'Makers instantly felt connected to my work'

Though music composer Anand Bhaskar is known for his unique taste in pop music, he leaves no stone unturned when it comes to other genres too. One of his recent and most noticeable works include the music/songs of Amazon Prime's gangster saga Mirzapur. Starring Pankaj Tripathi, Ali Fazal, Vikrant Massey, and Divyenndu, the gripping story was loved as much for its performances as its music.

But importance of good music in a content driven project like Mirzapur has been a point in question for a while now. So, we interacted with Anand Bhaskar to know what he feels about the same.

Read on to know his experience of creating music for Mirzapur, how music helped in progression of events in the story, his preparations for season 2, and a lot more.

How is it like to create music according to the demands of script? (Considering the plot, characters and other elements of Mirzapur) Will we get to enjoy your music in the much-awaited second season of Mirzapur?

Honestly, it's never the same. Every brief is different and so is the interpretation of the artiste working on it. For me, all the songs that I composed for the first season of Mirzapur happened very organically and I was fortunate that the creators instantly connected with those compositions. However, the brief for each song dictated the complexity of the composition required for the situation in question. Some took more time than others and yes at times it was incredibly hard to get the right mix of music and singing - depending on what the situation is.

Luckily, I work with an incredibly talented team. My music producer Parth Parekh and my lyricist Ginny Diwan have always helped me in making a composition that fits seamlessly in a situation.

As for the second season, I'm afraid I can't say anything concrete at present. I guess the audience will have to just wait and watch.

Series like Mirzapur are driven by content. What role does music play in projects that are entirely dependent on a strong storyline?

Most web series are a very 'slice of life' as compared to full-fledged feature films. Therefore, the songs are only demanded by certain situations - situations that are monumental to the evolution of the script. Also because these shows are so realistic, writing a legit song that isn't in conflict with the background score and also doesn't sound like a 'cheesy film song' is a tough task.

These songs need to co-exist with the background score in order to be able to describe a situation that is a turning point in the storyline, and that is why songs are important to a web series. Also, songs can be used as important marketing tools for promoting the web series they're a part of because at the end of the day, we're a country of music lovers and music connects everybody irrespective of caste, creed, culture or gender.

Mirzapur was your first web show. Was it daunting in any way? What kind of feedback did you receive for your work?

Mirzapur is actually my third web series. I've written music for two web series' before, 'Love Shots' by Y-Films (YRF) and 'Official Chukyagiri' by Arré. However, on these two shows, I composed the songs with my band 'Anand Bhaskar Collective'. So you could say that 'Mirzapur' is my first web series as a 'solo' composer, where I assumed the role of a music director.

The feedback I've received so far on the first season has been very good. Everybody who has heard the music has told me that I have a very distinct style and sound which is usually what every musician likes to hear and strives for. And yes, it was a bit daunting because this was my first major project where I had to get the right professionals in the same room and ensure that the executions went as planned, aside from the fact that the music impressed the creators of the show as well. So far the music has been well received and I've already been requested to perform the songs live with my band several times.