Parag Chhabra discovered his calling early in life. His musical journey started with singing at school functions and there came a time when he realized he had a keen interest in composing music. While studying Indian classical music as a child solidified his base as a musician, understanding the nuances of western classical music at KM Music Conservatory broadened his horizons as an artist.
After working with A R Rahman on several films like ‘Mom’, ‘Tamasha’, ‘Viceroy House’ and ‘Mohenjo Daro’, Parag decided to branch out as an independent composer. After composing noteworthy songs for films like ‘Waah Zindagi’ and ‘Jai Mummy Di’, the young composer has received tremendous appreciation for the soundtrack he put together for the Jahnvi Kapoor starrer ‘Good Luck Jerry’.
In this interview, Parag talks about his journey as a music composer and producer, the life lessons he learnt from A R Rahman, the importance of using live instruments, why formal training in music is important, collaborating with Raj Shekhar, working with Aanand L Rai, upcoming projects and more.
You grew up in Indore in Madhya Pradesh and studied music extensively at the Sargam Music Institute in the city. How did your association with music form as a child?
As a child, I used to sing in functions and competitions organised in school. Seeing my interest in music, my parents encouraged me to learn Indian classical music. My first music teacher was the much revered Ringe Guruji who has his name registered in the Limca Book of Records for being credited with the highest number of classical compositions in the world. I learnt music from him for a year. After that, I started taking lessons from Varsha Jhalani and Sunil Jhalani who run Sargam Music Institute in Indore.
I learnt Hindustani classical music as a vocalist for 4-5 years. When I was 16-17 years of age, ‘Rang De Basanti’ released and that proved to be a huge turning point in my life. I started studying A R Rahman sir’s music more closely. I would listen to his songs multiple times and try to break down the arrangements in my head. Soon enough, my interest shifted from singing to composing music.
You have worked with A. R. Rahman as a music producer for several years. How did you get in touch with him?
After finishing school in Indore, I went to Pune to study engineering. During that time, I got to know about KM Music Conservatory, a music institute founded by Rahman sir in Chennai. After completing my engineering course, I joined K Music Conservatory and started learning western classical music with piano as my major subject. It was a diploma course.
During my second year in the institute, Rahman sir spotted me in one of the musical programs organized there. It was a program on Sufi music and I was performing as a vocalist on the stage. His team got in touch with me and told me that Rahman sir wanted me to join his live concerts as a vocalist. This started my journey of accompanying him on his concerts.
After a year of touring with him, I told him that I have a keen interest in composing and producing music. I shared a few original tracks with him. He liked one of the tracks which was a jingle that I had composed for a brand. He started calling me to his studio to do production-based work. I worked as a producer with Rahman sir actively from 2014 to 2018. After that, I shifted to Mumbai to pursue a career as a music composer. I still collaborate with him on projects from time to time.
After working with him for so long, what is that one important lesson that you learnt?
A. R. Rahman sir is an institution in himself. He is the reason I wake up everyday with a will to create good music He is the kind of person from whom you learn something or the other all the time. Even you are just surrounded by his presence, you will get to learn a lot. He taught me a very important life lesson which I will never forget. I used to produce his Sufi line of concerts. I was very tense before one of the concerts as we hadn’t got the time to run a soundcheck. When I shared this with him, he said, “Don’t worry. Just be ready to lose everything in life every second of your life.” Despite facing pressures all the time, he remains calm from the inside.
‘Good Luck Jerry’ boasted of extremely well-produced music. Each and every song had so many intricate elements to it. Even in ‘Waah! Zindagi’, which was your debut film as a music composer, you used some lesser-heard instruments. I remember the track ‘Bhaari Bhaari’ had an interesting music piece produced by a wind instrument.
Yes, it was an instrument called Kazu.
How would you describe music production to a layman?
Music production is actually a term that has come from the west. Classical music has been around in the west for a long time. The set of rules or the structure that is followed to play instruments in classical music is referred to as music arrangement. It was relevant for classical music and back then, music was written extensively so that musicians could play. With time, they started producing the music instead of writing it down. In the digital domain, music arrangement is referred to as music production. The tune of the song is called the melody. All the instruments and sounds you hear in a track are a result of producing or programming the music.
Have you studied music production as well?
Yes, I was doing a full-time course in KM Music Conservatory. There was a module for music production in that course as well. Deepak Sugathan, who is one of the mixing engineers I work with today, was my audio faculty in KM.
How did ‘Good Luck Jerry’ come to you?
In 2021, I got in touch with touch with Raj Shekhar ji through my management. At the time, he was already signed for ‘Good Luck Jerry’. They were looking for a new composer for the film. Raj ji was speaking to many new composers for the film. He heard some of my tunes and really liked them. Through him, I met Siddharth Sen, the director of the film. Siddharth briefed me about two situations in the film and asked me to compose something based on them. I made some scratches based on the brief. Both Siddharth sir and Aanand sir liked them and approved them instantly. ‘Cutie Cutie’ was the first song that was approved for the film. I will always be extremely grateful for the trust they placed in me. Aanand sir doesn’t believe in having multiple composers or lyricists on a film. He is one of the few filmmakers today who believes that the entire album of a film should be put together by one composer and one lyricist.
How was the experience of working with lyricist Raj Shekhar?
I had a great time working with Raj Shekhar ji on this album. He is the finest lyricist I have worked with. There is a thin line between writing lyrics and writing poetry. He has a very good understanding of tunes, music and films. The way he perceives a narrative or characters is great. We got along very well as both of us have been keenly interested in filmmaking. While working together, there would be several instances when we would complete each other’s sentences. I feel very fortunate to have got the opportunity to work with some incredible lyricists so early in my career. Shellee ji has been my guardian in Mumbai. Manoj Yadav was the first lyricist I worked with as a composer.
Some of the most renowned musicians in the industry have performed on the different tracks in ‘Good Luck Jerry’. While you have used electronically-produced sounds extensively, you have also used a variety of instruments to produce the songs.
I think Hindi film music is in a good space today as far as production techniques are concerned. Now, we are using both software and real instruments to produce music. There was a time in between when composers were doing everything digitally. No matter how hard one tries, the sound of a well-recorded instrument cannot be replicated digitally. It is almost impossible to achieve the sound and tonal quality produced by a real instrument. Because of Rahman sir, I got introduced to some of the finest musicians in the industry. Most of the musicians who have worked on the ‘Good Luck Jerry’ soundtrack are the ones I have been touring with for the last 7-8 years.
How important, do you think, is training for a musician?
I am a firm believer in music education. These days, one comes across a lot of young musicians who don’t believe in this concept. Many are of the opinion that education stunts your growth as a creative artist. I don’t believe in this theory. I feel self-exploration becomes easier and more intuitive when you come from a classical background. The process of learning music continues throughout one’s life.
What are you doing next?
Right now, my primary focus is on ‘Action Hero’. The film features Ayushmann Khurrana and Jaideep Ahlawat in principal roles and is produced by Aanand sir and T-Series. It is being directed by debutante Anirudh Iyer. I am doing all the songs for the film.