Mainstream Archives - Rolling Stone India https://rollingstoneindia.com/tag/mainstream/ Music Gigs, Culture and More! Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:11:42 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.8.3 https://rollingstoneindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/cropped-rsi-favicon-32x32.png Mainstream Archives - Rolling Stone India https://rollingstoneindia.com/tag/mainstream/ 32 32 Inside the Making of ‘Dhurandhar’s Explosive Soundtrack https://rollingstoneindia.com/dhurandhar-soundtrack-shashwat-sachdev-fa9la/ Thu, 11 Dec 2025 04:12:00 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=168009 Dhurandhar

From pairing Diljit Dosanjh and Hanumankind to Reble rapping on an R.D. Burman classic to powerful tracks by Madhubanti Bagchi and Simran Choudhary, Bollywood has a new hit OST

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Dhurandhar

Bollywood action movie Dhurandhar has stirred up plenty of critical acclaim, box office revenue, and controversial opinions, but the Aditya Dhar-directed film’s music is spawning a fanbase of its own.

Rightly so, considering composer Shashwat Sachdev dug into righteous rap, dollops of synth-led pop that turn into stomping numbers and even flipped a few beloved Bollywood songs into high-BPM ragers. Outside of standout songs like the title track, “Ishq Jalakar – Karvaan” and the background score, actor Akshaye Khanna’s entry as Rehman Dakait set to Bahraini rapper Flipperachi’s “Fa9la” has led to the song blowing up as a viral favorite on social media, even topping streaming charts like Apple Music’s Top 100: India and Spotify’s Viral 50 – India.

Fresh off Sachdev’s work on Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood, which gave us hits like “Ghafoor,” the Dhurandhar soundtrack rounds out 2025 as a year of hits for the National Film Award-winning composer who has worked with filmmaker Aditya Dhar on projects like Uri: The Surgical Strike. Sachdev tells Rolling Stone India, “From the beginning, Aditya and I understood that Dhurandhar is a very serious film in its themes, but the audience should still feel entertained by its seriousness. We didn’t want the music to feel like a lesson or a political document. We wanted intensity, but with movement, rhythm and play.”

To that end, he assembled a star cast of artists. The title track, which was first heard in the Dhurandhar teaser earlier this year, brought together rap star Hanumankind (working on his first theatrical Bollywood soundtrack), Punjabi star voice Jasmine Sandlas and singer Sudhir Yaduvanshi. Arijit Singh lights up “Gehra Hua,” the love song on the soundtrack, while Diljit Dosanjh adds grit to the heady “Teri Ni Kararan,” and, in a collab no one saw coming, even teams up with Hanumankind for the seemingly Irish folk-inspired “Ez-Ez” alongside Ranveer Singh. Meghalaya’s rap maverick Reble hops on “Run Down The City – Monica,” plus “Naal Nachna” with Punjabi artist Afsana Khan and “Move (Yeh Ishq Ishq)” with Sonu Nigam. Elsewhere, Sandlas and Madhubanti Bagchi match up on “Shararat” and folk-informed pop star Simran Choudhary leads “Lutt Le Gaya” as singer and lyricist.

Shashwat Sachdev, Hanumankind, Jasmine Sandlas
(From left to right) Shashwat Sachdev, Hanumankind, Jasmine Sandlas the ‘Dhurandhar’ title track. Photos: Taya Dulaeva (Sachdev), Maitreya Shah (Hanumankind), Warner Music India (Sandlas)

If there’s been another runaway hit, it’s the breezy yet groovy “Ishq Jalakar (Karvaan)” sung by Shahzad Ali, Subhadeep Das Chowdhury, and Armaan Khan. A key approach has been Sachdev and Dhar drawing from evergreen Indian songs (it helps that Saregama, the label that released the Dhurandhar soundtrack, owns the copyright to most of India’s iconic and yesteryear hits) like the title track recreating the 1995 Charanjit Ahuja-composed song “Na Dil De Pardesi Nu” sung by Muhammad Sadiq and Ranjit Kaur, with lyrics written by Babu Singh Maan to introduce the high-stakes world of Dhurandhar. “Ishq Jalakar” is based on “Na to Karvan Ki Talash Hai” sung by Mohammed Rafi, with music by Roshan and lyrics by Sahir Ludhianvi. Reble raps over R.D. Burman and Asha Bhosle’s “Piya Tu Ab To Aja” from 1971 movie Caravan on “Run Down The City – Monica” and “Move (Yeh Ishq Ishq)” also draws from “Yeh Hai Ishq Ishq” composed by Roshan with lyrics by Ludhianvi, from the 1960 movie Barsaat Ki Raat. Bagchi returns to lead the hypnotic, synth-driven dancefloor jam “Ramba Ho,” a recreation of Bappi Lahiri-composed, Usha Uthup-sung “Ramba Ho Ho Ho Samba Ho Ho Ho” from 1981’s Armaan.

While rappers like Reble and Hanumankind brought their own lyrics to the table, Sachdev called on seasoned lyricist Irshad Kamil for most of the songs off Dhurandhar, with Sandlas writing “Shararat” and Dosanjh’s longtime collaborator Raj Ranjodh penning Punjabi verses for “Ez-Ez.”

Reble, making her film soundtrack debut, calls projects like Dhurandhar rare. “This one felt like pure art,” the rapper tells Rolling Stone India. Aware that she was reinterpreting classics, Reble says the brief from Sachdev was “always centred around the story: the characters, their emotions, and the events unfolding.” While she was originally just slated to record “Move,” which went into the trailer, Sachdev says he kept feeling like her voice was also suited for another moment in the film, which led to “Run Down the City – Monica.” He says, “We had the musical structure ready. I sent her the minus-one early in the morning, and by noon she walked in with words and an energy that felt electric.” “The songs in this album are very versatile, and I worked on three tracks in total—each with a completely different soundscape […] Me and Sha [Sachdev] spent most of our time laughing and making music in Aditya’s home studio,” Reble adds.

Reble
Meghalayal hip-hop artist Reble contributed to three songs off ‘Dhurandhar.’ Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Sachdev, Dhar and the Dhurandhar team holing up in the director’s home was something the composer calls “the most special part” about making these songs. He says, “We weren’t in an isolated recording space; we were living with the music. Ideas were being born on staircases, in the kitchen, while someone was half-asleep on the sofa. It wasn’t made in a studio; it was made in a home where creativity never slept. That closeness — all of us eating, creating, arguing, celebrating under one roof — shaped the entire musical soul of the film.”

With “Ishq Jalakar – Karvaan” too, the idea came as Dhar one day knocked on Sachdev’s door and asked him to “try ‘Karvaan.’” It clicked “immediately,” the composer says. Shahzad Ali was soon enlisted for the track. “The Bhatiyali influence brought a sense of wander and longing, while the funk injected swagger and urgency,” Sachdev says.

Chronologically, Sachdev says the first melody he wrote for Dhurandhar was “Gehra Hua,” the love song on the album delivered by hitmaker Arijit Singh and singer Armaan Khan. It came about nearly a year before the film was shot. “The emotional ambiguity of a spy’s love story needed to be cracked first. Is the love real? Is it a rare moment of honesty in a life of deception, or is it simply a mirage created by tradecraft? The melody had to hold that uncertainty gently and honestly,” he says. It even became something Dhar and Sachdev would sing for the director’s son Vedavit. “[His] unfiltered reactions became strangely important to us. Children don’t judge music. They feel it. When he connected with it, we knew the melody held something true.”

