool quality which finds easy resonance with the new generation. Lyricist Javed Akhtar once complimented him with the memorable line, 'He is the sort of guy who can make music out of a telephone directory.' Perhaps, like a good artist, Malik needs a good occasion to excel. He needs a good director to coax, cajole and bring out the best in him. Like J.P. Dutta did in Border and Refugee. Like Subhash Ghai has done in Yaadein. But Malik is not resting on his laurels. And, he is not joking when he says he wants to win the Grammy. You cannot accuse Anu Malik of being afraid to dream.