‘Dev da’s musical understanding runs deep’

Nilayan Chatterjee, an independent songwriter turned RJ, first caught Dev’s attention when he swiftly composed music for the radio show of his 2019 Bengali film ‘Password’. Impressed by his talent, Dev entrusted him with the task of composing the entire soundtrack for his 2022 rom-com ‘Kishmish’. Now, Nilayan is collaborating with Dev on their third project, ‘Bagha Jatin’, a patriotic film receiving praise across India, especially for its debut track, ‘Ei Desh Amar’ by Rupam Islam. With ‘Bagha Jatin’, Dev is going pan-India for the first time and will release the film in Hindi too during Durga Puja.

Nilayan emphasised the importance of research in his music composition. Working on a period drama like ‘Bagha Jatin’ required even more extensive research. He was pleasantly surprised to find that actor-producer Dev had also researched music when they came together for the music session.

“Dev da has a deep understanding of music. Prior to working on the Hindi version of ‘Bagha Jatin’, he meticulously researched songs. He also ensured that both the Bengali and Hindi versions maintained a consistent aesthetic,” said the music composer of ‘Dilkhush’ and ‘Kacher Manush’. For Nilayan, it was a special moment when the renowned Arijit Singh lent his voice to the Bengali version of a song while the veteran Sonu Nigam sang the Hindi version of the same track. Even Nilayan has crooned a song for the period drama.

This Durga Puja, ‘Bagha Jatin’, is set to clash with Srijit Mukherji’s thriller ‘Dawshom Awbotaar’, for which Anupam Roy has composed the music. When asked about the competition, Nilayan said, “Anupam da has always been a favourite of mine. I am happy that the audience will get to listen to such diverse music this puja.”

Up next, he is composing music for the Jeet and Rukmini Maitra-starrer ‘Boomerang’. When asked about his experiences working with Dev and Jeet in their roles as actor-producers, he said, “I’ve just begun working on ‘Boomerang’ and Jeet da has asked me to compose songs before he reviews them. In Dev da’s case, he gets involved from the initial draft. Having had the opportunity to collaborate with both of them, I can clearly see why they’ve reached such great heights and become superstars. Their dedication and involvement are truly admirable.”