Himesh Reshammiya in a candid chat with MM.com about his next flick Damadamm! which releases on October 27.



Though your first movie Aap Kaa Surroor was a hit, the last three films did not do well at the box-office. What are your expectations with Damadamm!?

I am very confident that Damadamm! will do very good business and it will get me back in the same race where I was afterAap Kaa Surroor. Radio was made only for a niche audience, where I got a lot of critical acclaim for my performance but the film could not do well at the box-office. Later, I had to suffer due to the fallout with Bhushan Kumar for Kajraare. I am quite confident that Damadamm! will give me a mileage as an actor. Even though it’s releasing with RA.One, is huge competition and is obviously going to do well.

There was huge pressure when it came to the release of Kajraare. It was a good product but could not get its due. I had to be careful as far as the release strategy was concerned. Studio 18 owed me a lot of money and that’s how the deal between the two of us got struck. The music and video distribution rights have been given to my company HR Musik. There is no bitterness with Studio 18.It’s a fun film which will make you smile. I am not as serious in real life as people perceive me to be (Smiles). I remember discussing with Raju Khan (choreographer) that I’ve been famous with the mike and the cap so why not make use of it. I wanted to include a dance step which would show the funny side of Himesh Reshammiya.I think I am very unconventional. I am still a few films away to reach the conventional setup because I have always been criticized when it comes to acting and Damadamm! will prove it to all.Yes, absolutely and that’s the case with Bodyguard and now with the music of Damadamm! songs like ‘Madhushala’ and ‘Umrao Jaan’ are all mass hits. I have made ‘Main Jahan Rahoon’ for the classes and won awards too. ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’ got me awards as a singer. I was the first composer-turned-singer to receive a Filmfare award. I have always been a package of class and mass together.Even the biggest stars receive criticism, so I don’t have any problems if someone has an opinion about me. But otherwise, hundreds of people have been with me that’s why I am successful today. People called me nasal but by the grace of god, I gave fifty hits in one year. Kishore Kumar is one example of singer-turned-actor and has been a legend. Damadamm! will end the whole debate of why did I turn into an actor because I will definitely continue to act.Reinvention is very important for a composer and I started my own music company, my first agenda was to have a lot of content. I created five hundred new songs and collaborated with two-fifty new artists. It was very necessary for me to break my own record with Bodyguard and this can be done only with a thorough preparation. I have seen composers fade away and that has always been my fear. I will reinvent myself each year.