In the last few years, Nilotpal Bora has worked on several notable films and shows like ‘TVF Tripling’, ‘Saas Bahu Achaar Pvt. Ltd.’, ‘Jaadugar’, ‘Tarla’, ‘The Broken News’ and ‘Maamla Legal Hai’. While the singer-composer continues to work on commercial projects, he plans to focus on creating and releasing a lot of original music independently this year. Nilotpal recently released ‘Mahadev’, the first single from his album ‘Winds of the East’. A while back, he had come up with another single in the form of ‘Muskurahat’, which was designed to be a bridge between ghazal and pop music.
In this interview, Nilotpal talks about his latest singles, representing the culture of his motherland Assam through his music, the urge to do a lot of work as an independent artist, upcoming projects and more.
You recently released ‘Mahadev’, which happens to be the first single from your album ‘Winds of the East’.
‘Winds of the East’ is a folk album. The album will showcase the rich folk music of the North East and feature a modern soundscape. Volume 1 will have six songs. We have made music videos for each of them. I am a big devotee of Lord Shiva, so I thought of making a song dedicated to Him first. I collaborated with several incredible artists on ‘Mahadev’. The song has received a lot of love. I am looking forward to seeing how the audience reacts to the next songs that come out. The next song from the album will be based on the tea gardens of Assam.
A couple of weeks back, you released a single titled ‘Muskurahat’. It had a ghazal-like feel to it.
Yes, it’s a ghazal with elements of pop in it. I have always loved listening to ghazals and therefore, creating this song was a very special experience. In the last couple of years, many composers and musicians have experimented with ghazals and presented them in different forms. This led to several sub-genres being created. I wanted to make a song that would stay true to the ethos of ghazal and have a modern sound to it. It was an experiment and I hope people like it.
The song boasts of some interesting arrangements. Apart from electronically created sounds, one can also hear live instruments like guitar and drums.
I produced the song along with Gauri Shankar Lahon. Gauri and I have been working together on a lot of projects. The harmonium portion was programmed on the keyboard by me. Pritom Gohain Barua has played the guitar and the drums have been played by Nawaz Hussain. Abhinov Bora played the bass. All the instruments were recorded at my studio. Partha Protim Das mixed the track at Euphony Studio. We have used synth minimally in the song. I was very conscious about retaining the essence of ghazal. Throughout the world, pop music is working very well at the moment. That’s why I decided to incorporate pop elements in this ghazal. I hope it reaches out to an international audience.
The lyrics have been written by Saaveri Verma.
Yes, Saaveri has done a brilliant job with the lyrics. When I made her listen to the melody, she said there is a smile in the tune. I told her that she could, perhaps, write a smile-wala love song. That’s why she chose the word ‘muskurahat’ and wrote a song around it. We wanted the melody and the lyrics to be simple. Sometimes, the real challenge lies in creating something that is simple.
Through your music, you have often showcased the culture of Assam, the state you come from.
Yes, that has been my primary objective as an artist. I want to represent Assam globally through my music. That’s why I did songs like ‘Mukoli Din’, ‘Monor Xonali Beli’, ‘Bhekulir Bihu’ and ‘Majuli’ in the past. Throughout the world, Assam is famous for its tea gardens. The tea gardens, in fact, contribute greatly to the natural beauty of the state. This year, Assam is celebrating 200 years of Assamese tea. The tea gardens were first set up by the Britishers. The people of Assam got very inspired and they started cultivating tea actively. I have created a song as a tribute to their efforts. It will come out very soon. While the song talks about the rich heritage and culture of Assam, it has got an electronic soundscape to it. I try to incorporate world music elements in such songs so that they connect with people living in all parts of the world.
You have been doing live shows extensively for a while.
Yes, I have been doing shows mostly in the North-Eastern states. I hope to perform in the rest of the country soon.
What are you doing next?
This year, my focus is on independent music. I will be releasing a lot of music independently this year. I have worked on two web series, Therapy Sherapy and Gram Chikitsalaya, that will come out this year. ‘Therapy Sherapy’ features Neha Dhupia, Gulshan Devaiah, Manoj Pahwa, Girija Oak in principal roles. ‘Gram Chikitsilaya’ has been directed by Rahul Pandey who earlier helmed the Netflix series ‘Maamla Legal Hai’.