Background scores, for Salim-Suleiman, would remain as special as their latest as music directors – Aditya Chopra’s gigantic Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

When a certain Aditya Chopra decides to step behind the camera, with Shah Rukh Khan in his frames, we don’t expect sparks, we bet on fireworks. And if anything leaves music director duo Salim-Suleiman with goose bumps, it has to be this. “I am usually nervous when I do music for a film,” laughs Salim Merchant right before the music release of Aditya Chopra’s ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’. Expectations, are often unreasonable feels Salim. “There seems to be popular demand for thumping, racy dance tracks. There has to be at least one such track in a film,” says Salim.

Rab Ne…, however, chooses not to trek the beaten path. Chopra wanted the music to completely feel like it belongs to the spirit of the film, and not just full of random chartbusters. “People often have funny expectations but we have tried to make the music true to the film,” says Salim.

So, the music director duo, who have worked wonders with the music for films like Dor, Chak De! India, Roadside Romeo, and most recently Fashion, decided to keep Rab Ne… simple. “The film is based in Amritsar. The sounds reflect the same,” says Salim.

While ‘Fashion’ had been a delightful experiment with relatively new voices, ‘Rab Ne…’ would stick to old favourites — Sukhwinder Singh and his ilk. But new voices still remain in the priority list of the duo. And reality shows are most likely to be their favourite hunting ground for fresh talent. “We are waiting for an opportunity to put all the talent we spot on these shows to good use,” says Salim, who with his brother has been judging the two seasons of Chak De on 9X channel.

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