Showing posts with label Ram Sampath interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ram Sampath interview. Show all posts
Laila from Raees was shoved down my throat-Ram Sampath
8:46 AM
Etti Bali (HINDUSTAN TIMES; August 4, 2020)
The insider-outsider debate has opened a Pandora’s box in the Hindi film industry. Even musician A R Rahman and sound designer Resul Pookutty spoke about facing rejection in Bollywood post their Hollywood stint. Now, music producer and composer Ram Sampath, who has given music for films such as Delhi Belly (2011) and Fukrey (2013), opens up about favouritism in the industry and how only a select few have the final say.
“Bollywood is a bunch of clans and as a music composer, you end up working for one of them. Unlike the West where there are studios, professional executives, a pipeline to launch talent and a pride in systems that nurture future stars and reward the meritorious, here, the shots are called by a few interconnected families, with rare exceptions,” he says.
Having composed music for advertising campaigns and pop songs, Sampath felt the need to take the leap into Bollywood as “having a few successful Bollywood films under your belt makes life much more tenable as a professional”. He shifted gears with Khakee (2004). What followed was requests to copy songs. “I can’t recall a single enjoyable experience of working with producers in Bollywood, except Aamir Khan. Everyone else has a contract that takes away your rights before you play a single note, or shop for third party music behind your back, or have limited budgets and unlimited changes,” he shares. His wife, artiste Sona Mohapatra, recently tweeted about his plight. “Getting a ‘Laila’ shoved down my throat in the last film I scored, Raees (2017), despite the initial brief being to make a dance song like my own, ‘Aisa Jadoo Dala Re’, was a blow,” he says.
The composer, who started working at the age of 16 to support his family, has now found solace in other activities. “With Sona’s help, I’ve been focussed on living a well-rounded life,” he says, adding, “The independent music scene is bursting with new talent and now is a good time to revive the music scene outside of Bollywood.”
Sona Mohapatra applies her 'Sona Filter' on everything she does-Ram Sampath
7:48 AM
Composer Ram Sampath talks about the making of the wacky soundtrack of Bangistan
Kasmin Fernandes (BOMBAY TIMES; August 7, 2015)
What was the brief for the soundtrack of Bangistan?
The brief was to create interesting, satirical and fun music for a film that is taking on the issue of religious extremism in a really wacky manner. My aim was to create something that reflected the film's heart as well as its spirit. Karan Anshuman (director), Puneet Krishna (lyricist) and I hit it off right from the first meeting and the songs came together quite organically post that.
There are many moments worth remembering in the making. One interesting story is the creation of Hogi Kranti. The song itself was something we decided on just days before principal shooting commenced, so we worked on it at a feverish pace and I was super excited for the team to hear it. I remember sending Hogi Kranti to Karan and Puneet when they had just reached Ladakh. It took ages for them to hear it because of bad network, so I had a nervous few days. When Karan got back saying they loved the song, it was a well-earned relief.
Which song stood out for you?
It's hard to pick one on this soundtrack because every song has a great reason to exist in the context of the film and that is a rarity nowadays. Nonetheless, Maula stands out for me because of its breadth and emotional content. It's a journey of a song. It's also one of the best vocals I've ever recorded. Rituraj (Mohanty) made the song his own by learning and understand ing the lyrics deeply. I also think Siddharth Basrur has done an amazing job on Meri Zidd. It's the performer's conviction that makes a song come to life.
You've also given vocals on Maula and Meri Zidd.
I sing most of my scratches in order to give the entire team a reference of what I have in mind. My mix engineer, Yash Divecha, retains what he thinks are key elements of those takes in order to retain the feel of the original scratch. I don't argue with him because I believe he has better taste than me.
You've featured a bunch of interesting singers we usually don't hear often, like Siddharth Basrur and Suraj Jagan. How did you choose them?