Madhubanti Bagchi
Madhubanti Bagchi sings on “Shararat” and “Ramba Ho” for ‘Dhurandhar.’ Photo: Courtesy of the artist

On the other end of the spectrum is “Shararat,” which was written overnight, just before the sequence it was needed for was going to be shot. Between Bagchi and Sandlas, the song starts off almost deceptively airy and then plunges into a cut that ties together Sachdev’s distinctive synth proclivities and traditional melodies. “Brownie points to Sha for getting both of us baddies on such a crazy duet,” Bagchi says of working with Sandlas. She adds, “It’s a dance song with a lot of attitude and character in addition to certain classical nuances.”

Sachdev is all praise for Sandlas bringing her spontaneous creativity when it comes to melodies to the table, with rough ideas ending up on the final cut. Meanwhile, Bagchi, who has been part of Dhar-directed films like Uri: The Surgical Strike and Article 370, says, “Coming back for this [Dhurandhar] felt like being invited to a family dinner.” Sachdev adds, “Madhubanti is a generational talent. She moves effortlessly between classical and pop, and she brings an earthy, ancient tonality that grounds the darker world of the film.” Sachdev even brought Bagchi in for the disco-fueled “Ramba Ho.” He says, “There was truly no one else who could deliver that energy. Her voice feels like soil — textured, rooted and rich — and it added a depth to Dhurandhar that I value deeply.”

Simran Choudhary
Simran Choudhary has sung and written lyrics for “Lutt Le Gaya” from ‘Dhurandhar.’ Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Another women-led song on Dhurandhar is the Punjabi track “Lutt Le Gaya” by Simran Choudhary. She was going for a “full-on party track with easy-going and instantly understandable lyrics” that could tie it all together. She adds, “And at the same time, those key lines ‘Haye sajan, meri akhaan tarasdi’ and ‘Haye imaan, menu lutt le gaya’ needed to land with an impact. When you watch the film, the moment these lines come in and the way they hit… It all makes perfect sense.” Often championing folk music in her independent singles, Choudhary says Dhar and Sachdev allowed her to bring that expertise to Dhurandhar as well. “They wanted me to have fresh lyrics to an already folk structure. Despite working so immensely on folk music, this was one of a kind because I had never written folk with this sort of approach.”

Folk from an entirely different country — Ireland — pulses through “Ez-Ez,” and Sachdev explains that he’s felt a “strange emotional symmetry” between Irish folk music and stories from “Pakistani ganglands.” He says, “Both cultures carry music born from rebellion, humor, community and sorrow. So that lilt felt right at home inside Dhurandhar.”

He recorded Dosanjh first, and soon, Hanumankind wrote “You ready or not” for the song, and Sachdev says it opened the track up to a “completely different universe.” The composer recalls, “We were dancing in the room while recording because we could feel it finding its identity. Raj Ranjodh’s lyrics added poetry, Diljit paaji brought warmth and heroism, and Hanumankind brought danger and unpredictability. It became the anthem of the gangs of Lehari.”

Diljit Dosanjh
Diljit Dosanjh.

As far as Pakistani gangs go, they also found a soundtrack in “Fa9la” by Flipperachi, produced by DJ Outlaw. Mumbai music company Rebellion Management’s founder Girish ‘Bobby’ Talwar — also a longtime musician and bassist in seasoned Mumbai rock band Zero — worked on the sync and placement of the Arabic banger with the Dhar brothers’ production house B62 Studios and Jio Studios president Jyoti Deshpande. Talwar says, “They were clear that they wanted international-sounding tracks because they didn’t want to go in the typical Hindi remix type of space […] they were okay to throw caution to the wind and be like, ‘Let’s see what happens with this one.’”

Handling music supervision and liaising sync licensing for film projects in the past four years through Rebellion, Talwar says they had sent shortlisted tracks as options and “Fa9la” was among the ones they “really wanted” to use in the movie. It took a bit of convincing with the independent label that owned the rights to “Fa9la” to license the song, though. “Typically, what happens is that they are a little bit hesitant without knowing what kind of visuals it’s going to be associated with,” Talwar says.

They sent out the visuals through password-protected links to prevent any kind of leaks of Dhurandhar footage, and eventually, the label was convinced. “I think the director’s vision on this one is what probably should be given the most credit. The rest of us are supporting that vision,” he adds. Talwar is happy with the response “Fa9la” has received, as are the artists and label. It was all about creating the “emotional connect of the character, the scene and the sound” with this sync. “The way it’s picturized, everything has come together so well that it’s just created that moment which almost transports you. You get layers and layers of information, and the music just kind of elevates that to a place where that character becomes so clear in your face.” Interestingly, Rebellion Management also synced rap star Doja Cat’s “Aaahh Men!” in the post-credits scene, but it’s yet to see the kind of traction “Fa9la” received.

Sachdev looks back at the music to Dhurandhar and says he didn’t have to change his process at all. “I sit with the blank page and wait for direction, for some form of grace that guides the music toward honesty. For Dhurandhar, I was doing what I always do — searching for the most truthful path for the music, the film, my director and my producers. All of us were working with clean intent and open minds. I feel deeply grateful that people are connecting with the music,” he says.

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How Himachal Inspired A.R. Rahman’s ‘Usey Kehna’ for Upcoming Film ‘Tere Ishk Mein’ https://rollingstoneindia.com/tere-ishk-mein-song-usey-kehna-ar-rahman/ Mon, 03 Nov 2025 07:30:44 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=166356 Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in Tere Ishk mein

The upcoming romantic drama, and spiritual successor to 2013 movie ‘Raanjhanaa’ directed by Aanand L. Rai stars Dhanush and Kriti Sanon, opening in cinemas on Nov. 28, 2025

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Dhanush and Kriti Sanon in Tere Ishk mein

With the upcoming romantic drama Tere Ishk Mein bringing back the intensity of the 2013 Bollywood movie Raanjhanaa by filmmaker Aanand L. Rai as a successor of sorts, music legend A.R. Rahman has also returned to create a sonic sequel of sorts for the soundtrack.

With the title track out in October, there’s now a lamenting piano ballad, “Usey Kehna” sung by Nitesh Aher and Jonita Gandhi, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil to add more depth to the film, starring Dhanush and Kriti Sanon.

A. R. Rahman says the song was inspired by his travels to Himachal Pradesh. “[We] witnessed the reflection of the mountains in the Ganges. Everything around inspired the creation of the melody, inspiring our teams Aanand L. Rai, Irshad Kamil, Himanshu [Sharma, producer and co-writer] and it evolved into something which is just the bare minimum of just the piano, strings and a newfound voice of Nitesh. I hope people enjoy it and feel the same way we felt creating it.”

Rai, for his part, is all praise for Rahman creating “another gem” with “Usey Kehna.” The filmmaker adds in his statement, “Music is the strongest form of magic… and I’ve had the privilege to watch the greatest magician create it up close the one and only A. R. Rahman.”

