Sachin-Jigar: Director's stamp on music is vital

Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya

Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya's names crop up more often than is ordinary when browsing through names of artistes associated with upcoming releases. They've worked with the best in the industry, but only rarely have we seen them speak as devotedly of their films' actors as they do of Vidya Balan. "She's a diamond," says Sachin, one half of the duo that composed the music of Balan's next, Shakuntala Devi. He recalls being mesmerised with her when he first heard her speak at a festival at St Xaviers College. "I was a first-year student, and she was the head-girl. I remember the five-and-a-half minute speech she gave."'

As they await the web release of the film, the duo discusses if their approach to the score would have changed had they known it wouldn't hit cinema halls, and how a director's involvement in the film's music can lift a viewer's experience.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Would you have composed the songs differently had you known the film would release online?
Sachin: The music of this film is made for a theatrical experience, and for the audience that likes to visit cinemas, which, we believe are those who enjoy drama. Music plays a different role when it is made for the OTT platform in that it is not used as a promotional [tool], as it is in cinema. However, we don't think a theatre-vs-OTT debate is relevant in this case since the film is a biography, which web show-consumers too enjoy. [Shakuntala Devi] was among the finest mathematicians we had, so people will want to know her story. So, this film could work on both platforms.
Jigar: Had we known this would release on the web, we would have perhaps had fewer songs, and would have used them if and only demanded by the narrative. For instance, with [the web show] The Family Man, our approach to creating music was different; we didn't want a hook line, and did not want to create a 'selling' track. The focus was on the art [of song-creation].

You've composed songs for films that depended heavily on its music to further the narrative, [like Remo D'Souza's dance franchise, ABCD]. Does anything change when you have to create music for a film that doesn't depend on it?
Jigar: Honestly, we believe that the challenge lies in making music for a film that hinges on the storyline, more than the melody. That is exciting and fun. For instance, consider a film like Badlapur, which depends on its content. In our first interaction, we were told by the makers that they didn't need songs for the film. But, we still created tracks like Jeena jeena and Aaj mera jee karda.

Which has been your most cherished creation to emerge from such a project?
Sachin: Saibo, from Shor in the City. The entire narrative of the film was about distortion and the city's noise pollution. And in that, to weave in this song which is so quiet and sparsely arranged, [was exciting]. And that's why we say it is a great filmmaker who can find these moments of contrast in a film. That was also the case with Shakuntala Devi.

For a film that may not hinge on its music, you have played with a gamut of genres in this one.
Sachin: Anu had a specific idea of how the songs should be, and would have hour-long discussions with the lyricists [Priya Saraiya and Vayu]. In this film, we have a mother-daughter song, a rock and roll number, a jazz track, and a math anthem, for which we had to make a couple of [iterations] before we got Anu's nod. Anu was particular about the mother-daughter track. Usually, relationship songs either glorify the equation, or talk of dependency. This is different because she wanted it to hinge on possessiveness. Anu had created a nuanced character for the part, and wanted this song to be about how she longs for her mother. It is about a daughter who tells her mother that she loves her, but also wants her, all for herself. The lyrics play a vital role here. The maker's stamp on a film's [music] is so important.

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