We simply went with the best singer for each song. The album has a lot of diversity from qawwali-EDM to gypsy influences to punk rock to Sufiana, which is why the eclectic casting makes sense when you hear the album. The common factor is that they are all good storytellers and they should all be heard a lot more in the mainstream. Of course, none of this can happen without producers like Ritesh (Sidhwani) and Farhan (Akhtar), who encouraged us to make bold choices.
Lyricist Puneet Krishna has gone crazy with coining the phrases and songs.
Puneet is a special talent. He can say a lot in a few lines and that's an exceptional gift. He has also got great craft and a twisted sense of humour, as does Karan. Both of them had a very clear idea of the lyrical content of the songs, but they were almost always pleasantly surprised by the direction in which I pushed the songs. They are amazingly open and generous collaborators, who gave me plenty of room to express my ideas.
The soundtrack has a strong rock connection.
That's because we wanted to plant the soundtrack in a younger, more irreverent place than conventional film music to milk it for honesty, irony and sarcasm. Rock music is our weapon of choice for acts of subversion. In short, it's an edgy, crazy comedy rock fit the bill.
What was it like working with your wife Sona Mohapatra on Ishq Karenge?
It's always exciting. She applies her 'Sona Filter' on everything she does, though Ishq Karenge has her in a slightly different avatar. She has changed her texture a bit to fit into the song without losing her identity.
I'm a big admirer of that strong, unique personality she has as an artiste.
Will we be hearing non-filmi music from you in the coming months?
Hopefully, you've already heard the four songs I recorded on a non-film musicbased television show. It has some interesting musical contrasts like live drum 'n bass with Rajasthani folk, Nirguni lyrics with rock music, etc., all connected to a concept of Bhoomi - love for the land we come from. Besides that, there's a lot more on the anvil. Non-film music is liberating and I hope to increase my output in the coming years.
The brief was to create interesting, satirical and fun music for a film that is taking on the issue of religious extremism in a really wacky manner. My aim was to create something that reflected the film's heart as well as its spirit. Karan Anshuman (director), Puneet Krishna (lyricist) and I hit it off right from the first meeting and the songs came together quite organically post that.
There are many moments worth remembering in the making. One interesting story is the creation of Hogi Kranti. The song itself was something we decided on just days before principal shooting commenced, so we worked on it at a feverish pace and I was super excited for the team to hear it. I remember sending Hogi Kranti to Karan and Puneet when they had just reached Ladakh. It took ages for them to hear it because of bad network, so I had a nervous few days. When Karan got back saying they loved the song, it was a well-earned relief.
Which song stood out for you?
It's hard to pick one on this soundtrack because every song has a great reason to exist in the context of the film and that is a rarity nowadays. Nonetheless, Maula stands out for me because of its breadth and emotional content. It's a journey of a song. It's also one of the best vocals I've ever recorded. Rituraj (Mohanty) made the song his own by learning and understand ing the lyrics deeply. I also think Siddharth Basrur has done an amazing job on Meri Zidd. It's the performer's conviction that makes a song come to life.
You've also given vocals on Maula and Meri Zidd.
I sing most of my scratches in order to give the entire team a reference of what I have in mind. My mix engineer, Yash Divecha, retains what he thinks are key elements of those takes in order to retain the feel of the original scratch. I don't argue with him because I believe he has better taste than me.
You've featured a bunch of interesting singers we usually don't hear often, like Siddharth Basrur and Suraj Jagan. How did you choose them?
We simply went with the best singer for each song. The album has a lot of diversity from qawwali-EDM to gypsy influences to punk rock to Sufiana, which is why the eclectic casting makes sense when you hear the album. The common factor is that they are all good storytellers and they should all be heard a lot more in the mainstream. Of course, none of this can happen without producers like Ritesh (Sidhwani) and Farhan (Akhtar), who encouraged us to make bold choices.
Lyricist Puneet Krishna has gone crazy with coining the phrases and songs.
