Producer Bhushan Kumar of T-Series, director-producer Anurag Basu & composer Pritam discuss their journey on Ludo, and what releasing music and cinema in the new normal feels like
Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 11, 2020)

Ludo was originally meant to be a summer 2020 release. Was the decision to take the OTT route difficult for you to arrive at?
ANURAG BASU: I just wanted people to watch the film. Releasing it on OTT will be a new experience. The idea is to reach as many people as possible.
BHUSHAN KUMAR: It was heartbreaking to arrive at this decision because we made the film with a theatrical release in mind. During the first quarter of the lockdown, we had no clue how things would move eventually. Then, films started going directly to platforms one after the other. I wanted to wait and observe how things work in this scenario. Like any producer who has been making films for years, I just didn’t want to sell this film for a small profit, when we made the film with the intention to entertain people in theatres. We had to convince ourselves; we had a lot of discussions. I was not in a hurry to bring the film out. I could have waited, but Anurag felt that the freshness in the film’s story and treatment might get lost with time and that is something both of us didn’t want to sacrifice.

Music of films releasing on OTT platform doesn’t get the kind of push it does in the case of a theatrical release. However, with Ludo you have tried to promote the music, too.
BHUSHAN: The songs are interspersed with the story in such a way that they can’t be separated from the narrative. Pritam came up with such amazing tracks. Anurag wove them in so wonderfully that the film will seem incomplete without the songs. What is also striking is that in a film like this is that, people don’t expect soft, romantic tracks. They expect grunge and heavy stuff. The songs are melodious and slow-starters, and they grow on you.

Anurag and Pritam, whenever the two of you come together for a project, the music strikes a chord with the audience. Is it because have you have similar sensibilities when it comes to music?
ANURAG: We have an on-going process. Even when we don’t know what I am making next, we work on tracks. Like the track Hardam Humdum was not made for Ludo, but it fitted in beautifully. Script-writing and music go hand-in-hand with us, and that is why the narratives in my films have a strong musical base.
PRITAM: Anurag thinks musically, and that is a huge plus. In a film like this, people would expect rock and heavy stuff, but it’s all mellow and sweet. It’s because, like in Ludo, there is an underlying emotion in all of Anurag’s films. A film like Gangster was violent, but look at the songs. There is a strong undercurrent of emotion in his edgy stories. He uses music to highlight the finer emotions, and he has a fabulous ear for music. When I was told Ludo will release on OTT, it didn’t affect me because I know the producer (Bhushan Kumar) is passionate about music before anything else. Toh woh to kuch bhi waste nahi jaane denge. He will ensure the music gets its due, and it’s happening.

Pritam, you had the tough task of completing the songs and delivering them on time in the middle of the Coronavirus pandemic. Did the new normal make it tough for you?
PRITAM: The new normal has taken a toll on me. Scoring a track in the current scenario is so difficult. Things that took a day in the usual circumstances took about four days. Sending feedback and going back and forth with the tracks was taxing, but I was okay, because I could work while being around my family. I have now begun to enjoy it. I guess, in this new normal, we will all miss a lot of things of the past, but we will also cherish what we now have.