The more the merrier

Jha’s reasoning probably reflects a gradually changing mindset of the Indian film industry where the credits of creating the soundtrack of a film need not be the sole property of one music director. Onir,who is working on his film I Am,a series of four short films,currently under production,sets another example.

February release Striker brought together an ensemble of some of the biggest names in the music industry in India—from Vishal Bharadwaj to

Yuvan Shankar Raja and Blaaze. Its lead actor Siddharth says,“It was a decision the film’s director Chandan Arora and I took together because the idea of having so many talented artistes at the same time seemed creatively appealing. It is a common practice internationally.” The music of the film didn’t top the charts in Bollywood,but it was received well down South.

Though Siddharth says it debunks the long-standing belief that one music director can capture the soul of the entire film,Onir feels that the format works in certain scenarios. “My film comprises four different stories and the music in each suits that particular milieu. So I decided to get Mithoon,

Rajiv Khanna,Amit Trivedi and Vivek Philip.” He adds that having multiple music directors on board,while seeming daunting,is actually more convenient. “I didn’t have to check schedules,and match dates with them since they were composing only a song or two.”

Moitra agrees with Onir. “This format works for films that don’t have picturised songs and lip-syncing. The music is created to suit the mood or a situation at that particular time in the film.” Jha observes that with the rise in the number of movies that do not have songs,this could be a trend to watch out for.

While it’s heartening to see the filmmakers thinking creatively,many music directors,who are at the crux of this emerging format,are not yet prepared for the chance. Ironically,despite

Iktara’s success,Trivedi,who has worked on Striker and I Am,says that at this stage in his career he would like to focus on composing the entire track of a film. He,however,assures that this has little to do with the possibility of any “creative differences”. As Moitra points out,“Music of a film acts as a marketing tool these days. If the film has picturised tracks,it better if one person make the entire music. But if they are all background songs then who cares how many people have composed them?”