Puneet is a special talent. He can say a lot in a few lines and that's an exceptional gift. He has also got great craft and a twisted sense of humour, as does Karan. Both of them had a very clear idea of the lyrical content of the songs, but they were almost always pleasantly surprised by the direction in which I pushed the songs. They are amazingly open and generous collaborators, who gave me plenty of room to express my ideas.
The soundtrack has a strong rock connection.
That's because we wanted to plant the soundtrack in a younger, more irreverent place than conventional film music to milk it for honesty, irony and sarcasm. Rock music is our weapon of choice for acts of subversion. In short, it's an edgy, crazy comedy rock fit the bill.
What was it like working with your wife Sona Mohapatra on Ishq Karenge?
It's always exciting. She applies her 'Sona Filter' on everything she does, though Ishq Karenge has her in a slightly different avatar. She has changed her texture a bit to fit into the song without losing her identity.
I'm a big admirer of that strong, unique personality she has as an artiste.
Will we be hearing non-filmi music from you in the coming months?
Hopefully, you've already heard the four songs I recorded on a non-film musicbased television show. It has some interesting musical contrasts like live drum 'n bass with Rajasthani folk, Nirguni lyrics with rock music, etc., all connected to a concept of Bhoomi - love for the land we come from. Besides that, there's a lot more on the anvil. Non-film music is liberating and I hope to increase my output in the coming years.
Ghoor ghoor ke talks of the male gaze from the point of view of a woman-Ram Sampath
8:34 AM
Roshmilla Bhattacharya (MUMBAI MIRROR; October 2, 2014)
The idea was to create a desi dance track that reflected the nexus between politics and Bollywood and is a significant turning point in Ravindra Gautam's upcoming film, Ekkees Toppon Ki Salami. Set in the villain's den, it has the heroine -- or even the vamp -- admonishing the Bad Man for ogling at her. Even as music director Ram Sampath was explaining the 'don't-be-a-lech' concept to his lyricist Sandeep Nath, the words, 'Yun na dekho saanwariya ghoor ghoor ke' cropped up in the conversation naturally, to become the mukhda of the song.
"Ghoor ghoor ke talks of the male gaze from the point of view of a woman secure in her beauty, feminity and ability. It was an empowered space to start from," points out Sampath.
On screen, Neha Dhupia is on a song, borrowing get-ups from timeless chartbusters. From Mr India's Hawa Hawai and Kaate nahin katate to Beta's Dhak dhak and Khal-Nayak's Choli ke peechey kya hai, from Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Sailaab's Humko aaj kal hai intezaar to Sholay's Mehbooba Mehbooba and Jab tak hai jaan, the actress swings to Sampath's beat with glee as Sona Mohapatra croons Tu prem nagar ka waasi, Main prem nagar ki rani, Maine pooye pakaye hai, choor choor ke, yun na dekho saawariya ghoor ghoor ke.
The music director is quick to point out that this is just the visual treatment, choreographer Pony Verma decided on with the director following endless discussions. "But before that, Sandeep with his amalgamation of pure Hindi words gave the song a semi-classical feel and a retro flavour that put it in a space distinct from today's uber-urban ditties," Sampath reasons, adding with a laugh, "I love the lines Nahi prem se badhkar rajpaath, Singhasan aur lok laaj, dhol lagte suhaane hai door door ke."
The laugh resonates in the tone of his composition too. "Sandeep has a fantastic sense of humour, so does Neha and her villainous co-star Rajesh Sharma. They've brought a tongue-in-cheek quality to the song that makes it really enjoyable without degenerating into slapstick," asserts Sampath, adding that despite its ponderous title, Ekkees Toppon Ki Salaami is a crazy ride with funny lines. "This is reflected in our song which is quirky but has lots of subtext."
He admits that the words came quickly and it was recorded fast, but the arrangements took time in his effort to not adhere to market trends but remain true to the territory and come up something unconventional than traditional.
Quiz him on his choice of singer and Sampath says, "Sona is a fantastic singer and she has brought thumri ki adaakari into Ghoor ghoor ke, stopping it from being just another item song."
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