As a music composer, Mannan Shaah has given several hits over the years including ‘Saawan Bairi’ (‘Commando: A One Man Army’, 2013), ‘Tere Dil Mein’ (‘Commando 2: The Black Money Trail, 2017), ‘Tere Liye’ (‘Namaste England’, 2018) and ‘Akhiyaan Milavanga’ (‘Commando 3’, 2019). Working on ‘The Kerala Story 2’, which released earlier this year, was a different experience for Mannan as he not only created songs for the film but also put together its background score.
‘Governor’, a film based on S. Venkitaramanan, the 18th Governor of the Reserve Bank of India, and featuring Manoj Bajpai in the titular role, is another film which features a score created by Mannan. The film, which has been directed by Chinmay D. Mandlekar, released in cinemas last week.
In this interview, Mannan talks about the art of composing the background score for a film, why it is a more extensive process than creating songs, his favourite scores, and more.
Earlier this year, you made your debut as a background score composer with ‘The Kerala Story 2’. ‘Governor’ is the second film for which you have done the background score.
Yes, that’s right! ‘The Kerala Story 2’ was the first feature film I did the background score for. Around the same time, I did the score for a documentary titled ‘Where The Heart Is’, which I have also co-produced. Before that, I had scored the music for a short film called ‘Laghushanka’ (2020) which was written and directed by Nikhil Mehrotra and presented by Nitesh Tiwari.
How long did it take for you to create the score for the film?
I worked on the score for almost a month. The film was already shot and edited when it came to me. Vipul ji had loved the background score of ‘The Kerala Story 2’. Around that time, ‘Governor’ was ready. So, he brought me on board for this film as well. Since the film was already ready, I did not have to struggle with the visualization process. I had worked on ‘The Kerala Story 2’ very differently. I started working on that film before it went on the floors. While making the songs, I was also creating some pieces for the background score. I was a part of the film right from the time the scripting process started. With ‘Governor’, the approach was different. I started working on the film after the edit was locked.
In ‘The Kerala Story 2’, you had done all the songs, barring one. Amit Trivedi has composed the songs in ‘Governor’. One often sees music pieces or tunes from songs being used as a part of the background score of a film. Did you reference any of the songs composed by Amit while putting together the score for the film?
I have used a music piece from one of the songs composed by Amit. It has been used as a part of the score at one point in the film. That is the only element I have used from his song. Otherwise, I mostly created the score independently without referencing the songs. While doing the score for this film, I wanted to touch base upon the 1990s as the film is set in that era. When you are working on a period film, you have to create the kind of music that takes the audience back in that era. I created an orchestra-driven score for ‘Governor’. The score also evokes the memories of the kind of sound some popular western bands were synonymous with at that time. More than the sound, I wanted to incorporate that style of playing. For instance, I asked my guitar player to render long phrases.
You got the orchestral pieces for the film recorded by the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. How was that experience like?
The experience was absolutely wonderful! The film has 30-35 minutes of orchestral playtime. The musicians finished recording within two hours. They are seasoned players and have played for the biggest Hollywood films. There was one piece which was distinctively Indian in nature. It was a raag based melody. This particular theme is about fathers and the role they play in our lives. The conductor told me that it was one of the most difficult pieces he has conducted in his entire life.
Many Indian composers have recorded with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra in the past. Why don’t we have enough music or orchestra groups in India?
We don’t have a dedicated Indian orchestra which can play everything. We do have some amazing groups like the Chennai Strings. They are amazing musicians and have played on many of my songs, including ‘Tere Liye’, ‘Ziddi Hai Dil’, ‘Tu Meri Main Tera’ and ‘O Maayi Re’. I have also collaborated with them on an independent single called ‘Mohabbat Ki Zabaan’. Javed (Akhtar) saab has written it. For this song, we recorded a 40-piece ensemble with the Chennai Strings along with the Sunshine Music Orchestra which A. R. Rahman sir has put together. He has put together this symphony orchestra comprising musicians from underprivileged background. He picked up these talented musicians, trained them and created Sunshine Orchestra. We need more such groups. We need a national orchestra.
As compared to making songs, is the process of putting together the background score for a film much more extensive?
Yes, it’s a much deeper process. When you are creating a background score, you are working dedicatedly for the film. When it comes to making songs, things can be a little different. You make songs according to the situation or brief given to you but you are also working towards creating some sort of an audio value that would attract the audience. Sometimes, songs are created as promotional tools for a film. At times, a song you have created independently, gets picked up for a film. The background score, however, is closely connected with the film. It runs parallel with the film.
Do you think the Hindi film industry took a long time to understand and acknowledge the kind of value a score adds to a film?
Unfortunately, yes! For the longest time, people in the industry did not take background score very seriously. It was perceived to be a technical job and not creative work. Till the ‘90s, things were like that. Once composers like Salim-Sulaiman and Sandeep Shirodkar came, things changed. Prasad Sashte, who is a dear friend of mine, has also done some fantastic scores over the years.
Now, filmmakers recognize the importance of a background score. Some of the composers working in the Southern film industries deserve a lot of credit for this change. Composers like Devi Sri Prasad, Anirudh, Ravi Basrur and Thaman raised the bar with the kind of scores they put together for many films. I love the kind of work Gopi Sundar and Sushin Shyam have done in Malayalam cinema. Mujeeb Majeed, who did the score for my Marathi production ‘Roop Nagar Ke Cheetey’ (2023), is another talented composer working in the Malayalam film industry.
Which are some of the film scores you have liked over the last few years?
R. D. Burman’s score for ‘Sholay’ (1975) is one of my absolute favourites. I loved the score of ‘Madras Café’ (2013) by Shantanu Moitra. The score of ‘The Pursuit of Happyness’ (2006) by Andrea Guerra, in my opinion, is one of the best scores ever. I think the score which Hildur Guðnadóttir put together for ‘Joker’ (2019) was absolutely brilliant!
In the west, there has always been a tradition of releasing the score of a film as a standalone soundtrack. This practice was not there in India for the longest time. However, in the 10-12 years, one has seen the scores of several films, across different languages, releasing on streaming platforms.
Yes, this should happen with every film. The score of ‘The Kerala Story 2’ will release soon. Even the score of ‘Governor’ should be releasing shortly after the release of the film. For ‘The Kerala Story 2’, I had created themes on 15-20 different raags.