'I started composing music because I was sitting at home, not doing anything'

Priyanka Chopra and Mary Kom Darshan Kumar

'I cried after my elimination from Indian Idolbecause I had got used to the lavish lifestyle, the good food, good hotels, good clothes and I was going to miss that.'

Shivam Pathak returns to the good life, thanks to his hit music in Mary Kom.

Shivam Pathak, a finalist in Indian Idol season 5 (telecast in 2010), got his first assignment to compose music for a Bollywood movie, with Mary Kom. He has composed two songs --Salaam India and Sukun Mila.

The 24-year-old singer-composer tells Patcy N how tough it is for a newcomer to make it in Bollywood.

Composing for Mary Kom

I started composing music because I was sitting at home and not doing anything.

Through (director, Son Of Sardar) Ashwini Dheer, I met Sanjay Leela Bhansali. They were talking about Mary Kom.

Sanjay sir had heard me on Indian Idol. He liked my voice. I told him I compose music too and played Salaam India for him. He loved it and asked me to rework it a bit.

The lyrics were written by my childhood buddy Sandeep Singh from Lakhimpur.

Sanjay sir is very involved in the music. He kept telling me to make a hundred changes. I got a bit frustrated. But when I heard the final result, I realised how important his inputs were.

Salaam India is sung by me, Salim Merchant and Vishal Dadlani.

I played my second song Sukun Mila at my next meeting with Sanjay sir and he approved of that too.

Sukun Mila is sung by Arijit Singh. Sanjay sir wanted me to sing it but I told him Arijit should sing the song because he is at the top now. If he sings my song, it will become more popular. I was thinking like a composer now and not a singer.

In fact, I am thinking of becoming a composer rather than a singer.

I am composing for Ashwin Dheer’s next film and also for a television serial.

Early life and Indian Idol

I come from Lakhimpur Kheri in Uttar Pradesh. My father was an accountant in a bank. He is retired now. My mother is a housewife. I have two sisters, who are married.

I came to Mumbai to do a course in hardware and networking. In 2008, I heard about Indian Idol. I gave an audition but was not selected.

When I told my parents I want to learn singing, they were very disappointed. They had spent lots of money on my hardware and networking course.

No one in my family has anything to do with films or music, so I did have initial problems, but later my parents supported me.

They paid my fees of Rs 15,000 a month at the Suresh Wadkar Ajivasan Music Academy. I stayed in the hostel there for two-and-a-half years.

I participated in Indian Idol in 2010 and reached the top five. I cried after my elimination. But I got to meet a lot of people like Salim Merchant and Sunidhi Chauhan.

One reason I cried was because I had got used to the lavish lifestyle, the good food, good hotels, good clothes and I was going to miss that.

I again went to the Suresh Wadkar Ajivasan music academy and studied for another one-and-a-half years.

First break and struggle

Salim Merchant had told me that he would give me a break after Indian Idol. He gave me lots of jingles, but I did not want jingles. I was clear in my mind that I want to do film songs.

I sang lots of scratches; nobody pays money for scratches though I got paid twice.

I sang the Bharat Ke Majbood Haath song for the Congress party which was playing on television during elections

I also sang India Is Mast Kalander for Vaibhavi Merchant’s Taj Express project along with Sukhvinder Singh.

My first big break was Nagesh Kuknoor’s film, Mod 2011. The music composer was Tapas Relia. I sang two songs in the film, one with Shreya Ghosal.

After that, I was the celebrity participant on another show for Star TV, Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar (2012), and was in the top five. I was paid Rs 50,000 per episode.

I did around 20 shows for Sony in India and abroad. I was paid around Rs 45,000-50,000 in India and around Rs 1 lakh or more per show abroad.

In 2013, I sang the title song for Satyagrah for Salim Merchant.

I bought a house in New Mumbai while doing Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, with my father’s help, to bring stability in my life, as I was wasting a lot of money. I was staying in a rented house in Juhu, which was expensive.

So I asked my parents to come down and since then they have been here helping me out.

Shows are the only source of money. I get more than 15 shows a month but I only take two or three.

Watch: Sonam Kapoor's quirky act in 'Maa Ka Phone'

Stills from the film 'Khoobsurat'

Mumbai: Have you ever been in the perfect situation with your significant other? The mood is set, everything comes to a stand still at that moment and you feel like you two are the only people on this planet. It’s the perfect moment to lean in for a passionate kiss… when suddenly that one phone call from your mother just kills the moment.

Well that’s exactly what this new track from ‘Khoobsurat’ is all about. Watch Sonam and Fawad put on their most quirky, and priceless expressions in ‘Maa Ka Phone’.

The duo makes an adorable pair onscreen and are all set for the release of their film on September 19.

Watch the fun song here:

Rani Mukerji meets real life cop Meeran Borwankar

After her hard hitting film Mardaani garnered success at box-office, Rani Mukerji seems to be on a new high. However, the actress does not want to stop for women development and she recently visited the woman who is the inspiration behind the film.

On September 3, Rani Mukerji visited Pune where she met IPS officer Meeran Borwankar, the current Police Commissioner of the city. Sources say that the two were spotted having a quality conversation in her office.

Earlier we had reported that Mardaani, which is based on child trafficking and selling of young girls, is based on a real life cop. Though the police force had maintained that Rani Mukerji visited them frequently to learn the gritty job of a cop, none of them revealed the name on whom Rani's character Shivani Shivaji Roy was based on.

Rani was seen essaying the role of a crime branch officer in the film. However, it was speculated that her role in Mardaani was inspired by IPS officer Meeran Borwankar who was also an investigation officer on the Mumbai 26/11 case.

Directed by Pradeep Sarkar, Mardaani was one of the first films of Yash Raj Films which dealt with a serious issue like human trafficking. The film also starred Tahir Raj Bhasin and Jishu Sengupta.

Kapil Sharma having gala time in Dubai

Delhi: Comedian Kapil Sharma is having a gala time in shooting for ‘Comedy Nights With Kapil’ in Dubai despite the hot weather conditions there.

Kapil Sharma in Dubai

The entire cast of ‘Comedy Nights with Kapil’ is in Dubai these days to perform for the audiences in the city. The CWNK gang took off from Mumbai on September 3 and even posted a few group pictures while in the airplane.

Kapil posted few pictures of him during the shoot in Dubai on Facebook Thursday. In one of his posts he wrote, “Shooting outdoor in Dubai.. it's tooo hot.. Bt m sure u will like this new element in comedy nights..Lots of love.” He later added, “Pack up after a long hot outdoor shoot in dubai..“

With the popularity he has gained in such short span has taken him places very few have reached. Big-wigs of Bollywood, TV and sports industry have appeared in his show. Comedy Nights With Kapil has also become a hot favorite show for promoting films too. Kapil Sharma's Comedy Nights With Kapil recently completed its 100th episode and the show has never failed to impress the viewers with each episode of theirs. Hoping the same will be with the live episode.