"Where's the party tonight?"
It's a question I must ask the three men in black, for their music in the just-released Karan Johar directorial offering, Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, has - like in their previous films, Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya and Kal Ho Naa Ho, to name just three - set the charts afire. On a roll, Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa - are busy at work in the cool confines of a suburban studio, almost round the clock…. For 2006 is yet another big year for 'SEL' - as the trio is popularly called. After the release of KANK, the musical maestros are giving the finishing touches to their compositions for Farhan Akhtar's Don and Nikhil Advani's Salaam-E-Ishq, to name just two of their biggies due to hit the marquee soon.

Apart from the interesting fact that SEL unconsciously mirrors the popular Amar Akbar Anthony combo, they are probably the only music directors to work as a threesome. Musical duos (Laxmikant-Pyarelal, Kalyanji-Anandji, Jatin-Lalit, Salim-Suleiman) - have functioned in smooth harmony. But three…. Isn't that one more than is the usual wont? "The concept is just like a band," says Shankar, the most visible of the trio, who sets the conversation ball rolling. "With Ehsaan strumming the guitar, Loy, on the keyboard and me, singing, we are perhaps the only complete self-sufficient music composers around. We are constantly jamming, throwing ideas at each other and our music emerges from our often informal interaction."

Once earlier, when Loy was asked what it was like working together, he had replied, "It is almost like sitting on a two-legged stool…. We may be a little stressed out sometimes and everyone will be on edge if we have to meet a deadline but otherwise three is a nice number. There is a certain synergy which is continuously moving. It is like a ball of momentum….."

Watching them interact makes me feel that it is quite easy, being part of a triad. "We never have any problems…never feel that we have to hurl things across the studio or kill each other. Differences get sorted out; it is all a part of our work," says Ehsaan.

Circa 2006…. It's been ten years since the three got together to make music for the movies. The formula seems to have worked, for after a hiccupy start in Bollywood - when Mukul Anand passed away their debut film, Dus folded up - SEL have hit the high notes. "He had taken us under his wing and was protective of our interests. We felt terrible by his loss. But since we were busy doing our own things - and were not really waiting with bated breath to take the plunge into Hindi cinema - professionally, we were okay," recall the trio in…well, tandem. Another project that bit the dust before it could see the light of day was a serial, Hum, which was to have been directed by Ashutosh Gowariker. "Who knows," quips Ehsaan. "Had that worked out perhaps we would have done Lagaan!"

Movie music for each of them is but a 'tip of the iceberg that constitutes our work, even today'. All three are involved with the making of ad jingles - together and individually - Shankar (39) has his finger in many South Indian projects and Ehsaan (42) and Loy (50) are a part of Instant Karma, a remix band. "We have been doing two jingles almost every day and have a backlog to meet. If we chose to we could work 365 days a year, but prefer to keep our weekends free, unless of course we have to meet a deadline," says Ehsaan.

In the same vein, Loy explains their modus operandi. "It is important for us to take on only a few projects at a time. We do not have a sound bank… we do not rip off producers by telling them that we have kept the best tunes for them. We have a smattering of ideas that develop into songs….."

Ideas they have in plenty…. "They may come to us in the middle of the night…and we get up and jot them down," says Shankar. "Yet, we work on a limited number of projects at one time. Other music directors may do ten songs and pass them on to their musicians. We have to be there to ensure that each note is the way we want it to be. That is why every song takes time. We specialise in what you can call custom-made music...and we have to get it absolutely right, for at the outset there are three people to satisfy."

Interestingly, each note, each tune is tracked carefully by 'note master' Ehsaan for as Loy says, "Forget churning out something like other people's songs, we don't want to create anything that remotely sounds like our own. We work with a lot of conviction and consciousness." To which Shankar adds, "We rely on one thing - one feeling that comes at the end of the creation. You instinctively know that you have hit the right note. It is abstract work that we are doing."

So, from one little dark room in this studio - or another - emerge tunes that wow people in different corners of the globe with their timeless and youthful quality. SEL have their finger firmly on the pulse of the hip and happening listeners and surprisingly, at the same time, manage to touch older generations as well. "We are young," says Ehsaan, with a smile. "We are 25 each…. We do not do anything that makes us uncomfortable and perhaps that is why there is a lot of us in each composition."

Shankar tries to define the essence of their popularity. "Do not confuse young with fresh… Our music is fresh and that is what our fans love. It grows on you with every hearing." When I urge him to define the 'us' that is present in their tunes he is quick to emphasise that "I cannot define us. We are still evolving musically and have not restricted to any one area. Between us we have enough variety; we cover most of the spectrum and can do any kind of music. We are like an encyclopaedia and often surprise even ourselves by our creativity."

No wonder then they have been ranked amongst the greats in the world of Hindi film music. A trade publication had reported that when a news magazine issued an inventory of 20 of Bollywood's timeless melodies with legendary names from the early '50s till today, the only contemporary film album to make it to the prestigious list was SEL's Kal Ho Naa Ho. "We felt great and humbled at the same time to be put up there," say the three in unison.

Highs and sometimes lows, they have seen them all. No names are mentioned but they confess that sometimes when a movie is released, they have been disappointed with the song on screen. "The visual must lift the composition like Kajra re did so well. Also, if a picture does badly, a good song goes down the drain…and with it all our effort," says Ehsaan.

By and large, their efforts have been critically and popularly appreciated. So projects are lined up with seamless ease. "We are not the kind of people to go out and ask for work. It's a free world; if a director has been uncomfortable working with us, he is free to go elsewhere," says Loy. Ask them to name their favourite films and they think for a few seconds before listing the following: Dil Chahta Hai, Lakshya, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Bunty Aur Babli and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna.

Having worked with them once, directors normally sign them on again for the trio vibes well not just with the demands of the audience, but with the film-maker's as well. Interestingly, when KANK was in its nascent stages, many music directors sent Johar CDs with their version of the title song…unbidden, unasked for. SEL did not and it is no secret whom Johar turned to. "Once the director is in front of us, our own headspace automatically shifts," admits Shankar. "Our minds are programmable."

Their list of movies has grown longer by the year. And with Aamir Khan's next, Anil Kapoor's next and Sajid Khan's next (to name just three again) in their kitty, their good times are here to stay. No wonder then Shankar points out, "We have plans to expand. We want to invest in a great studio of our own; we want to start our own label; we want to promote younger talent…."

As a parting shot, I quiz…apart from spending time making music together, do they hang out…drive down for holidays à la Dil Chahta Hai mode. Their laughter is infectious…the reply, unanimous: "We hardly go out together…. When we win an award we may go out and celebrate with our families. But since, on a day to day basis we are interacting with each other, at the end of the day, it is important for us to get our own space."