Orchestra Mysuru is a project close to composer Raghu Dixit, who has not only composed the music but has also backed the project. "I am not the typical producer for this film. The budget was low for a musician at that time. But, I still wanted to be part of the project because the subject was compelling.
So, Ashwin Vijaykumar, the other producer, gave me an offer that I score music for the film, and get a stake in it. My music is the investment in Orchestra Mysuru, and that's how I got the 'producer's label." Known for his recent works in Ninna Sanihake, and the Malayalam film, Koode, Raghu shares that Orchestra Mysuru will be one of his best works.
"The film is for Mysuru, by Mysuru, and of Mysuru. The Orchestra culture is very much alive in my hometown of Mysuru. It is a culture that I grew up with, and I strongly believe that it subconsciously made me want to become a musician.
The entire team including Sunil Mysuru, the actor Poornachandra, and every element or people part of the Orchestra are from here. We had 15,000 Mysoreans participating in the film. All this is what makes it a very special film for me. I'm proud and grateful for the opportunity to be part of such a musical drama.
A composer's dream is to create music for a film that has music at its core, and I'm glad Orchestra Mysuru has come quite early in my career." Raghu Dixit considers Orchestra Mysuru to be an outand- out musician's film. "The film has music from the 80-90s era.
We have hardly used modern music in the film," says the music director, who has composed 8 original songs, and eight recreations of old classics. The lyrics have been penned by actor Dhananjay. "The process of making the tunes for Orchestra Mysuru is the same. It is the sound that makes the difference. This process had me visiting old music shops and purchasing old keyboards. I got it repaired to create the sound of that time. Later we realised that software was available, which we purchased.
We recreated the sounds of songs composed by Rajan Nagendra, Illayaraja, and Hamsalekha, among others," says Raghu. Growing up, was Raghu Dixit part of any Orchestra band? "Not really. Music entered my life very late, only when I was in my 20s. But as a child, I grew up in a traditional area in Mysuru, which was strategically placed between two Orchestra bands, and this is where I fell in love with music, its creation, and the process. Definitely Orchestra has played a huge role in whom I'm today as an artist."
Talking about his work in Orchestra Mysuru, Raghu Dixit says, "I had a far bigger responsibility to sonically create a particular atmosphere in theatres, and take people back to an era that the Gen Z would have not even heard about. I also wanted to create a world, which is equally enchanting for kids, who have never seen or experienced the music of that time.
We wanted all kinds of the audience to get engrossed in the film." Apart from music, Raghu Dixit also says that the core of the story is universal and eternal. "It is an inspiring story of an underdog winning against all odds. It is a subject, which has been universal for hundreds of years, and will continue to motivate future generations as well." Backed by KRG Studios and Dhananjay's Daali Pictures, Orchestra Mysuru stars Poornachandra, Rajalakshmi, Mahesh Kumar, Ravi Hunsur, Sachu, Rajesh Basvanna, Lingarju, and Mahadeva Prasad.