The song is out via T-Series, with Tere Ishk Mein also produced by Bhushan Kumar and Krishan Kumar. Bhushan Kumar says in a statement about “Usey Kehna” fitting into the film’s narrative, “‘Usey Kehna’ brings out the unspoken emotions that lie at the heart of Tere Ishk Mein. It’s a song about love that is constant; one that is raw, real and deeply human. With A. R. Rahman’s soulful composition, Irshad Kamil’s heartfelt lyrics and Nitesh Aher’s voice complemented by Aanand L. Rai’s impeccable storytelling and directed visuals that capture the vulnerability of the two characters with such honesty, this track beautifully carries forward the film’s emotional core.”

Tere Ishk Mein, directed by Rai and written by Himanshu Sharma and Neeraj Yadav, stars Dhanush and Kriti Sanon and will release worldwide in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu later this month, with more songs coming up through November.

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Inside the Making of ‘The Ba***ds of Bollywood’s’ Raucous Soundtrack https://rollingstoneindia.com/bads-of-bollywoods-soundtrack-karan-aujla-diljit-dosanjh-aryan-khan/ Thu, 25 Sep 2025 14:04:52 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=164438 Aryan Khan

Artists like Raja Kumari, lyricist Kumaar, composer Ujwal Gupta and Shilpa Rao are all praise for Aryan Khan’s debut outing as series creator

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Aryan Khan

For all its over-the-top yet all-too-familiar approach to telling a Bollywood story, the new Netflix series The Ba***ds of Bollywood needed an equally adrenaline-pumping soundtrack to match.

The series creator and director, Aryan Khan, who had already assembled a star cast for the series, brings some of the biggest desi music stars under one massive, 13-track soundtrack. Released via T-series, it’s not very often you see everyone from Punjabi stars Diljit Dosanjh and Karan Aujla in the same album as hitmakers Anirudh Ravichander, Arijit Singh, Jubin Nautiyal, Vishal Dadlani, Shilpa Rao, B Praak, Raja Kumari, Jasmine Sandlas, and Faheem Abdullah. Composers Shashwat Sachdev and Ujwal Gupta handled most of the songs between themselves, with Khan contributing to the lyric writing as well as the creative direction.

While the likes of Singh and Ravichander on the same track swiftly propelled songs like “Badli Si Hawa Hai” to prominence, the ballad “Tu Pehli Tu Aakhri” also has accrued millions of streams. Karan Aujla’s action-packed “Movie Scene” is steadily climbing up, as is Dosanjh’s contribution, the rock-aided “Tenu Ki Pata” composed by Gupta.

A relatively lesser-known composer on the soundtrack, Gupta also offers up the hyped up high-pitched banger “Ghafoor” that’s been trending on social media. Rao, who also teamed up with “Sajna Tu Baimaan” for Sachdev (alongside fellow star artist B Praak), tells Rolling Stone India that it was “absolutely fun working on both tracks.” She adds, “Tried new ideas, and Shashwat and Aryan both grabbed it and pushed me further to go all out.”

Shilpa Rao. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

B Praak says he brought raw energy to “Sajna Tu Baimaan.” He adds, “[The song] is packed with energy and intensity, and I felt it had to capture both pain and power at the same time.” The hitmaker shouts out The Ba***ds of Bollywood creator as well. “I truly feel Aryan has created something fearless and fresh with this show; it’s layered and it’s unapologetic.”

The tempo goes even higher with Raja Kumari’s songs “Revolver” and “Everybody Knows.” The rapper and singer-songwriter likens making “Revolver,” similar to working on the title track from Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Jawan. There’s an unmistakable hip-hop quality but also a fiery, cinematic edge, with “Everybody Knows” being a fully English track that’s meant for “Lord Bobby,” as Raja refers to acting veteran Bobby Deol’s character Ajay Talvar. “Revolver,” which also marks a tick on Raja Kumari’s wish list to sing on the same track as Vishal Dadlani, is more of a “hero anthem” according to the artist.

Raja Kumari. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

She adds, “I got so much direction from Aryan—he’s the one that called me, sang the melody to me, and described the feeling he wanted from the song.” Raja had got a call while in Los Angeles, so the recordings were remote, but the conversations with Khan ranged from scene descriptions to telling her what he wanted to “feel as the viewer.” Raja adds with a laugh, “Every time he would sing the melody, I kept teasing him that he’s got such a great voice that we should work on his album next.”

Ujwal Gupta can credit his time studying at the University of Southern California as his introduction to Khan, who was pursuing a filmmaking course at the time. Gupta, who adds a rock edge to The Ba***ds of Bollywood soundtrack, says, “Over the course of our time there, we got to understand each other’s work ethic and creative process, and we even collaborated on a few class projects. So, when the idea for this show came about, he reached out and offered me the chance to work on it. I didn’t have to think twice; I jumped at the opportunity.”

Ujwal Gupta
Composer Ujwal Gupta. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

While he’s been known for a few pop hits, Gupta got to scale new heights with “incredible artists.” He adds, “It became much larger than I could’ve ever imagined for my first big outing.”

Among the earliest songs that came to life was “Tenu Ki Pata,” written about four years ago when Khan had first conceptualized the narrative of The Ba***ds of Bollywood. Gupta says he was in Chennai when work began, but the process was collaborative and Khan was decisive. “He [Khan] even lent his vocals to some of the demos, and in the case of ‘Tenu Ki Pata,’ we actually ended up using his voice in the final track, which gave it a unique touch,” the composer adds.

Gupta worked on a handful of songs, but also the background score for the show, creating “character themes” with Khan as well. “It was very fulfilling for me personally since scoring a full-length film is something I hope to do in the future,” he adds. Gupta also turned vocalist on the Sachdev-composed “Ghafoor.” Throughout, Gupta justifies the rock edge because he’s primarily a guitarist. “A lot of the initial ideas for the show started with guitar riffs, and they naturally fit into the soundscape Aryan had envisioned,” Gupta adds.

On the lyrical side of the soundtrack, prolific writer and poet Kumaar was attached to the project. “The brief was very clear from the beginning: the songs had to carry the rebellious, youthful spirit of the show while still connecting emotionally with the audience,” he says. Having written some of the earliest hits from The Ba***ds of Bollywood, Kumaar worked in romance even within a mostly expletive-filled, edgy show. The writer says, “‘Tenu Ki Pata’ was another fun one, it had this cheeky, playful vibe that instantly brought energy into the room.”

The Ba***ds of Bollywood clearly has Khan’s music taste imprinted all over. Kumaar lauds Khan for having a “sharp ear for rhythm and rhyming. “He was deeply involved and very particular about the mood and tone he wanted the songs to reflect. He constantly reminded us that the music had to serve the story, not just stand alone.”

Running with that clarity, Kumaar struck the right balance. “I wanted to bring a sense of defiance and individuality that complements the show’s gritty, larger-than-life energy, while also giving audiences a more human layer to connect with emotionally,” the lyricist says.

Just like the acting cast, the music lineup on The Ba***ds of Bollywood has plenty of worlds-collide energy. It’s launched new composers like Gupta, even while leaning on can’t-fail hitmakers. For Raja Kumari, it even led to a full circle moment of singing with Dadlani. “Om Shanti Om [Bollywood movie] was a very important film and soundtrack to me – it appears on my vision board. I have this part of my voice that’s really rock and I love to use it, so now that Vishal and I have done a song remotely, hopefully we can perform it together or make more music together. I’m a fan of his work,” she says.

