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Ahead of their latest outing, Param Sundari, the duo talks about their mindset, music, and their tribute to the master. Excerpts from the interview. What’s the secret of a long-term collaborative equation? Sachin: It is destiny. We never sat in business meetings to plan this partnership — it just happened. I first met Jigar to share some workload, and there’s no way two people living so far apart could’ve just decided to become a jodi. It feels like something beyond us put us together. Let me give you a recent anecdote: I needed Jigar not just as my business partner but as family, and he came through for me. That’s when I realised I admire him beyond music. He’s five years younger but has this politeness, manners, and ability to communicate that I really look up to. He’s also the rebel in our duo, the one who pushes. Jigar : The common thread between all of us is that we’re mad but sane enough to know that we’re mad! Otherwise, who decides to make a song “Baba Ji Ki Booti”? And when we did that track, everyone sang — Raj, DK, Anand, Kunal, me. Whoever was in the room. None of us was in it for stability. I think it’s that madness that connects us and keeps us together. Last year was stupendous for you, with Aaj Ki Raat becoming 2024’s most-streamed song. When you start a new project after such a success, what is your mindset? Sachin: Jigar doesn’t sleep — and he doesn’t let anyone else sleep either! (laughs) For him, the moment a song works, that gate is closed. He won’t allow us to repeat ourselves in the same way. That forces us to think differently, and that’s why we’ve managed to stay versatile. For me, that success gave me a certain ease. I’ve lived through the struggle of not finding popularity, so to be on the other side feels nice. But we were never in the game for just hits or flops. We came here to make good music, and even after success, that hasn’t changed. Our mantra is never to define a “Sachin–Jigar sound.” We don’t want people to say, this is exactly what they always do. We move on, leave that sound behind, and try something new. If others want to pick it up, great. If not, no problem. That’s why after Stree 2, we thought, okay, we’ve done the madness in Stree, we’ve done dance numbers, now how do we break out again? That’s how Param Sundari happened. It’s become an unplanned pattern with us — one big dance number, then one big love song, then something unexpected. Jigar : We’re also conscious of not getting typecast as “the commercial dance anthem guys.” So if we’ve just done a massive dance track, next time we’ll want to balance it with a love song or something soulful. (L-R) Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya When the Param Sundari teaser dropped, it went viral, with Sonu Nigam’s voice everywhere on social media. How did that feel? Sachin: A day before Jigar and I flew to Dubai for the music session, Dinesh Vijan called us to his office and told us this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Instantly, [AR] Rahman sir started playing in my head. Roja [1992] changed my life forever — if I’m a composer today, it’s because of those five years of listening to him. So working on Param Sundari felt like living a dream. Jigar: South Indian music has also inspired us a lot because it stays rooted in its culture. Even in the most commercial films, you’ll hear classical influences. I trained in classical singing for 10–12 years, and often had to “unlearn” some of it to compose for cinema. But “Param Sundari” brought everything we wanted together, it felt like a dream we didn`t want to wake up from. As for Sonu Nigam: growing up, albums like Yaad, Deewana, Jaan were my everyday listening. First it was a dream to see him live, then to hear him sing songs we produced. The first track we ever programmed was sung by Sonu Nigam. That was already a big moment. But as composers, we never got to record him again. We always kept it inside us. One day, we have to make a tune worthy of his voice. I was such a huge fan, I would literally pray to him before going to school! (laughs) So when we composed Param Sundari, we both knew deep down: this is it. We didn’t even say it out loud to each other, but we knew this was the song for Sonu Nigam. We called him, he heard it, came to the studio, and recorded it in half an hour. It was magical. For us, it’s the greatest tribute — to have the man who inspired us be part of our music. Recently, he called and told us how much love he’s receiving for the song. To hear that from your idol — that’s the biggest moment of the year. Sonu Nigam With the first track going viral, the flip side is that the rest of the album has to match up. Do you worry about how people will receive a song? Jigar:Definitely the latter. That’s not our job. Once we put our music out, it belongs to the audience. As fellow creators, we may form opinions, but as listeners, people have the right to completely own or dismiss what we make. Jigar : We learned early in our careers to detach ourselves