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HT Brunch Cover story: Sibling Revelry with Armaan and Amaal

Hindustan Times | By
Sep 06, 2020 07:40 PM IST

With armies of fans called Armaanians, Amaalians and Armaalians, are these brothers Bollywood musicians or independent rockstars?

Amaal Mallik is late, even by Bollywood standards. Armaan Malik, Amaal’s brother by blood if not by spelling (Amaal chose to spell his surname Mallik as “it is more powerful”), is running out of patience.

But when Amaal finally arrives, he catches his kid brother in a scowl and just hugs him out of it! You see exactly why the brothers, though they do great work individually, soar to amazing heights when they collaborate.

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So, it’s a shame the two don’t collaborate more often. We suppose as millennials, each has a strong sense of identity. Strong enough to spell their surnames differently. Strong enough to believe in themselves as musicians, not just as members of a filmi family.

“We collaborate with other people; he can get any singer he wants, I can work with any composer I want,” grins Armaan. “That ensures we get the best opportunities and we follow our own career paths. But when we collaborate with each other, the result is always a hit song!”

The X factor for Armaan and Amaal is that they have grown together not only as brothers, but as musicians (Brahms Dirsipo)

Soul deep

Perhaps the X factor is that they have grown together not only as brothers, but as musicians. “Armaan is the first voice for my songs. He always delivers. He gets the soul of my songs,” says Amaal.

This touching faith, however, does not translate to smooth collaborations. “When we come together, we both articulate exactly what we feel without inhibitions, which we don’t have the liberty of doing when collaborating with others,” says Armaan.

“When we work together, the studio becomes a war zone” –Armaan Malik

‘Articulate exactly what we feel without inhibitions’ means precisely what you think it means: they fight. “When we work together, the studio becomes a war zone,” says Armaan. “Usually there is verbal and even physical abuse. Often it ends with me threatening to walk out and him locking the door. I then channel all my anger into the song and the take gets okayed!”

The reason they had separate career paths right from the start was their father. “He felt Armaan and I should collaborate but never depend on each other. Instead, we should have strong individual identities,” says Amaal.

Their father, Daboo Malik, had been estranged from his brother, Anu Malik, for so long that their parents made it a point to ensure Amaal and Armaan have a bond that will endure the strains of career and fame.

“We’re two separate people and we’d like to be seen that way,” says Amaal. Adds Armaan: “We can always join forces and since those collaborations are not forced, our chemistry remains fresh.”

Arre, bhai!

The brothers, five years apart, started their careers very young. While Armaan recorded his first Bollywood song at the age of nine, Amaal had started assisting music directors and doing ad jingles after finishing his Class 10 board exams.

Their parents made it a point to ensure Amaal and Armaan have a bond that will endure the strains of career and fame. (Brahms Dirsipo)

“My family has seen many grim days. My dad worked very hard, but when I was 15, he asked if I could take over. He was a broken and tired man. Armaan was just 10. I knew I had to pitch in,” says Amaal. “Starting young has an advantage. It moulded me into who I am today.”

“Going independent is the only way forward. In the last 3 months, I have released 3 new songs and seen a growth of a million fans on social media” –Armaan Malik

That doesn’t mean the two did not have fun. They fought and they protected each other. “If anyone troubled me even a bit, I used him as a threat,” laughs Armaan.

“When I was in Class 5 and Armaan was in class 1, I fought with an older guy from class 10,” remembers Amaal. “When he was almost choking me, I saw this little guy do a Spider-Man move and take on the senior! He looked like an aloo, with no neck, but he hit that guy so hard that the next day he turned up in school with a black eye and his mom.”

The two of them binge-watch their favourite shows together. “Narcos is our all-time favourite! Our tastes are similar, but our habits are different. We both love pizza but while he shares his with me, I buy two of the same so he can have one. I hate sharing!” Armaan confesses.

What’s in a name?

In many ways, Amaal and Armaan were born into a life of privilege. They were not financially well off but have a musical lineage most people only dream of.

Their grandfather, Sardar Malik, trained Amaal personally. “Armaan had formal training in Indian classical music from the time he was around four, but I learnt the same things by sitting next to my grandfather almost every night between the age of 6 and 16,” says Amaal.

Armaan had seen the flipside of the famous surname much earlier when he participated in a reality show. Wardrobe: Sweatshirt , Almost Gods; jacket , Ranbir Mukherjee; trousers, Forever21; shoes, Jack & Jones (Brahms Dirsipo)

Sardar Malik’s grandsons are aware that every thing they do for their careers adds to the prestige of the family name. “The only really successful person in our extended family is Anu Malik. So, we grew up with this question – are we even part of the film industry?” says Armaan.

The family name weighed heavy on Amaal. “I began my career assisting other composers and after knowing my surname, many would not give me work,” says the Trinity College of Music alumnus who, after making his debut as a composer in the Salman Khan-starrer, Jai Ho, almost left the industry. “Jai Ho wasn’t a success and many composers were happy to write off a Malik,” he recollects.

Armaan had seen the flipside of the famous surname much earlier. “I was one of the finalists in Sa Re Ga Ma Pa L’il Champs (2006). But I didn’t win. The reason I was given was, being from a family of composers, I would get an opportunity anyway. At nine, I could not process it,” he says.

The family name weighed heavily on Amaal. Wardrobe: Jacket , Zara; T-shirt, Mahn Studios; trousers, United Colors Of Benetton; shoes , Pull & Bear (Brahms Dirsipo)

Armies of their own

Today, these millennial heartthrobs have their own fandoms – the Amaalians and the Armaanians! “You are missing the Armaalian. They are fans of both Amaal and Armaan,” laughs Amaal.

“We connect with our fans on a personal level. I am always on the phone with my fans. I even do Insta Lives with them,” Armaan says.

These millennial heartthrobs have their own fandoms – the Amaalians and the Armaanians (Brahms Dirsipo)
“In the West, music artistes are as big as movie stars; in India, we are just their voices on the screen” –Armaan Malik

Both are putting out independent music and their recent collaboration, Zara Thehro, is a hit. “Independent music gives complete freedom, says Amaal. “The digital streaming platforms give us a direct connect with our fans.”

Says Armaan, who made an international debut with his English single, Control, this March, “In the West, music artistes are as big as movie stars; in India we are just their voices on screen. But now is the best time to be an independent artiste in India.”

Thanks to the lockdown and social distancing norms, no one knows when cinemas will reopen. “So, going independent is the only way forward for the music industry,” Armaan says. “In the last three months, I have released three new songs and I have seen a growth of almost a million fans on my social media.”

From HT Brunch, September 6, 2020

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