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How the Musical ‘Come Fall in Love’ Keeps the Magic of ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ Alive https://rollingstoneindia.com/come-fall-in-love-ddlj-musical-kinshuk-sen/ Mon, 04 Aug 2025 13:19:06 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=161499 Come Fall In Love - the DDLJ Musical

Los Angeles-based Kinshuk Sen and London-based Ankur Sabharwal talk about their experiences being part of the musical adaptation of the Bollywood romance, brought to the stage by Aditya Chopra

The post How the Musical ‘Come Fall in Love’ Keeps the Magic of ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ Alive appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

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Come Fall In Love - the DDLJ Musical

When cult Nineties Bollywood film Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge got its musical adaptation as Come Fall In Love – The DDLJ Musical in 2022 in the US, the Broadway interpretation came with its share of twists. For instance, the protagonist, Raj, a bumbling, hopeless romantic played by Shah Rukh Khan in the original, became Roger, an earnest American who is slowly learning to embrace Indian culture.

The musical has retained its original director, Aditya Chopra, though. Ahead of the show’s staging in San Diego in 2022, Chopra admitted that he originally conceived the story of DDLJ as a Hollywood love story of a white American man and an Indian woman. He says, “My main motivation at that time was to present Indian culture and values to a global audience.”

He added in a press statement, “Years later, as I reimagine the story as a Broadway musical, my mainstay is still the same: showcasing Indian culture to a world audience. And the most powerful way to depict a country’s culture and values is to see it from the perspective of someone who does not belong to the same culture. That is the starting point of Come Fall In Love (CFIL), the story of Indian Simran, her culture and heritage through the eyes of American Roger.”

Earlier this year, the musical had its second run in the UK with an all-new cast, except for Irvine Iqbal as Baldev, Sonya Venugopal in the ensemble and Kinshuk Sen, the latter retaining his role of Kuljeet. He plays the once rough-and-tough potential partner for Simran, who is a much more comedic figure in the musical than the film, and leads songs like “Hot and Independent and Hot.” It was a big deal, even though Sen has had plenty of experience in theater in the US (and it might help that he’s also fusion star Euphoria bandleader Palash Sen’s son).

Sen as Kuljeet Singh in ‘Come Fall In Love.’ Photo: Johan Persson

Sen says over a call, “I really was lucky enough that Adi sir [Aditya Chopra], and our music directors, Vishal and Shekhar, really vouched for me and wanted to bring me back on this project, and that’s how I got attached, honestly. It was a very long waiting process, with visas and approvals and everything. But I’m so glad that we finally got to do it together, and I could make it to the UK.”

Kuljeet’s father in DDLJ, Ajit Singh (portrayed in the film by Satish Shah), was essayed by New Delhi-origin singer-songwriter and theater artist Ankur Sabharwal, who had moved to the UK in 2023 and sought to build on his years of experience in the Delhi theater scene and musicals.

At first bemused that he would be getting into Bollywood after moving away from India, Sabharwal says the team behind Come Fall In Love was more than convincing. “When you see the people who were doing the show, from the biggest names in Bollywood like Vishal-Shekhar, to the biggest names over here in the UK, and some from Broadway, you feel that the team is so incredible, they’re not going to do something which is half-hearted,” he says.

The award-winning creative team for Come Fall in Love – The DDLJ Musical includes Nell Benjamin, who worked on the book and lyrics for the musical (her past credits include Mean Girls with Tina Fey and winning an Olivier Award for Legally Blonde with writer Laurence O’Keefe).

Benjamin said in a video interview in May during the UK production that she was introduced to Chopra through a friend and jumped at the opportunity, being a big fan of DDLJ. She said in the video, “I think what was most challenging for me, which is one of the things I love most about Bollywood, is the tone. A lot of times in theater, you’re either doing a musical comedy or you’re doing a drama. Now I think it’s more… we’re mixing it up a little more. So I think that was the fun and tricky part—are we getting the tone right?”

Tasked with “telling the story correctly,” Benjamin credits listening to her collaborators as a means of “doing right by the original” and representing the essence of DDLJ to everyone who was familiar with it, while introducing it to new audiences. “It’s a really joyful show and it talks about bringing people together in a time when people are being forced apart and we’re setting up walls and borders and whatnot, but ultimately we all do better together,” Benjamin said.

Vishal-Shekhar composed 18 new English songs with Benjamin for the musical, with the title track “Come Fall In Love” out on streaming platforms as a glimpse of the crossover that the production aspires to. Dadlani said in a statement at the time of the song’s release on streaming, “Working on the musical has been hugely satisfying. For the Come Fall In Love title track, we wanted to arouse a strong sense of nostalgia for someone who has roots in India and, at the same time, would introduce people in the West to India’s great heritage, which is prevalent in its food, music, cinema, and culture. Nell Benjamin wrote the song as an energetic glorification of India, an India that is even more than just colors and festivals, an India that resides in her people.”

Come Fall In Love also features choreography by Tony, Oliver, and Emmy-winner Rob Ashford as well as Indian dance choreography by Shruti Merchant. Mostly, Sen hails the way Chopra took to directing a musical for the stage, a first for the Bollywood visionary. Sen admits he was particularly impressed with Chopra’s eye for detail. “He was talking about the color of Simran’s suit for one of the scenes. The way he justified why he wanted a lighter shade of blue as opposed to the darker blue, my mind was completely blown.”

The on-stage father-son pair played by Sen and Sabharwal both tell Rolling Stone India how there were not just Desi diaspora in the audience, but a larger audience drawn in by the show.

Sabharwal says, “Living in India, you don’t realize how important it is to people who are South Asians living over here [UK]. People were really moved. We had people in tears in the audience. Even in our cast, some of the South Asians, they were really moved by the whole idea that such a grand production can be held on a mainstream UK stage.” They even got the kudos of the original Raj—Shah Rukh Khan—when he dropped by rehearsals.

The ‘Come Fall In Love’ cast with Shah Rukh Khan (center) in the U.K.

“What they’ve all done is almost paid homage to the original while keeping the newness and the modernity of 2025, and I think they’ve done it seamlessly,” Sen adds, pinpointing what he feels led to the musical’s success in the US as well as now at its Manchester production,

With favorable reviews across the UK as well, Sen hopes that the “simple love story” journeys to more countries. “I’m hoping and praying that the world gets to see another iteration of Come Fall In Love very soon,” he adds. Would it work if a musical about an Indo-American love story could go full circle and come back to the home of Bollywood? Sen says, “I think it can come to India and get a phenomenal response. I think people will love it. I think it’s such a good marriage of Bollywood and Broadway. I think anyone who watches it will enjoy it.”

The post How the Musical ‘Come Fall in Love’ Keeps the Magic of ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ Alive appeared first on Rolling Stone India.

