Jatin Lalit have been very reserved kind of celebrities, and have not
                      appeared in many interviews. Also the big, bad, mean world of Bollywood
                      did not care for the music directors which did not have many gimmicks,
                      contacts or PR.

                      After their series of hits in 1998 and 1999, suddenly the Hindi film
                      industry seems to have waken up to realise the talent of these young
                      music geniuses. As a result, a couple of major film magazines have
                      published their interviews within a very short span of time (in the same
                      month to be precise).
 

                      A spacious room in a Juhu flat is buzzing with all sorts of instrumental
                      tunes. Music directors Jatin and Lalit supervise the sitting, as five
                      musicians play a peppy number.

                      The brothers look quite excited, though one suspects they are a shade
                      nervous too. After five big hits in 1998, they had a lean phase last year,
                      with nothing clicking except 'Sarfarosh'. Earlier this year, their music in
                      'Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani' didn't do as well as expected.

                      But the lean phase should end now. With films like Aditya Chopra's
                      'Mohabbatein' and Raj Kanwar's 'Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke', Jatin-Lalit are
                      hoping to retain their popularity. Later in the year, they've also got Karan
                      Johar's 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham' lined up.

                      Since their session has to continue for another two hours, the two decide
                      to tackle this interview alternately. While Jatin is the first to answer your
                      queries, Lalit replaces him half an hour later. We ask them the same
                      questions, and this is what they say:

                   How do you foresee the next two or three months?

                      Jatin: We're quite hopeful. Besides 'Mohabbatein' and 'Dhaai Akshar
                      Prem Ke', we've got Deepak Sareen's 'Albela' and Anil Devgan's 'Raju
                      Chacha'. We've also recorded four songs for 'Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham'.
                      For us, all these films are prestigious. We're very excited about
                      Mohabbatein, where Anand Bakshi has given the lyrics. Besides Lataji,
                      Udit and Jaspinder, we've got six new singers.

                      Lalit: The sound is very fresh. We think Mohabbatein will be the music
                      of the year.

                   In 'Dhaai Akshar...', why have you chosen the unusual combination
                   singers Anuradha Paudwal and Babul Supriyo?

                      Jatin: We knew it would be a good team. They've done a very good job,
                      and so has lyricist Sameer. A lot of credit must go to Raj Kanwar, who
                      has a good sense of music.

                      Lalit: Babul has done a few good songs here and there, but he needed a
                      film where he could sing all numbers. So when we conceptualised these
                      songs, we thought of him immediately. As for Anuradha, she hasn't
                      done much playback singing of late. So we felt she'll lend a certain
                      uniqueness by singing for us.

                   In 1998, you had some fabulous releases like 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai',
                   'Ghulam' and 'Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha'. However, nothing seemed to
                   click last year, except 'Sarfarosh'. What went wrong?

                      Jatin: It so happened that all our good films were released in 1998. The
                      weaker films came out last year. Earlier this year, we were banking on
                      Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani. The music was good and I personally liked
                      the movie. But the film didn't do well at the box office, and that's what
                      affected our music.

                      Lalit: I think every alternate year will make a difference. We've
                      recorded some fabulous music in the past few months, and all that will
                      be released now. Ups and downs are bound to happen. So we're not
                      feeling bad if certain films didn't do well last year. As of now, the next
                      five or six months are very important.

                   Besides you, Anu Malik has signed a lot of films. Even
                   Nadeem-Shravan are making a comeback. A R Rahman has some
                   releases lined up. How are you facing the competition?

                      Jatin: If you look at this year, only the music of 'Kaho Naa... Pyaar Hai'
                      (by Rajesh Roshan) has done well. 'Josh' (by Malik) was okay, but
                      besides these two films, there has been nothing. So everybody has a
                      fair chance. The music in our forthcoming films has variety and colour.
                      We are more keen that our work is admired. We don't really think of
                      competition.

                      Lalit: One or two hits isn't any competition. Look at our career-graph.
                      When we started, our competitors were Nikhil-Vinay, Mahesh-Kishore
                      and Shyam-Surender. We all tried to get the same films. But look where
                      we have reached. Ultimately, success depends on how talented you are.

                   How do you react to Ismail Darbar's success in 'Hum Dil De Chuke
                   Sanam'?

                      Jatin: He used to sit in the third or fourth row while playing violin for us.
                      In fact, I wasn't even sure it was the same person till I saw his
                      photograph. I liked his work in 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam', but I was
                      disappointed with the music of 'Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya'.

                      Lalit: I am happy for Ismail. He's got a good sense of melody. But I
                      hope he has the sustaining power.

                      Though you have had a series of hits, many people feel you still don't
                      possess an original style. Instead, you've been influenced heavily by R D
                      Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Shankar-Jaikishen and a handful of western
                      tunes. What are your views on this?

                      Jatin: There's no harm in getting influenced by great people like RD, LP
                      and SJ. While every musician is influenced by somebody, we make it a
                      point not to lift anybody's tune directly. Today, people associate us with
                      melody. As far as possible, we avoid songs with cheap lyrics. There's a
                      certain dignity and respectability in our music, as a result of which
                      classy directors approach us.

                      Lalit: I am fond of western music. So there are some songs I have
                      wanted to adapt. But I chose rare songs like Anne Murray's 'You needed
                      me', which I did in Bada Din, and Paul Anka's 'Bring the wine', which I
                      did in 'Khamoshi'. But I do that very rarely, and we don't go about lifting
                      current hits. As far as being influenced by RD and LP is concerned, we
                      have grown up listening to them. So the influence is bound to be there.
                      If you listen to our music over the last eight or nine years, you'll see
                      how much we've evolved as far as our own individuality goes.