The edgy side of Bollywood

Chirantan Bhatt is known for rendering Hindi melodies with a rocky edge. His song ‘Teri Meri Kahaani’ for the Akshay Kumar-starrer film ‘Gabbar Is Back’ is no different. A fast number with an upbeat tune, it is in total contrast to the slow, melancholic and dreamy ballets that are common in Bollywood. The track is fresh with an Indian tune and a hint of rock, thereby being a fiery melody rooted in the traditional ‘raag’.

He recalls that he had given a bunch of his compositions to Akshay Kumar. The star had liked this particular song and wanted it to be featured in the movie. “The producer enjoyed the song as well and it was unanimously appreciated.”

Chirantan says that he has used a ‘zitar’, an instrument which is like ‘sitar’ but can be plugged into an amplifier for various acoustic guitar riffs. A composer and musician for many years now, Chirantan has been a key witness to the changing and evolving trends in the music scene.

He doesn’t blink an eye when he says that technology has made musicians lazy to an extent and has had a serious impact on live performances. Though he agrees that it has helped people, he feels that it has made people think they can become a musician by just playing music on software. “This is dangerous because managers and artistes develop the idea that they don’t have to pay a musician who plays on stage. Live performances are extremely important for a musician as they help them strike a chord with the audience and experience a melange of emotions.”

He feels that there was magic in the music of the olden days “during the time of luminaries like Kishore Kumar and RD Burman.” He adds, “The current trend is a dangerous phenomenon because musicians will no longer encourage their children to play music.” He also feels it’s important to learn music on a one-on-one basis than online as it is only through direct guidance that one can discover the mistakes and nuances of a musician.

Breaking away from the Bollywood space currently, Chirantan is now working on a composition for a Telugu film. This is his first project in the regional realm and he finds it as a challenging task. “Composing for regional films is important and difficult because one has to understand the culture and historicity of the state and make the music in accordance to that.

It gets more difficult when a singer is composing for a regional period film as compared to a regional modern movie. Currently, I am working on a track for a period film. However, music is universal and as long as one puts their soul into it, the output will always be satisfactory,” he sums up.