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Inside The Making of ‘Saiyaara’s’ Chart-Breaking Soundtrack https://rollingstoneindia.com/saiyaara-soundtrack-mohit-suri-interview/ Wed, 30 Jul 2025 14:40:06 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=161299 Saiyaara songs

The likes of Arijit Singh, Mithoon, Shilpa Rao, Tanishk Bagchi, Jubin Nautiyal and Vishal Mishra share space with Faheem Abdullah, The Rish, Arslan Nizami and more

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Saiyaara songs

Sometime in 2021, on their way back from a promotional activity, filmmaker Mohit Suri and composer-lyricist Mithoon were sharing a ride when the director shared a brainwave for what would become Saiyaara, the romantic musical whose songs have broken into global Billboard and Spotify streaming charts in the past week.

Mithoon, who has worked with Suri right from the latter’s directorial debuts Zeher and Kalyug in 2005, says, “He thought about how a musician, or any artist, may not have the world, but their art is the world to them. It could be the poorest person in the world. I’d say, at the same time, their art makes them the richest. This value of art and this value of music is something that we wanted to translate into a song.” It led to the airy, dreamy song “Dhun,” sung by Arijit Singh, and more importantly, a starting point for the music and story of Saiyaara.

Suri tells Rolling Stone India, “I don’t think the honesty and the simplicity that I needed for ‘Dhun’ could be done by anyone other than Mithoon. His music has that in it.”

A story revolving around a musician and a poet in love surely needed a solid soundtrack, and Suri recognized that. While the soundtrack album was released on July 4, the songs got more impetus after the theatrical release of Saiyaara on July 18, 2025. The rock-driven title track, composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, and Arslan Nizami, written by Irshad Kamil and featuring Abdullah as singer, charted at No. 10 on the Billboard Global 200 and went from the 177th place to number 4 on the Global Excl. U.S. chart. It also went to the top spot of the Spotify Top 50 Global Viral charts last week.

Abdullah, who was tapped for his first film project after his millions-streamed song “Ishq” from 2024, says, “Just like when ‘Ishq’ first made it to the charts, it felt unbelievable. And now seeing ‘Saiyaara’ breaking records and being the first Hindi/Urdu song to be at number 4 globally, it is no less than magic.” Nizami adds, “For both of us, it’s also deeply personal. We come from Kashmir, from a place full of stories, silence, and songs. To carry even a little bit of that into a film that reaches so many, it means everything.”

Deeply intertwined with the visual storytelling of Suri, and also perhaps a clutter-breaker in the Punjabi music-dominated Bollywood songs, the Saiyaara soundtrack was entirely led by Suri in a hands-on fashion, much like with his previous film songs. It also served as a secret PR weapon for the film ahead of its release, luring in audiences before they could catch a glimpse of the rookie actors’ debuts.

Suri says, “Considering there were no known names attached to the star cast, we actually cast the music first. I remember telling my producer that we will not start shooting till we have recorded all the songs because this is the star of the film.”

The sound of Saiyaara is also an outcome of Suri thoroughly loving the music-making process. He calls it one of the most important parts of filmmaking, and disagrees with filmmakers who only focus on the movie and leave it up to labels and music companies to “plant the music and push the kind of songs they want in the film.” “But that’s somehow never happened to me,” he adds. “Maybe I enjoy that whole process of meeting a musician, jamming with him, getting a singer on board, getting a lyric writer on board, fighting, struggling, and then something magically comes out in the air and that’s a great song.”

Arslan Nizami and Faheem Abdullah
Arslan Nizami and Faheem Abdullah. Photo: YRF

The soundtrack also brings in Vishal Mishra and Hansika Pareek with lyricist Raj Shekhar on the electro-pop “Tum Ho Toh,” a sprawling pop-rock song called “Humsafar” by Sachet-Parampara (with lyrics by Kamil and Prashant Pandey), and a shimmering R&B-informed song “Barbaad” by The Rish and sung by Jubin Nautiyal. Reprise versions of “Barbaad” and “Saiyaara” feature Shilpa Rao and Shreya Ghoshal, respectively, making for one star-packed lineup of new and seasoned artists working with Suri.

For seasoned artists like Mithoon and Bagchi, it was about taking on a new storytelling challenge, but with the comfort of a familiar collaborator like Suri. Mithoon says, “The situation changes every time, but our principles, our work ethic, and the way we [Suri and I] bond over music hasn’t changed over 20 years.” While they originally wanted a newer, younger voice for “Dhun” to reflect the fresh-faced male protagonist essayed by Ahaan Panday, they didn’t want to necessarily portray a vulnerability in the voice on the song. “I wanted to put the command and the maturity that Arijit has, for this character. It was a very interesting decision that Mohit and me took together, and I’m glad that it’s paid off so well,” Mithoon says.

Bagchi, for his part, adds, “I really wanted to strike a balance between depth and simplicity, something that could feel timeless, yet rooted in emotion. We used a lot of live instruments, and I was very particular about every sound, and every voice—each layer had to feel like it belonged to the journey of the characters.”

He’s particularly happy that Suri gave him the freedom to work with Abdulah and Nizami on the song.  “This film is about artists, and I believe that’s why the music connected: it came from a place of truth,” Bagchi points out.

Abdullah, for his part, says he had no idea what to expect when the title track from Saiyaara went up. “That is the best thing about doing something for the first time. For someone who comes from an indie background, film music can be a new learning curve. I wanted to see how I function when I am put into a different box.”

(From left to right) Lyricists on ‘Saiyaara’ included Raj Shekhar, Irshad Kamil and The Rish, who also composed “Barbaad.” Photos: Courtesy of the artist

Lyrically, Kamil says he first wrote the poem that appears during the opening scenes of the film, which led him into “the innocent, fragile and complex nature of love that this film is evoking.” Writing the title track as well as “Humsafar,” Kamil adds, “Every situation in the film was a battlefield of emotions for me. I was gravitating towards purity, rawness, and vulnerability.”

The Rish’s “Barbaad” with Jubin Nautiyal and Shilpa Rao came from the artist being introduced to Suri via Saiyaara’s music supervisor, Yash Anand. The Rish had the song idea in his vault. He says, “I remember when I first made the song, I’d played it to my peer, who’s a producer, and we were both saying how Mohit Suri-coded this melody is.”

In addition to working with Nautiyal (“His soul made the song what it is,” Rish says), the artist also created a female version for Shilpa Rao, offering lyrical counterpoints that made each version feel like a thinking-out-loud yet intimate conversation between the two protagonists in the film. “The female version lyrics are special to me. I feel like while the male version ends on the thought of surrender, the female version (“Haari main, haari main”) ends on the thought of defeat. Both, while sounding negative, are written by me as feelings that are good for the person that’s going through them,” The Rish says.

Suri describes “Barbaad” slightly differently: “‘Barbaad,’ contrary to the word which, in isolation, feels all about destruction, it is actually a song about falling in love. It’s a guy reluctant to fall in love, [that] is what the [current] generation is catering to.”

Often drawn to working with newer musicians (it started out of frustration when a “senior music director” would not sign on with Suri), the filmmaker says he’s always going to launch “one new music director and one new voice in every film.” He adds, “I think when we get successful and we have a lot of praise, we tend to distance ourselves from the people who are really making the music on the ground, in the streets, in the bars, in the clubs, in the coffee shops. We start moving in cars and sitting in high-rise buildings and not hearing them. I think by looking and seeking out that one new person all the time, you are always keeping your music relevant. So honestly, I don’t think I have given these new people a chance…  I think they have kept me relevant for 20 years.”  

