New music composers in the industry either win the favour of cinephiles and critics, or face brickbats. Tanishk Bagchi, however, faced an unusual predicament during his early years in Bollywood — he found favour in cinephiles, and faced the brickbats of critics. The Humma song, one of his first remixes, became a chartbuster in no time, and paved the way for a fresh trend in the industry. Bagchi’s scores became hot favourites among music consumers, a development that sat well with label heads, but  not with composers of the original ditties that Bagchi was revisiting. 

“I wasn’t the first one,” Bagchi tells mid-day in a candid chat. “Amit Trivedi did it with Hungama Ho Gaya, and Vishal-Shekhar with Bachna Ae Haseeno. When I started doing it, people questioned me. So, I decided that if I created two remixes, I’d make two original tracks as well. If I made Humma Humma, I made Akh Lad Jaave too. If I was at the top due to my remixes, I was also at the top because of my original songs.” 

Bagchi’s resume evidently backs his claim. In 2021, apart from being a top performer on Indian music apps, his Shershaah composition Raataan Lambiyan made it to the Billboard charts as well. Emraan Hashmi-starrer Lut Gaye, and Nach Meri Rani were other Bagchi compositions that were also seamlessly adopted by music lovers. 

Assured in the knowledge that “those criticizing me are the ones dancing to my tunes”, he says reinventing music is only a way of celebrating the work of revered composers. “My dad [Nandakumar Bagchi] would say that during the end of R D Burman’s life, few were there [with him]. But when he [passed away], people started reinventing his music. Nobody is trying to reinvent the work of those who are here. Only when they go do we say, ‘Wah, kya kaam kiya tha’. How do we get these legends back? We can do collaborations. Maybe, Anu Malik and I could collaborate.”

Despite the criticism he has faced, Bagchi is the go-to person for filmmakers seeking a hit track in their offerings. With as many as 20 projects under his belt as we speak, he gears up for his next, the Rajkummar Rao-starrer Badhaai Do. “I worked on the [franchise’s] first film as well, so I had the theme in my mind already. I begin to visualise the film through the music as soon as the story is narrated to me. I also like to think about it like a director would, and match the director’s vision. The dialect plays a crucial role as well. For instance, a Delhi-based film will have a  Punjabi song. For a film set in UP, I will try to incorporate the flavour that we had in Badrinath Ki Dulhania. With 20 films [in my kitty], I need to be fast. It would usually take me a month, but, now, if a scenario is explained to me, I can churn out a track in a day.”

Matching the desired quality, one would assume, would be a challenging feat. But, Bagchi says his only aim is to appease himself. “Even if my manager or anyone else says a song I’ve made is good, I won’t present it unless I like it. If it doesn’t appeal to me, I will throw it out. I will also never repeat a certain kind of song. I can do a Makhna with Jacqueline Fernandez, a Nach Meri Rani with Nora Fatehi, a Raataan Lambiyan, which is [like a] sufi track, and a Tip Tip Barsa for Sooryavanshi. They all sound different.”

Bagchi admits that understanding the ways of the industry took a fair amount of toil. He didn’t find it easy to get work when he arrived in Mumbai from Calcutta, and turning down offers that he knew could easily go to other composers didn’t seem like a wise decision. “If I said no, producers would go to someone else. So I focussed on doing the best I could. At the end of the day, I focus on the good. When I will no longer be here, [my songs] like Ve Mahi and Baarish will be immortalized.”

His debut song, Banno (from Tanu Weds Manu Returns) catapulted him into the big league and Tanishk Bagchi followed it up with equally successful numbers like Bolna (Kapoor & Sons), Allah Hu Allah and Rabba (Sarbjit) and now Fake Ishq (Housefull 3). In a conversation with Bombay Times, the composer tells us why he believes everyone should have 'song banks' and how he is hoping to create music out of nothing...

Within two years, you've managed to become a household name in Bollywood..
(Laughs) My journey started with Tanu Weds Manu Returns. Before this, I used to produce and arrange music for TV shows, including Dance India Dance and Thapki Pyar Ki. I had a bank of songs, but I was scared to play it to others. But after Banno became popular, people started giving me importance and I gained the confidence to pitch my tunes to others. My friend Vayu, also a lyricist, and I collaborated on many tracks and director Aanand L Rai happened to hear one of them. That's how we landed our first break. The makers of Kapoor & Sons had our songs in their bank and when they needed a romantic track, we modified one of our works to create Bolna. Similarly, I'd met one of the producers of Sarbjit a few months ago. They were looking for a qawwali and I played them Allah Hu Allah, which I was planning to release as a single.

Is that how Housefull 3 also happened?
Actually, this is an interesting story. I'd heard from a friend that directors Sajid-Farhad were looking for a track that would complement the fun element in their film. So, I approached them like a newcomer without mentioning about my previous works and made them listen to three of my compositions. They were so humble and encouraging and locked Fake Ishq. It's a fun number.

Are you following Hollywood's way of pitching songs to producers from a bank? Do you think B-Town is adapting that format as well?
I would think so. Composing tracks and saving it for the bank, I think, is healthy and I believe everyone should have a bank. This way, if a film's theme matches with tracks that you have, you can easily adapt it to suit the director's requirement. It's easier to pitch your work to producers. That said, it's also important to view the movie through the director's perspective and composers should be willing to adapt.

But isn't there a different charm in composing songs exclusively for a film, like how it happened till the 90s?
My father worked with RD Burmanji and I remember how much of fun people had when they sat together and composed songs. My dad used to tell me that composers would visit the set and see what's being shot to come up with tunes. They composed on spot and it's such a refreshing experience to listen to people doing it. I follow Rahman sir and I've heard he doesn't like to whip out songs from his bank just for the sake of it. That's why I maintain that composers must modify their songs today to suit the director's need.

Have you always been into music?
I actually wanted to be a pilot. But I started learning music when I was very young. I learnt piano when my fingers were too small to even reach the keys. But somewhere down the line, I came to believe that musicians don't get their due and got very little money and because of this, we were losing many talented people. So, I didn't take music seriously because I thought I would also end up like that. But as I grew older, I saw my parents dedicating their lives to music and it inspired me and revived my passion.

You've managed to deliver different kinds of songs till now - from peppy folk and romantic melodies to heart-wrenching numbers...
My dad is into western classical and mother is an Indian classical singer. So, I've grown up listening to almost all genres of music. When I hear the situation, I can subconsciously decide what kind of song would suit the space. Right now, I'm trying an experimental project - creating symphony from natural sounds. For instance, even if there are no instruments in a room, I want to be able to produce music from whatever is there in front of me.

With so many young composers out there, does that make you insecure?
I've no intention to compete with other composers. Music is beyond competition and politics. That's why even if I win an award, I'm not overwhelmed because I believe that other nominees who put in as much effort into composing a song equally deserve the award.

So, you have no problem in being one of the many composers in an album...
Absolutely not. I think having multiple composers lends a varied flavour to the project. And it will help the directors visualise and shoot the songs better. Similarly, I'm always on the lookout for fresh voices. Every singer brings his own input to the table. I have a fibre, a certain texture in mind when I record a song. That's why I keep asking for demos online.