You latterly obtained your seventh Nationwide Movie Award for Greatest Music Route (Background Rating) for Mani Ratnam’s Ponniyin Selvan: Half 1 (2022). What do awards signify to you?
Once I gained the Nationwide Award for the primary time for Roja (1992), a reporter requested me: ‘Don’t you assume it’s too early in your profession to obtain it?’. That Nationwide Award made me realise that I needed to go forward from there. There was no reverse button. Now, I really feel like this award for Ponniyin Selvan 1 (PS1) is my first award. My music is just not the identical – it’s evolving. My thoughts is evolving, typically studying and typically unlearning. That’s the fascinating factor about artwork. If it stays the identical, it turns into boring.
Roja stays a landmark second in Indian cinema. Any reminiscences of it?
There are occasions, you retain on attempting however nothing occurs. Then, you disconnect from no matter that’s taking place round you and focus in your music. I used to be in that Zen mode when Mani Ratnam supplied me Roja.
How was it engaged on an bold film like PS1?
This can be a venture that lots of people, together with MG Ramachandran, tried to do over the a long time. Mani Ratnam began engaged on it practically 10 years in the past after which dropped it. In the course of the pandemic, he went forward along with his military of individuals to make this film. I used to be awed by his braveness and keenness in direction of cinema. That’s an inspiration by itself. It was an ideal expertise once we created music for this film and added layers to it. Whereas including the third layer, we had been satisfied one thing particular was being created.
How thrilling is it to work on interval films?
I’m an enormous fan of the music, poetry, filmmaking and tehzeeb of the ’50s and ’60s. I nonetheless can’t get sufficient of that. Once I watch films of that interval, I feel aah, it’s oozing romance. Folks actually obtained into the soul of issues. So, when one thing like that comes my means, I instantly seize it and say: ‘That is it. Thanks. Let’s have enjoyable’. We are able to’t match the greats like Madan Mohan, Naushad and Lata Mangeshkar or the aura they created, however we will to be respectful of their work. It’s also a pleasant expertise to analysis. Generally, that you must return and find out about a few of the magnificence that’s misplaced.
You may have a bunch of fascinating new initiatives, together with web-series Gandhi, Lahore 1947 and Ramayan, developing.
Completely different initiatives encourage you in another way. One thing fashionable like Thug Life with Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan requires a distinct sensibility. I’m additionally doing Chhaava (based mostly on the lifetime of Maratha king Shambhaji). So, the query is what expertise can we create round Maratha tradition for Indian cinema. Should you take a look at the promo, it feels proper for the character and but you’ll be able to’t predict the sound.
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Whenever you compose songs in addition to background rating for a movie, do you want that you’re in whole management?
As a composer, it’s anticipated that you’ll work on each. Take for instance, Ilaiyaraaja or Naushad. Of late, folks have been asking another person to work on background rating. Composing the rating requires eight occasions extra power and time. With songs, you’ll be able to end a lot sooner and transfer on to the subsequent venture. I really feel like folks anticipate me to do each and rating is one thing I like composing.
Background music helps in unfolding the narrative. However is it getting too loud nowadays?
Generally both the nice rating will get muddled with results or they put it very excessive. This has began taking place within the final a number of years that individuals are making the rating tremendous excessive and you find yourself getting a headache. Dynamics is crucial factor in sound – there’s a low, mid and excessive. All the pieces can’t be simply excessive. In orchestra music, dynamics is most vital.
You may have a number of long-term collaborators like Mani Ratnam, Imtiaz Ali and Irshad Kamil.
We encourage one another. You go to somebody in order that they are going to reduce the burden that you’ve got. If you can also make the burden lighter that’s the most effective collaboration. If we go there and endure or, when folks attempt to do one thing that they aren’t capable of or, make me do one thing bizarre, it doesn’t find yourself being a pleasant expertise. We at all times return to what’s simple and what offers greatest outcomes. I dangle on to that.
You repeatedly create non-movie music.
I be taught from many issues – life, folks, forests, mountains, the sky. I additionally be taught from nice works that aren’t restricted to cinema, resembling the magical poetry of Kabir, Bulleh Shah and Rumi. You perceive the world higher with poetry and philosophy. That helps you perceive artwork higher. It frees you from conference and tedium.
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You latterly backed the documentary, Headhunting to Beatboxing about Nagaland’s sonic heritage and cultural traditions.
Every Indian state has its personal delicacies, language, dance and music. We are able to’t expertise all the things in a single lifetime. We’re very proud to provide this documentary. The documentary exhibits a novel side of Nagaland. It’s a revelation for folks.
How do you take a look at your profession spanning three a long time?
I really feel lucky that I’m an artiste. Music is storytelling. It’s a bridge between cultures and it opens up boundaries. Take a look at a music that’s well-liked all around the world like Jai Ho (Slumdog Millionaire, 2008). It reaffirms that there’s a lot we will do. The probabilities are countless.
