Right now, musician-producer Mukul Deora finds himself in the conversation of cinema lovers. He has successfully managed to make Aravind Adiga’s Man Booker winner, The White Tiger, dark and complicated as it is, resonate with millions of Netflix watchers. “The book made me laugh, and cry, it made me angry. It made me feel a zillion things. I thought this is not a normal book, it’s a classic. I had never seen India in the way he showed it. There were many people who said, why are you making it, it’s so dark? But it’s a story that stays with you. Netflix has said 27 million people are going to watch it this month. So I am sure Aravind is going to get so many more new readers as well,” says Deora.

But, first, he is a musician. And like so many from the industry, he too, saw in the pandemic-induced lockdown an opportunity to work on new music. His debut album, Stray, released way back in 2006, and he went on to co-found the hugely influential Bha—a collective of DJs, graphic designers and artists, credited with kickstarting India’s underground club culture. On the side, Deora also released Expressway, a compilation of abstract electronica from India on Dudup, his record label, and has hosted radio shows, including a month-long one on all things Bob Dylan. He dabbled in direction when he co-directed The Body Electric, an experimental music video that was commissioned to launch the UK Cultural Olympics. “I have been productive during the lockdown, and I had thought the album would be out by now, but it always takes longer than you think.” Ask him if his sound has changed from his electronic days, and he says he had to think a bit before he settled down on a genre this time. “The good thing is that I have taught myself to make music. It’s easy for me. So, I just started experimenting with stuff, and decided I wanted to do something melodic, with me singing, and hip hop beats. I love where hip hop has gone today; the emotional angle is very interesting to me. I come from a pop rock space and that’s more emotional. So, that’s where my music is these days.”