Inspired by the music of Aashiqui and intending to craft the music of Saiyaara as a tribute to romantic movie soundtracks, Suri cites Yash Chopra films like Chandni and Veer Zara as well as his mentor Mahesh Bhatt’s films, including Phir Teri Kahaani Yaad Aayi. He says, “There could be some films of his that the film didn’t do well, but it was never that the music didn’t succeed.” There’s also the works on Nadeem-Shravan, A.R. Rahman, and soundtracks like 1942: A Love Story by R.D. Burman.

“I have never strived to hit the charts,” Suri says. “I’m very happy they [the songs] have. It’s just a validation that the work that you put in, the love that you put into the music, has been accepted and is making a mark in history. But it also adds the pressure, like, ‘When will be the next time?”

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Sid Sriram Announces Multi-City India Tour in November https://rollingstoneindia.com/sid-sriram-india-tour-2025-dates-tickets-cities/ Tue, 29 Jul 2025 07:39:10 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=161227 Sid Sriram

The powerhouse vocalist, composer and producer promises a multilingual set spanning his hit film songs

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Sid Sriram

Indo-American singer-songwriter and producer Sid Sriram has announced three shows in November and December 2025 as part of a multi-city India tour, with the setlist promising his biggest South Indian film hits.

The Homecoming Tour—described as his “first-ever commercial multi-city” run of shows—will see Sriram focus on film hits across Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam. The artist and his band will stop by Bengaluru (Nov 22), Chennai (Nov 29) and Hyderabad (Dec 13) as part of the events presented by gig organizers Fat Angel and Zomato District.

Early bird presales begin on Aug. 4, featuring a limited-period buy 1 get 1 free offer. General sales will go live on Aug. 6, 2025. Ticket categories include Fanpit, General, and Lounges, with prices starting at ₹2,000. The tour promoters say each concert will start at 5 pm and are expecting to draw over 15,000 attendees in each city for an arena-sized concert in terms of production and stage design.

Sriram’s film song catalog first gained weight after singing the bluesy Tamil song “Adiye” composed by A.R. Rahman in 2013 for Kadal and later, “Hey Penne” composed by Santhosh Dhayanidhi in 2016 for Kattappava Kanom. More recently, songs like “Ae Pulla” (composed by Rahman) from Lal Salaam and “Vazhithunaiye” (composed by Leon James) from Dragon have also made a dent on streaming platforms. As a Telugu singer, Sriram’s setlist will likely include hits like “Inkem Inkem” composed by Gopi Sundar in 2018 for Geetha Govindam, as well as “Srivalli” composed by Devi Sri Prasad for 2021 actioner Pushpa: The Rise.

Sriram says in a statement, “This tour means everything to me. These cities, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, aren’t just dots on a map. They’re where I found my voice, fell in love with music, and experienced so many of my firsts. Every stage and every listener from these places has shaped the artist I am today. There’s a deep emotional resonance I feel when I perform here. It’s like opening an old journal, familiar yet still capable of moving me in new ways.” 

To that end, Sriram intends to pay tribute to each city with a different setlist. “I’ve poured myself into every track selection, capturing memories, momentum, nostalgia, and new energy. It’s my way of saying thank you, through music, emotion, and presence. It’s about coming home and bringing everyone along for the journey,” he adds.

Get Sid Sriram India Tour 2025 tickets for Chennai, Hyderabad and Bengaluru.

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Raj Shekhar on the Lyricist’s Place in the Music Industry Right Now https://rollingstoneindia.com/raj-shekhar-interview-aap-jaisa-koi-songs/ Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:56:59 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=159966 Raj Shekhar

The writer looks back at his journey so far, including working with South Indian composer Justin Prabhakaran for the upcoming R. Madhavan and Fatima Sana Shaikh-starrer 'Aap Jaisa Koi'

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Raj Shekhar

Raj Shekhar remembers his early days in the music industry being marred by the hit-chasing machinations of Bollywood, which left little room for him to indulge his love for Hindi literature. But perhaps the most important thing the writer and lyricist—who now has over 100 songs to his name—learnt over the course of his journey from Tanu Weds Manu to the upcoming Aap Jaisa Koi is the importance of finding the right collaborators.

“You form an understanding with people,” he says, referencing his close bond with Vishal Mishra, with whom he has worked on multiple hits since 2014. “A lot is said about trust between artists. When I was younger, I didn’t understand what [that] meant. Now, I get that when someone plays a tune on their piano, it’s so gentle—the music room is so beautiful because there’s two people who trust each other. Me and the other person are so vulnerable that a third person being there in that moment would totally ruin it.” However, he admits, it’s not always an outsider who breaks that intimacy. “You know who that third person often is? It’s our own thoughts. When that sneaks in, the magic of that place ends.”

It’s been a long road to gaining recognition and, more importantly, a livelihood for Raj Shekhar. Whether in film songs like “Pehle Bhi Main” from Animal or OTT tracks like “Ishq Hai” from Mismatched season 3, the lyricist admits he’s now writing from a place of self-belief. “It’s not like I’ve reached some incredible height, but I’m just saying: I’m on this journey that’s good and don’t have too much self-doubt now about being a lyricist,” he tells Rolling Stone India.

In the last year alone, songs like “Ishq Hai,” composed by Anurag Saikia and sung by Romy, Madhubanti Bagchi, Varun Jain and Amarabha Banerjee, and “Pehle Bhi Main” by Vishal Mishra have topped streaming charts. In the process, it has spotlighted lyricists as equal players in the mechanics of a song.

That wasn’t always the case in Bollywood.

It also wasn’t always the case that hit songs meant more projects, as Raj Shekhar found out after writing songs like “Sadi Gali” and “Yun Hi” from Tanu Weds Manu in 2011. Only a handful of projects followed in the years after, until 2018 when he wrote songs for Hichki, Veere Di Wedding and Tumbbad. “More than three years after a song, if you don’t get work, you ask whether you’re on the right path or if you should do something more,” he admits. “When a film releases, you get a lot of exposure, a lot of praise and then you’re not getting any work, so you wonder, ‘What happened?’”

Streaming has brought more visibility to lyricists, with their names equally credited and given artist profiles. To that end, Raj Shekhar’s Spotify stats show over 12 million monthly listeners and over 253,000 followers. While most artists are attaching their self-worth to streaming stats, the lyricist says, “Once the song is made, I rarely hear it again. So if I enjoy it at the stage that it’s being made (and not in any indulgent way), then it reflects in the numbers of millions of streams. It’s something that people attach their worth to, but it should reflect the joy.”

That rough patch in the early years of the Bihar and New Delhi-bred assistant director-turned-writer is in the past now. “There are definitely people who come to me because of my hits, and I’m happy about it,” he says with a laugh.

From then to now, Raj Shekhar says “nothing has changed” in his creative process. He’s still looking for that ideal time when he writes best. He wonders out loud, laying out the combinations, “Is it spring, winter, late night, early morning, after coffee? Too much information, without info, too much control or just writing freely?”

