Neel and Srijit pair up for film starring Sushmita Sen

In a first, the composer will be seen scoring for good friend Srijit Mukherji
When he was in college, ordinarily doing music among other things, another ordinary youngster with extraordinary dreams would often come down to his campus for adda. The seeds of friendship were sown right then. Now, years later, Neel Dutt and Srijit Mukherji, are ready to leave the stamp of bonding on their first film together ��� Nirbak.
Says Neel, ���I think this is Srijit���s most challenging work till date. Which means, it is also equally challenging for me as a composer. Before the release of Shesh Boley Kichu Nei, Srijit had called me to ask if I would work with him. I was happy.��� Before Autograph happened, Srijit would, in fact, collaborate with Neel on many occasions. He penned the lyrics of Maula in Madly Bangaleeand even assisted Anjan Dutt on the film. That apart, they did jingles and telefilms together. ���Those were the struggling days. Srijit had just come from Bangalore and Autograph was nowhere on the horizon,��� says the composer.
Revealed: Sushmita Sen's first look from Nirbak
About Nirbak, Neel feels that since the movie is a lot about silence, music is bound to play a major role. And the background score will be given utmost importance. ���I want to be part of projects that are different. After I rearranged Rabindrasangeet for a movie, I was flooded with requests from other directors to do so for them. But I wasn���t interested. While Ranjana Ami ArAshbona and Madly Bangalee were musicals, Byomkesh films were thrillers with effective background scores. And my interest in international cinema tells me that the language of film music is turning minimalistic over time. Be it Nebraskaor August: OsageCounty, most of this year���s Oscar nominated films had a minimalistic score,��� says Neel.
The composer, who has had music sessions with the director, is currently concentrating on the background score. ���It���s very important that songs and background have parity. Often, more than one composer works in a film, leading to discrepancies in the soundscape. Nirbak is a ���great idea��� and Srijit has no constraints when it comes to exercising his creative will,��� adds Neel. Though the duo has just started work, the number of songs in the film is yet to be decided upon. ���I���m working on the background. After this, we���ll take a call on the title track,��� says the composer.
On his part, Srijit says, ���I have known Neel for long. He was supposed to work with me in Yo DeviSarva Bhuteshu, my first-ever script. I recently heard the soundtrack of Shesh Boley Kichu Nei and was floored by the way he used a solitary oud to express a plethora of emotions.���
Ask him why he didn���t team up with composer Indraadip Das Gupta one more time and the director says, ���I think we need to come out of our comfort zones to reinterpret and rediscover our creative prowess. Nirbak is an experimental film and the soundtrack has to be a reflection of that. Neel can bring a lot to the table.���
So what does the duo do when not working? ���We love food, which is as important to us as cinema. We dine out a lot,��� comes the parting shot.
Well, we���ve seen the big boys party hard, on screen and off it too.