I met Kalyani Malik just once, at sirivennela Seetharama Shastry's place, but I was more of a

silent spectator of their conversation. It was way back in 2005, and I could never get back into
contact with him, until Facebook happened recently. Even then, there was not much one-to-one
conversation. I always liked his music, from Aithe..! to Alaa.. Modalaindi but I always felt that he
did not get all the recognition he deserved. With his film Alaa.. Modalaindi gearing up for release,
I wanted to talk to him and wish him, and presented here are excerpts of our conversation,
exclusive for TC.Com visitors:

Sri: Director Nandini Reddy said that you took her to the producer Damu gaaru. When you
knew so many other directors, why did you take only her to a producer?
Kalyani Malik: We both have been good friends since the time of Aithe..! and I knew some of her
projects that were in works (and later scrapped off), such as the one with Suresh Productions and
so on. She used to keep me in the loop for such projects too and even used to introduce me to the
producers even at that time. Damu gaaru became a good friend of mine as I used to hang out at his
business outfit "Streets" located in Banjara Hills (of Hyderabad). And, I came to know that he
wanted to venture into film production (on their family banner). He started listening to stories
from various aspirants that approached him, and so I thought I could suggest someone too. Thus, I
took Nandini so that she can try out her luck. As a matter of fact, I had taken another chap to
Damu gaaru before I took Nandini along, but well, it so happened that Damu gaaru liked the story
narrated by Nandini, and everything slowly fell into place.

Sri: Then, how did it happen that differences came up between you and Nandini so much
that you declared that Nandini didn't like you being a part of the project?
Kalyani Malik: It's mainly because of some others involved. Actually, it's like this: I actually
clarified to Nandini early on itself that she need not feel obligated to rope me into the project just
because I introduced the producer to her, and suggested that she should choose the right music
director that fits the theme of the film and the budget. However, Damu gaaru insisted on having
me handle the music department in the film. She did agree too, but then I initially had a hard time
delivering tunes that appealed to her. At that time, another person was coordinating various
production aspects, since he was a personal friend of the producer. He apparently seemed
uncomfortable with me for some reason. ...In fact, during a week I was not in the office, another
young keyboard player from Chennai was possibly even working on composing, at some level.
Apparently, that didn't work out and they did come back to me. When I came to know of this only
later, they tried to cover it up saying they got that guy to help me prepare and record tracks faster.
Well, the fact is that he was there for a week without any information to me! I messaged Damu
gaaru and others to let go of me if they choose. Nandini apparently knew all this that was
happening at my back, but she didn't tell me, and that's when I thought even she didn't like to have
me involved in the project.

Sri: I can count at least six people from your close family - apart from you - who have been
in the Telugu film industry for a while now. Still, it took you a considerable time before you
were seen around. What made the decision in the first place, when your brother was already
a music director? And, what took you so long anyway?
Kalyani Malik: Not everyone is equally talented. Keeravani is greatly talented, and I cannot even
stand comparably! And, such high-scale films as Rajamouli's require Keeravani's skill and range
of market. It just doesn't happen with my name instead of his name!... I am a music director by
need, really.

Sri: But, even when your dad made a film (Chandrahaas) or when Rajamouli made a small-
budget film (Maryada Ramanna), they still chose Keeravani!
Kalyani Malik: Opportunities don't knock anyone's door because of love or relationship or pity.
It's purely talent-based, and Keeravani can do a lot better than I can, and he's readily available too!
Even if they'd have approached me for a movie that's of Keeravani's worth, I'd be scared to
attempt, because I am not capable of reaching his range of music!

Sri: Are you not being too modest when you say that, given the fact that it was you who
scored the BGM and worked as music conductor for several films of Keeravani, including
blockbuster (musical) hits like Chatrapathi and Magadheera? Background score was a
definite contributor to the range of such hits.
Kalyani Malik: Oh, that's not really a great achievement! And, I feel I was only helping my
brother. Keeravani's talent is like the Himalayas! I can only admire the beauty but cannot dare to
climb over or collide with the high mountain! On any day, I am not belittling myself when I say
that I am less than what Keeravani is. That's what I mean.

NaChaKi: It's not easy to make your debut through a small-budget film like Aithe..! that
had just one song, and still a mark. What went wrong then, that you didn't get many
opportunities right after that?
Kalyani Malik: I actually did get 10-15 offers right away, after Aithe..! went on to be a hit. But
that was a time when I was not confident enough that I can actually be a music director for a full-
fledged film! I didn't sign any offers, and it seemed to have sent a message around that Kalyani
Malik is arrogant and very choosy. No, the problem is that I was not sure of how I'd even handle it
all professionally. Even the offers that rained on me were not anything that I'd have been excited
about.

