Lucky Ali's brother-in-law Mikey McCleary (40) is making his Bollywood debut. Born in India but settled in New Zealand, Mikey has given the music to five out of seven songs in Aftab Shivdasani's Aao Wish Karein. A trained musician, he has studied music after high school and was also part of an orchestra.
Mikey studied music after high school at the Wellington Conservatorium of Music and later the Victoria University in New Zealand. Later, he moved to London where he produced and recorded tracks for orchestras and independent artists at the Trident Studio. After his sister got married to Lucky, Mikey got a chance to work with him on his first album. "He just knocked on my door and introduced himself as my new brother-in-law. He was in London to do some work on his album but it wasn't going anywhere. So I suggested why doesn't he record some song with me in the studio and that's how Sunoh happened." About his foray into Bollywood, Mikey says, "I had worked on an old song called Sabke Peeche Hum Khade, along with my friend Ankur Tiwari. When Aftab met me, he told he about this film he was doing and wanted me to work with him. So I ended up doing five songs for Aao Wish Karein." In the past, McCleary has also assisted and worked with the likes of AR Rahman and Salim-Suleiman. "I produced the Pray For Me Brother track with Rahman and then assisted Salim-Suleiman on Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi." Despite having a house in New Zealand, Mikey now plans to move to Mumbai for a long haul. "I recently got a work permit to reside in as well as pursue my career in India. So I am waiting for the film to release and then take on more work." -- regards, Vithur
