Ravi Basrur: Salman Khan has finger on the pulse of listeners

Antim composer Ravi Basrur heaps praise on Khan for fine-tuning the soundtrack of his debut Bollywood film

A decade after he made his debut in the South Indian film industry, composer Ravi Basrur found himself tackling a Bollywood score. With none other than Salman Khan having his back, the Antim — The Final Truth composer and lyricist knew he’d have the freedom to give wings to his ideas. In this interview, he discusses the intricacies of his craft.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Antim is your first film in Bollywood. How did your association with this movie come about?
[Tamil film industry stunt masters] Anbu-Arivu suggested my name to Salman sir [Khan]. Interacting with him was an eye-opener. The technical understanding that he has about music is incredible.He has a finger on the pulse of listeners. He knows that if a song is created in a certain way, it will appeal to viewers. For instance, there is a duet track in this film and the tempo was set at 100. It sounded nice, but we knew that something was amiss. Salman sir heard it at 2 am, and suggested that the tempo be reduced. We brought it down to 85, and it immediately sounded better.

Antim composer Ravi Basrur

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What advantages do you have when you helm the score, soundtrack and lyrics?
I was initially called on to only do the background score. During the designing process, I had many ideas. Designing a film is like setting up a home — you analyse where you want the kitchen, and the temple. As score composer, you want to ensure that if a scene needs to look elaborate, the music facilitates that. For instance, if there’s a scene of the hero’s entry, you can’t musically play up the preceding sections. When you are the designer, programmer and song-maker, [executing such processes becomes easier].

How are the music-making processes in Bollywood different from those of other film industries?
I appreciate those who [value] our work. With this film, we were encouraged to work on our strengths. I was the one who thought that a song was needed at a section. When I worked on it and showcased it to [Khan], he agreed, and said that we should have a few more songs. He has been that [mediator] through which my craft could be showcased to [Bollywood’s audiences]. 

Will we see more of your work in this industry?
I hope so. My aim is to work as a musician, not a music director. When an album releases, the musicians celebrate for that day only. But what we enjoy are the moments between these days — the process of actually creating an album. That’s what I will focus on.

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