Actor Namit Das gives his musical heritage a real chance by composing for Mira Nair's A Suitable Boy, taking forward his father's legacy
Aastha Atray Banan (MID-DAY; January 19, 2020)

When we tell actor-musician Namit Das that we remember him fondly from Wake Up Sid, he smiles wryly. "Recently, I have met so many people who have told me that. And I am happy about it, because when we were making the movie, we didn't know it would be successful. But then sometimes I feel, I have done so much more [than Wake Up Sid!]. Even dad can't help saying, 'Oh, he has worked with Ranbir Kapoor'."

Namit, 35, has done, and is doing, so much more. He is readying to spend the year acting in Mira Nair's musical, Monsoon Wedding, for the England stage. He plays P K Dubey, essayed in the 2001 film by Vijay Raaz. He has also composed three songs for, and acted in Nair's soon-to-release, A Suitable Boy. The musical gene comes from his father, well-known ghazal singer Chandan Das, a contemporary of Jagjit Singh. He released his first album in 1982, two years before his only child was born. He is best known for his albums, Inayat and Kitne Hi Rang, and has toured the country and beyond.

"When you are born into a musical family, you really don't know when you 'start'. It happens organically. In my family, the first word said in a baby's ears is 'sa' like in sa re ga ma. I was waking up every day to the sound of my father doing riyaaz. I remember Sunday was [dedicated to] raag todi. Soon, I was singing too," says Namit of a childhood spent in a one-room home in Mahim. He confesses that although his father says he wanted him to be a singer, he didn't. At this, Das breaks into a smile. "In our profession, bahut khaali bethna padta hai, bahut intezaar hai. In these gap periods, you can drift. It could kill your spirit. So it's good to have a back up [profession]," he explains. "Dad's grand plan was for me to do an MBA and get a high-profile job at a music company, so I would be in a decision-making position. But I became an actor," Namit adds.

Acting happened because he studied at St Xavier's College which had an active performing arts group. A comic role in Sumit Sambhal Lega, a 2015 television series inspired by Everybody Loves Raymond, was memorable as was the character of Guddu in 2018 Varun Dhawan-starrer Sui Dhaaga. But it's working with Mira Nair that might be a game changer, he thinks. It was she who pushed him to compose the songs for A Suitable Boy, based on Vikram Seth's celebrated novel. "She had some lyrics in mind, and her intuition is terrific when it comes to music. All three are love songs, and have a classical, folk vibe. In fact, my mother, Yamini, who is also from a musical family, wrote the lyrics for one of the songs." The director is an inspiration, he says, for finding beauty in everything. "Even in a movie like Salaam Bombay, she found it [beauty] in filth."

Das says Namit's musical talent is God given. "He has a lovely voice. But, now I hear that he composes too." Das helped Namit on one of the songs although they had different points of view, and the jury is still out on whose method was right. "Dad said, this is the right way to go with this raag. But the guitarist and I wanted a more discordant tone," he explains, to which senior Das says, "Well, I am more old school. He has a modern aesthetic, but also has the advantage of past experience. So, he obviously has an edge over me." Namit quickly gives credit where it's due— "I have got it all from dad. When I sing, it seems as if he is singing. I even have his discipline; I just need to give it more time."

Whatever their differences, the pride they feel for each other is evident. Recently, Namit was shooting in Lucknow with Nair and Das was performing at a show right there. "Places like Lucknow are great to perform in. People have grown up around literature and classical music. It's [the arts] still flourishing there. And I have to say, it's not just an older crowd. It's even among the young," he says. Namit attended the concert and saw it house-full. "Every line he sang, people hooted and clapped. It was less like a classical show, and more like a rock concert!"