from the fate of a song. It hurts when a track you love doesn’t do well, but once you release it, it’s no longer yours. You’ve shot the arrow, and it’s out in the world. What feels “good” to me might not land with someone else, and that’s okay. So yes, we’ve made peace with it. Especially today, when there’s such great indie music and such strong new artists coming through, we’re not greedy. We just try to give our best and then leave it to the universe. Has it happened that you expected a song to be a big hit and it didn’t catch on? Jigar: Many times! One example is Happy Ending [2014]. The album actually caught on months later. At release, it didn’t get the traction we hoped for, though we felt it was a true coming-of-age album in terms of sound and concept. The first song, Jee Phaad Ke, generated noise, but the other tracks didn’t bloom immediately. And because once a producer sees one song breaking through, he’ll naturally invest all his energy and money into pushing that one, the rest often get sidelined. We always believed the album would find its way — and it did, but very late. There are other examples too. A beautiful song like Pinjra Tod Ke in Simran, or Hoor in Hindi Medium with Atif Aslam. We thought they’d immediately catch on. They didn’t at first, but later people came back to them, and now they even request us to perform them on shows. Sachin : It’s a part of the game. That’s why having the first song of an album break through is actually a huge victory. Because imagine if you’re waiting until the fourth track for something to click — by then the producer may lose hope, and the entire album can collapse. Jigar : For us, every film’s music carries big stakes. Actors want to be seen in a good light, producers are investing heavily, directors have worked hard. If the first song doesn’t land, there’s panic. And in those moments, you have to put art aside and think practically: we have to make this work. When the first track works, it also gives us the liberty to experiment with the rest of the album. For example, because Stree worked, we could make Stree 2 completely different — even put a ghazal on a beat. That was a risk, and it only happened because the first one clicked. So yes, we’ve learned that “first song tracking” is the safer and better place to be in, even if the others don’t explode in the same way. A still from ‘Param Sundari’ Dinesh Vijan, Amitabh Bhattacharya and the two of you almost function like a unit. And every time this unit comes together, it delivers. What makes it work? Sachin : Dinesh is extremely critical of his own work, and Amitabh Bhai is the same. He’ll come back after six days to change just one word in the last line of an antara, or fight with us about a line even before a shoot mix is delivered. That level of self-criticism keeps the bar high. The truth is, at the end of the day, no matter how many aspirations or ideas we all come in with, there’s only one song to be made. That perspective keeps us grounded. We keep checking each other. Dinesh loves to experiment — he’ll come to us with a reference, or say, “Here’s this Afro-inspired song, can we make it a love track?” He’s always hustling, always infusing new ideas. Jigar, as I’ve said, is the rebel — he refuses to repeat himself, and he shares a bond with Dinesh that goes beyond work, which makes them almost like brothers. Jigar : For me, I try to stay objective, to keep perspective when things get too passionate. And Amitabh Bhai has this magical ability to bring in a word or phrase that sparks a whole song. Among the four of us, someone always has the starting point. Because this unit has delivered before, we have the courage to keep pushing further — to take one more risk, one more step. The balance of being able to check each other and push each other is what keeps us both grounded and moving forward. Also, we’ve been through failures together — films that didn’t work, songs that vanished without a trace. That’s why now, even if something doesn’t work, it doesn’t shake the association. Our bond isn’t dependent on hits. It’s dependent on whether we’ve fulfilled each other’s creative soul. If between the four of us, we’ve inspired and satisfied each other creatively, then that’s success, no matter how far the song travels. On social media, people are calling Param Sundari’s music derivative and influenced by AR Rahman. Do you worry about that? Sachin: Never. From the beginning, this song came from a place of pure art, dedication, and a tribute to the master. For us, it’s a matter of pride if one of our songs even gets compared to his work. I look up to Rahman sir not just for his work, but for the person he is. On the inlay card of his first independent album [Vande Mataram], he wrote: ‘Hope to become the song of an independent India.’ That’s the man we’re paying homage to. Jigar: When people say Param Sundari feels familiar, for us, familiarity isn’t bad. Familiarity can make you feel at home, and once you’re there, you can surprise the listener with new things hidden inside.