NaChaKi: You made several heads turn towards you after Aithe..! or even through
Amrutham. Still, in the seven years since that film released, you have a modest average of
one movie a year! Your music always made its mark, still... even for films like Valliddari
Vayasuu Padahaare! Only a couple of films that you worked for were hits. Do you see that as
a reason too?
Kalyani Malik: It'd be less than one a year, in fact, if we acknowledge that Alaa.. Modalaindi and
Golconda High School have not hit the theaters at this time. It's possible that my lack of
maintaining appreciable public relations might have contributed to it partially. It could just be my
time being bad too... I am contended with what I have, and I have never scored music in a way I'd
be ashamed to list a film/song in my discography. Why I don't have more movies is altogether a
different issue. ...Getting offers is not really important. Like you do mention, the film's success
could dictate it too. You could be approached by scores of people if you score for a film that runs
for 100 days - it doesn't necessarily mean that your music caught their attention! Even a music
director's remuneration is based on the film's run. SankhamlO pOstEnE teertham... nEnu inkaa
Sankham avalEdu! [referring to the fact that success is the only attention-grabbing mantra, and
that he's still waiting for that.] ...Even Vaalliddari Vayasuu Padahaare! was a good film, yes, but
many failed to notice it. When Sekhar Kammula watched the film when it was aired by a TV
channel and particularly appreciated me for a nice background score, I was glad that at least
someone cared.

NaChaKi: You come from a family of music connoisseurs and composers. Even you have
composed several memorable melodies in your career as a music director. What's your
background and efforts in music?
Kalyani Malik: Honestly, speaking, my efforts in that direction are zero! Formal training in
music is a vast academic wealth of knowledge, with degrees and diplomas being offered at various
levels. It's a different matter if someone was interested to become a music director from the
beginning and/or learn playing some musical instrument, and so on. I wanted to be a singer from
my childhood, but music direction was not a part of a plan of me.

NaChaKi: Do you compose based on classical raaga-s? Some of your compositions seemed
so...
Kalyani Malik: (Laughs) There's no chance! I don't even know more than a handful of raaga-s,
such as kaLyaaNi, SankaraabharaNam, keeravaaNi, mOhana, etc. So, the question of composing
based on raaga-s doesn't even arise in my case! I compose a tune based on mood of the particular
song, blending in my emotion and culturing the tune accordingly.

NaChaKi: Keeravani uses hindOLam or similar raaga-s frequently...

Kalyani Malik: Yes, he likes the feel of hindOLam and some others close to it. And, he knows he
can compose faster if he chooses a raaga that's close to it. Of course, he doesn't simply compose
everything in hindOLam. It's just that his command on the raaga made him deliver numerous hits
in raaga-s that are close to it.

NaChaKi: That's surprising! Why is it that I think you are being too modest?
Kalyani Malik: Believe me, I came into music not because I am greatly talented but because I
couldn't get into a regular career based on my academic track record. This is the truth, really! I
have been in touch with melodious music since my childhood, and some melodies that I listened
to might have even inspired some of my tunes. I make it a point that I don't copy music, though. In
fact, I don't compose any song with some other song in my mind.

NaChaKi: That brings me a question. kOkilamma, baDaayi chaalinchumaa!... (Andhrudu)

appears similar to the Tamil song sonda kuraLi paaDal... from Amarkkalam (dubbed as
Adbhutam in Telugu, the song goes jaanu tenugu paaTa...) in parts of both the lyric and the
tune. Was the Andhrudu song inspired by this one? Or, was it a suggestion to you and the
lyricist (Chandrabose) that you should come up with something on those lines?
Kalyani Malik: How does the song go? Could you sing it for me, please, so that I can try to
recollect? [I hummed the pallavi.] It does seem vaguely similar... but I don't remember listening to
the song earlier. [Meanwhile, Sri played the Tamil version over the phone.] Ah, I now see why it
sounds similar though it's a different raaga/tune. It's the beat that's called "fox-trot", which is used
both in my song and this one. [After explaining a bit as to why I thought the lyric felt similar
too...] I still do believe that Chandrabose's lyric is very original too. I'd only say that it's a pure
coincidence. We were not told to make a song similar to something else. [Kalyani Malik surely
didn't know the Tamil song earlier. He thought this was an Ilayaraja's composition and I had to
clarify that it's by Vidya Sagar.]

Sri: The question of copying reminds me of something else. In the good old days, Mahadevan
credited Pugazhendi as his assistant, Chakravarthy credited Krishna-Chakra duo as his
assistants, and even in the past Ghantasala credited Pamarthy, and so on. Why is it that we
don't see any assistants being credited today in the music department? There was a time
when Mahadevan did not join the Sankaraabharanam team on the film unit's USA tour just
for the reason that they didn't buy a ticket for Pugazhendi.
Kalyani Malik: It's a question of one's own culture and sincerity. To be using someone as an
assistant and not credited them is unethical too... Some assistants even worked as much as a full-
time music directors when they were assisting other music directors.

Sri: Do you have any assistants working for you?

