After a lull in the Hindi film playback music in the ’80s, Nadeem-Shravan ignited the scene with their melodious songs. On late Thursday night, industry lost one half of the duo — Shravan succumbed to Covid-19. Here, some of his colleagues pay him a tribute
Kumar Sanu: I still remember the day Gulshan Kumar introduced me to Shravan in 1986 at the T-Series’ Juhu office. Shravan had a very strong classical base thanks to his gharana. He used to teach me the nuances of the lifts and lows of tunes. He had enormous patience and used to smile even in rush hours... He would exude confidence and make the singer comfortable. I was lucky that my chemistry matched with theirs and we went on to produce a huge number of everlasting hits. They used to call me Tiger probably for my go getter attitude.
Abhijeet: If Shravan was the smiling kind, Nadeem was the blunt type. Together the combo brought back the melody and made music the hero of the film. Music was the USP once again like it was during RD Burman’s time. Films were sold primarily for music and good singers had a field day with them. In their era, they made sure that the Khans or the Kumars could not steal the show; they were the ultimate melody kings. A perfectionist though, Shravan never lost his cool, a rare quality. He knew how to keep the singers in good spirits and get the job done. They made music unlike today’s music composers who are aided by technology.
Shaan: Shravan and I shared so many fond memories. It is shocking as on Thursday evening he said he was feeling better, but late in the night he ‘signed off’. I have had a long association with Shravan. My mom used to be a part of the chorus group that sang for him, and later I started singing for him. It was a matter of pride to have sung for one of the best jodis of Bollywood. He introduced me to a lot of places/people and we did several shows together, especially the Brahmakumaris show at Siri Fort in Delhi, I still cherish that memory.