There is definitely a zone that he can get into, so that’s not a myth. “When I’m writing, for a short while— could be 15 minutes or 1 hour—I go into this meditative space where I don’t realize whether I’ve had my tea, when’s the deadline, where’s the AC remote… I never know. Once I get into this meditative space, I don’t feel like leaving. It often comes for a brief while and when you’re snapped out of it, you think, ‘Arrey yaar, where was I?’”

It can be elusive, though. But Raj Shekhar insists he’s not trying to mystify the creative writing process. “But this is what happens with me,” he adds. His songs are for everyone, from school-goers to bank staff to a “farmer working in the fields” or the “girl who’s about to propose for the first time.” The lyricist says, “All of them are my friends. I want to do something for their lives with my words. Not every poem will become a song, but if I give them a word to communicate what they’re feeling, that’s my job.”

Raj Shekhar Animal launch
Raj Shekhar (front, in black) at the launch of the ‘Animal’ soundtrack. Photo: Courtesy of the artist

Collaboration and trust between composers, singers and the film’s directors is key, as he notes how songs like “Ishq Hai” and “Pehle Bhi Main” were lengthier than the usual 2-3 minute songs that are the norm these days, but still became hits. “With Anurag Saikia, I’ve had a relationship that’s so understanding that we can always tell each other, ‘This is not working, let’s try something else.’ I would often say this in front of producers, ‘I’m not having fun, this is feeling difficult.’ This space is created mutually.”

For the upcoming Netflix film Aap Jaisa Koi, Raj Shekhar has three songs, working with South Indian composer Justin Prabhakaran for the third time, after Meenakshi Sundareshwar a couple of years ago. “Mila Tujhe” is sung by Vishal Mishra and Prateeksha Srivastava, “Jadu Wali Chimki” includes vocals by Devenderpal Singh and Vidhya Gopal and “Saare Jag Mein” features the voices of Abhay Jodhpurkar and Aanandi Joshi. He says about the project’s music, “It’s beyond the binaries of a sad love song, so it deviates from that, and that was fun.”

From deliberation over what is simple and what feels simplistic (“I observe and relish this battle sometimes,” he says) and writing up 70 drafts before what he calls “the first draft” even reaches people, Raj Shekhar likens the writing process to battling his own ego. But he’s always got a larger picture in mind. “Whenever I go astray, I go back to this line and it brings me back to my purpose—the function of art is to sweep off the dust that gathers on our souls with time,” he says.

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Alokananda Dasgupta Has a Soft Spot for Horror and Big Plans for Its Sound https://rollingstoneindia.com/khauf-series-music-alokananda-dasgupta/ Thu, 08 May 2025 10:25:12 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=157599 Alokananda Dasgupta

The composer immersed herself in the scores of movies like 'Rosemary's Baby' and 'Nosferatu' to create the soundtrack for the Prime Video series 'Khauf'

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Alokananda Dasgupta

Growing up in Kolkata, composer Alokananda Dasgupta was first introduced to horror not through films but through Bengali literature. “I couldn’t read English at the time,” she recalls. “As a person, you’re trying to make sense of life as a child by losing yourself inside fantasy stories or forcing yourself to feel fear.”

For the 1980s-born artist, the horror genre offered a kind of “beautiful escapism”—a way to safely explore fear. The Bengali stories she gravitated toward weren’t your typical haunted house tales, like Goosebumps. They were instead set in daytime hostel environments; they turned scorching summer afternoons in Kolkata into something quietly unsettling. “It made those afternoons eerie,” she says, noting how these stories first sparked her fascination with the contrast between light and shadow.

That same sense of disquiet and atmosphere came rushing back when she read Smita Singh’s script for Khauf, the Prime Video horror anthology that was released last month. “The script reminded me of things I’d read,” she says. “I haven’t come across too much of that category coming from India. So this was something new. I last loved [2018 Netflix series] Ghoul and [2018 horror movie] Tumbbad, but other than that, I haven’t seen anything.”

Dasgupta, known for her work on shows like Sacred Games and thrillers such as Trapped, joined Khauf as composer for the directorial debut of cinematographer and writer Pankaj Kumar, who is best known for his work on Ship of Theseus, Haider, and Tumbbad.

The reception to Khauf has been encouraging, she says. “It’s a very good reminder to everyone that there is a section of the audience that you have to cater to,” she adds. “You can’t just brush them off as niche.” At a time when Bollywood’s comedy-horrors have been making a dent at the box office, Khauf pairs psychological and supernatural with a dose of important social commentary.

As an avid fan of the genre, Dasgupta believes Indian cinema has rarely managed to do horror right. For that to change, she says, there needs to be deeper attention to the technical aspects of filmmaking, particularly mise en scène and design. “I’m not talking about just it being top-notch in terms of money,” she clarifies. “I’m talking about top-notch in terms of attention to these details.” She adds, “Secondly, just trust the audience and thereby hold back, create restraint, and show what is needed. We have seen the more is more [approach], not the less is more [approach].” She shares these thoughts with conviction, confident that “there is a huge audience for different styles of horror” in Indian cinema.

On Khauf, it was the visual storytelling that drew her in. “Every frame is like a painting, so it creates a certain world,” she says. “I’m a huge fan of the horror genre, but not particularly the other kinds, which are in-your-face and have too many jump scares.” The score, now streaming on major platforms, enhances the tension and haunting mood of the series, often leaning into subtlety. The opening title track, “Dread Of The Night,” layers guitars with a hair-raising violin, clarinet, and more to set the tone.

In preparation, Dasgupta immersed herself in a wide spectrum of horror film scores—from It Follows to 2022’s All Quiet on the Western Front and even the recent Nosferatu. These works, she says, “created that atmosphere of sheer dread.” She also references Rosemary’s Baby, The Wicker Man, the original 2003 Danish film Midsommer, and the music of The White Lotus—a playlist of sorts that she and the creators of Khauf exchanged to understand the emotional and cinematic universe they were building. “It’s for you [the composer] to understand, almost like the playlist of the showrunner or the maker and what are they thinking and what is the world they are in,” she explains.

With that foundation, her mission was clear. “I was looking to create intrigue,” Dasgupta says. She connected deeply with Madhu, the character played by Monika Panwar, and felt compelled to contribute her own voice to the story—not just as a composer, but as someone with something personal to express through horror music. Her aim was to find the right balance between melodic, ambient, and atmospheric sound.

“My instruments chose themselves,” she says. The score features a mix of bass clarinet, low brass, and prepared cello, each contributing distinct textures. Chennai-based violinist Vignesh brought further depth, experimenting with thumping and scraping the instrument’s body to produce eerie effects. The original score also includes contributions from composers Aditya N. and Himanshu Prakash, with mastering by Keshav Dhar. One standout motif features a flute, inspired by a clinic in the series named Ruhani Dawakhana, or spiritual pharmacy. “It was very inspiring to me,” she says. “It was a very beautiful and poetic name that took me back to reading those [Bengali horror] stories.”

While horror still struggles to find a consistent audience in India, Dasgupta notes that horror music—especially ambient, minimalist scores—faces an even steeper climb. Yet she remains hopeful. “Let it be released, even if it’s an ambient, understated score. Let it be out there,” she says, with quiet conviction.

Watch Khauf on Prime Video.

