Striking the right chord

"The job of composing music for biopics comes with a lot of responsibilities," says singer-composer Amaal Mallik, whose newest release 'Parinda' from the biopic 'Saina', is garnering immense appreciation from the audience.

Amaal has not just composed the songs of 'Saina' but has also done background score for the film, which is a biopic on Saina Nehwal. The artiste interacted with 'Millennium Post' to talk about the whole process of making music for this much-awaited film.

"I was well aware of the responsibility of creating music for someone like Saina (Nehwal), who has achieved so much in life and is an inspiration for many. The music had to be living like the character and not bland – just the way Saina is. So to get it right, I sat with Amole Gupte (director) for several readings and discussions before starting to work on the music," stated the composer.

Two years went into creating the music and writing the lyrics but during the lockdown, when Amaal saw a few rushes of the film, he decided to rework the entire thing. "The visuals were so nice that I thought of putting in more effort and taking it a notch higher. We got Macedonian Symphonic Orchestra to record the song live and I think that went quite well. A film of this caliber needs a larger-than-life soundscape and so 80 percent of the film's music was recorded live," explained the artiste who had also composed music for M.S. Dhoni's biopic.

Talking about the reasons behind choosing this project and giving it 4 years of his life, Amaal said, "I came on board because of the character of Saina Nehwal and the person she is. I resonate with her way of life, her beliefs and her determination. We think very much alike. Secondly, I was very excited to be directed by a talented man like Amole Gupte, who has given beautiful movies like 'Stanley ka Dabba' and 'Taare Zameen Par'. Musically, he is very gifted. He has a great sense of music."

In the past, this 29-year-old artiste created songs like 'Main Hoon Hero Tera', 'Khwaishein', 'Bol Do Na Zara Kaun Tujhe' and 'Tere Bin Nahi Laage' that touched people's heart and became instant hits. When asked if there is a formula to strike the right chord with the audience, Amaal stated, "There is no formula. I make very simple, melodious and hummable music that connects to people – it's exactly what the producers or music labels want. I aim to create music that fits in the script well, keeps my director happy and also when you hear those songs on radio (without the visuals), you feel as if it's part of your story."

"If you ask my process, I don't really think of making a song. I am very blessed that melodies keep coming to me. But I work very hard with my lyric writers and I feel 90 percent of my song's success is because I have got such beautiful writers who always support me," he said, adding, "All I plan before creating the music is the soundscape and it is different for every movie. For example, the soundscape of 'Badrinath ki Dulhaniya' was different from 'M.S Dhoni: The Untold Story'. That is something I love to keep changing and that's the only formula I know. For me, the only important thing is to be real to the song and the mood.

He went on to add, "Dance music has a formula, where you make riff or a drop, and it works. But I think melodious music cannot have a formula because it comes from the soul. A good melodious song can either ignite your soul like 'Parinda' or make you feel emotional like 'Chal Wahi Chale' (Another song with Shreya Ghoshal from the movie 'Saina')," he concluded.

'Saina' is slated to release on March 26, 2021.