Swara Sagar Mahati, better known as Mani Sharma's son, has some big dreams. He wants to carve a niche for himself, do some independent music, and more. Catch him share unique insights in this interview.

How has the response to Chalo's music been?

It's unbelievable. I am a frog in a well. I am very happy to come out and see this kind of response for the song 'Choosi Choodagane', for example. For a song, we started out with playing it as a bit, then as a 2-minute-long number and then eventually it became a full-fledged number. The way it was promoted, the nice situation, the director - everything worked out perfectly.

I have done 'Eedu Gold Ehe' and 'Jadugadu' in the past. Besides 'Chalo', I am also doing the Kannada remake of 'Kumari 21F'. I am looking forward to doing more and more Telugu in future.

Do you consult your father on music?

When I am in doubt, I do it sometimes. Music is a creative process. Any small help can go a long way. So, opinions and perspectives of others matter. I play the song for him once I am done. I want to create my own style. I don't want to be influenced by him. I have to have my own sound. People are going to listen to my music only if they see something interesting in me.

There is no particular genre that I love more than others. What I look for is a director with whose style I am in sync with, right situations and story.

Background music has become quite significant these days. Your take?

It's a separate interest, separate school. One has to learn it separately. You need proper sensibilities to pull it off. It needs a lot of passion.

What makes many musicians prefer Chennai over Hyderabad?

There you find a lot of musicians, unlike here. All music directors can find these artistes any day. In Hyderabad, there are not enough number of them. We (he and his father) have a team of our own in Hyderabad. There was a time when we faced problems in finding musicians. But now, it's better.

What are you looking forward to doing in future?

I believe in making collaborations, for music is all about collaboration. I want to bring out independent music. I have worked on 160 films, including 'Magadheera' and 'Eega'. With my dad alone, I worked on 70 films. I have teamed up with the likes of MM Keeravani and Kalyan Malik. I have learned from them all. I am a great fan of Yuvan Shankar Raja. I relate to him because he has come out of the shadow of his father. There is no influence of Ilayaraja garu on his music. It's wonderful.

Ilayaraja has got Padma Vibhushan. Your father has not got a Padma award so far. What's your take?

Ilayaraja garu is God, he is a legend. My father doesn't think about awards.

Why has your father slowed down in recent years?

He has been doing 6-7 films a year, big or small. In the film industry, success matters the most. In 2010, 'Shakti', 'Khaleja' and 'Teen Maar' had flopped. My father doesn't promote himself, for he believes that one's album has to do the talking.