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Tanishk Bagchi Wants to Shake Off His Remake Tag https://rollingstoneindia.com/tanishk-bagchi-interview-sky-force/ Tue, 06 May 2025 08:31:21 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=157537 Tanishk Bagchi playing guitar

The Bollywood composer-singer on collaborating with Arijit Singh for the movie 'Sky Force,' discovering new voices, and scoring without losing a song’s soul

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Tanishk Bagchi playing guitar

Over the last two years, Tanishk Bagchi has been on the lookout for someone who truly understands what he’s all about. That means not just asking him for recreations of yesteryear hits. “You need somebody to understand your musical capabilities. Everybody thought that I can only recreate songs,” he says over a call.

Granted, that’s what Bagchi gained fame for (“Dilbar,” “The Humma Song,” “Aankh Maarey”) ever since he started in Bollywood around a decade ago, but there are his own hits as well, far bigger in streaming numbers, from “Bolna” to “Raataan Lambiyan” and “Makhna,” plus pop songs like “Vaaste” sung by Nikhil D’Souza and Dhvani Bhanushali outside of the film space.

Just when Bagchi was “afraid I was losing my original game,” he says he found a willing partner in the production house Maddock Films, who signed him aboard the action drama Sky Force. He’s worked with founder Dinesh Vijan before on films like Luka Chuppi, but this was different. “While meeting and talking about projects, he [Vijan] told me, ‘Tanishk, you know, recreation is good, but I think you should concentrate on taking an entire film, because that will be a step ahead for you.’ That’s when he made me do a song, and I didn’t know it was for Sky Force at the time, and then he told me about it. And then we did the last song, ‘Maaye.’”

With the soundtrack to the patriotic film centered around the Indo-Pakistan war of 1965, Bagchi delivered hits like “Tu Hain Toh Main Hoon” with Arijit Singh and Afsana Khan and lyrics by Irshad Kamil, “Kya Meri Yaad Aati Hai” with Vishal Mishra and Kamil, “Rang” with Punjabi artist Satinder Sartaj (an idea he credits to Vijan) and Zahrah S. Khan (with lyrics by Shloke Lal) and “Maaye” with B Praak and lyricist Manoj Muntashir.

He has cherished memories with the likes of Arijit Singh, considering they made “Bolna” as Bagchi’s first project for Dharma Productions’ film Kapoor & Sons in 2016. “For the romantic song [‘Tu Hain Toh Main Hoon’], obviously Arijit is the best. I have no other names to take,” the composer says.

Even with all these new songs, the Lata Mangeshkar-sung iconic patriotic song “Ae Mere Watan Ke Logon” was adapted by Bagchi for Sky Force. With piano and string arrangements over the original and a dialogue by lead actor Akshay Kumar, Bagchi had to tread carefully because he was placing a beloved, foundational voice and song into a Bollywood film.

He says about the challenge, “We try to make it like fit in that situation, our focus is mostly to make the song a part of the [soundtrack], not to destroy it or make it different.” Other times, with his recreated material, Bagchi offers the example of “Tip Tip” from 2021 movie Sooryavanshi, which was adapting “Tip Tip Barsa Paani” from 1994 movie Mohra. It invited criticism from the original composer Viju Shah that it didn’t feel too different from his version, but Bagchi says it’s what the situation in the film demanded. “My main focus is how it’s going to be shot and what kind of elements are there. And at the same time, I have to make it a point that a song works in the club,” he adds.

Tanishk Bagchi
Photo: Deepesh Jaipuriar, Sanket Pawar

While there are at least three or four more film soundtrack projects coming up for Bagchi, he’s looking forward to follow up his 2024 single “Sadde Te” with a collaboration featuring Ivorian artist KikiMoteleba. “He did ‘Tigini,’ and we’ve collaborated on a Bengali-French song which we’re releasing first in Europe,” Bagchi explains. With a video shot in Madurai, it’s also part of a film, but he can’t offer more details at the moment. The move to do more singles where his name (and more importantly, face) comes up in videos and cover art is driven by Bagchi’s desire to be a performer rather than just a composer behind the scenes. “I realized that if I don’t have that face value, people will forget you,” he says.

It also gives him a balance to take on music projects outside of film soundtracks, inspired by pop artists like Sai Abhyankkar. “I feel he’s got a very international sound, it’s completely new,” Bagchi says. At the same time, he’s on the lookout for new voices to work with, pointing to little-known singers like Ashok Maskeen. “He works in a factory but he has a Nusrat saab type voice. My main focus has always been finding something which is authentic in origin, so that’s what I look for in new voices,” the composer adds.

Bagchi is also taking another turn, becoming an actor and composer for an upcoming Bengali musical directed by a filmmaker friend Dibya Chatterjee. “He said, ‘Let’s do a musical film where you can do your music stuff and also take a story.’ So that’s what I’m working on. It’s something new for me. It’s a very challenging year for me. Let’s see what happens,” he adds.

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Sachet Parampara Announce 10-City India Tour https://rollingstoneindia.com/sachet-parampara-india-tour-dates-tickets-cities/ Mon, 05 May 2025 05:45:09 +0000 https://rollingstoneindia.com/?p=157426 Sachet Parampara

The music duo’s Raanjhan tour kicks off in Mumbai on May 23 and ends in Bengaluru on July 19

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Sachet Parampara

Sachet Parampara, the hitmaking duo comprising singer, composer and lyricists Sachet and Parampara Tandon, will head out on the Raanjhan India Tour spanning 10 cities, starting in May and ending in July.

The artists behind a range of Bollywood hits for films like Kabir Singh, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha, Yamla Pagla Deewana: Phir Se, Shiddat, Jersey and more will start off on home ground in Mumbai and travel to cities like Pune, Surat, Jaipur, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, New Delhi, Goa and Bengaluru.

The tour, produced and presented by event management company Team Innovation, takes its name from their film song “Raanjhan,” sung by Parampara with lyrics by Kausar Munir for the 2024 Bollywood movie Do Patti. It recently became one of the top-streamed songs in the country in the week of April 11 to 17, 2025.

Attendees can anticipate a mix of ballads and anthems, including “Raanjhan” and “Mahiya” from Do Patti, “Bekhayali,” “Mere Mehboob,” “Maiyya Mainu,” “Malang Sajna,” “Mere Sohneya,” “Pal Pal Dil Ke Pas” and more.

The duo says in a joint statement, “Raanjhan is more than just a tour for us; it’s a deeply personal and incredibly exciting opportunity to connect directly with our fans across India and share the music that defines our artistic journey. We aim to pour soulful music into every heart that craves for inner light and deep music. We’ve meticulously curated a larger-than-life show that we believe will be a vibrant tapestry of emotions and music, and we’re thrilled to be partnering with Team Innovation to bring this dream to life.”

Get Sachet Parampara tickets here.

Sachet Parampara India Tour Dates 2025

May 23, 2025 – Dome, SVP Stadium, Mumbai

May 31 2025 – TBA, Pune

June 1, 2025 – Jamnaba Party Plot and Lawn, Surat

June 7, 2025 – TBA, Jaipur

June 14, 2025 – Odeum by Prism, Hyderabad

June 29, 2025 – TBA, Ahmedabad

July 5, 2025 – TBA, Lucknow

July 6, 2025 – TBA, New Delhi

July 18, 2025 – Hammerzz, Goa

July 19, 2025 – TBA, Bengaluru

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