Kalyani Malik: No, I don't. Doing less than a movie a year, I didn't ever need assistants. One
needs assistants when they have their schedules too busy to handle individually. I was never so
busy as to not have time to do all the stuff myself (laughs).

Sri: Why is that you've been working at such a slow pace when every other music director is
working for multiple movies each year?
Kalyani Malik: That's a million dollar question even I have! I don't really know how I got an
opportunity for Aithe..! or even my second film Manasu Maata Vinadu, ...esssentially to to
previous acquaintances is what I'd believe. In fact, after I worked for Nagarjuna's Boss - I Love
You, I actually approached people like any other aspiring, new music director on the block, asking
around for opportunities. Still, they did not apparently think of me when they made movies later.
And, I really don't know why...!

NaChaKi: You worked with regular lyricists of Tollywood, such as Late Veturi gaaru,
sirivennela Seetharama Shastry gaaru, Bhuvanachandra, Chandrabose, Bhaskarabhatla, or
Anantha Sriram but you also worked with considerable number of less-known lyricists, like
Umamahesh, Venki, Lakshmi Bhoopal, or Veena Sahithi. And, it's heard that you are not
easily pleased with lyrics. What do you actually look for in a lyricist?
Kalyani Malik: Choosing the lyricist is something a director usually does. Still, of course, a
music director also needs to approve of a lyric, its fitting into the tune and theme and so on. What
I particular look for is an innovative and poetic way of expressing the content. Not all lyrics may
require to be poetic, but they should be impressive nevertheless. I am not very well-versed with
literature of any form, but then I can discriminate a good, cultured lyric from something otherwise.
There's no thinking twice in admitting that given a chance, I'd possibly get all lyrics written by
sirivennela gaaru! It's a matter of selfishness more than love (laughs), because I then need not
worry about the quality of the lyric itself and it's less burdensome to me on the whole, with him
around. I do not usually insist on having any other lyricist in particular, except that I'd have to
settle to someone out of necessity when I cannot get sirivennela gaaru to write.

NaChaKi: You got the heroine of the film to sing two songs in the film. Isn't this the first
time you got an actor to sing a song, though others like Keeravani, Mani Sarma, and Devi
Sri Prasad did that earlier? Do you think she can have a professional career as a singer too?
Or, is it just for this film that you wanted to experiment?
Kalyani Malik: It's not that I wanted to bring in some craze factor by getting the heroine to sing.
Nandini found her humming along in the sets and felt her voice was good. I listened to the voice
too, and thought she could sing one of the songs. When it came out good, we went ahead and got
her croon for a second one too. For me, it only matters that a singer sings well. I don't have a
particular inclination to get someone sing just because one is a hero or a heroine. As far as I am
concerned, she's a playback singer and I used her voice like I'd have done for any other aspiring
singer looking for the right break.

NaChaKi: How is Golconda High School coming along? I heard good things about the
background score...
Kalyani Malik: I have never spoken about any audio before its release, but this film's audio has
come out really, really well. The audience would thoroughly enjoy the album. Even the
background score came out appreciably, yes. Not just compositions but alsoplayback, music
programming, lyrics have all blended very rightly in this album. I'm very confident about this
album and am extremely happy with the quality of the output. The film's audio is due to release
next month.

We wished him all the best and best of luck for a brighter and busier career and ended the
interview.

Interview: NaChaKi
Acknwoledgements: Sri Atluri

Filmography:

As a music director:
Aithe..! (2003)
Manasu Maata Vinadu (2005)
Andhrudu (2005)
Vaalliddari Vayasuu Padahaare! (2006)
Boss - I love you! (2006)
Ashta Chammaa (2008)
Alaa.. Modalaindi (2010)
Golconda High School (Planned for Dec. 2010/Jan. 2011)

As a singer:
Laahiri Laahiri Laahirilo... (manasE oka punnami jaabilai..., with Ganga) (2002)
Yuvaratna (sannajaaji poovaa..., with Sadhna Sargam) (2002)
Ee Abbaayi Chaalaa Manchodu (chandamaama kathalO chadivaa..., with Sunitha) (2003)
Simhadri (ammainaa, naannainaa... and singamalai...) (2003)
Pallakilo Pellikooturu (muddu lEni prEma..., with Sumangali) (2004)
Sye (chanTainaa bujjainaa... with Smitha and Vasundhara Das; Ganga A/C... with Ganga and
Vasundhara Das; pantam needaa naadaa... with Keeravani, Devi Sri Prasad, Tippu, Chandrabose,
Smitha) (2004)
Vaalliddari Vayasuu Padahaare! (abbabbabbabba, EmiTii soda..., with Mathangi; daivaalu
talichE, lOkaalu kolichE...; bhayapaDi paaripOdu prEma annadi...) (2006)
Alaa.. Modalaindi (innaaLLU naa kaLLu..., with Geetha Madhuri; ammammO ammO..., with
Nithya Menon) (2010)