Composer Rachita Arora has been highly appreciated for her work in Kamyaab. Released earlier this month, the film stars Sanjay Mishra as a fading actor attempting his 500th feature film.
Last year, Arora won the Best Music trophy at the ImagineIndia Madrid Film Festival. We caught up with the composer to talk about her music and journey.
Excerpts:
Given the retro theme of Kamyaab, what was your research like?
The percussions, drums and electric guitars are all referenced from the retro era. I watched cult movies like Gunda. Our director, Hardik Mehta, is crazy about these films and characters. I also admire SD and RD Burman’s music.
Besides background music, you have composed the songs Tim Tim Tim, Paaon Bhari and Sikandar.
I collaborated with the legendary Bappi-da for Tim Tim. I’ve inculcated all his filmy dialogues into the song. Paaon Bhari, sung by Ash King. The song is about Mishra’s character Sudheer attempting to find his last role. And then there is Sikandar, which is sung by Hariharan sir, who is one of my favourites.
It’s been three years since your debut with Mukkabaaz. How has the journey been so far?
It was great to begin my career with Anurag Kashyap. Before that, I had collaborated with Makarand Deshpande in theatre.
After the success of Mukkabaaz, I worked on Shubh Mangal Saavdhan, Gurgaon, Sacred Games and Judgementall Hai Kya. I feel fortunate to have worked with such distinct cinematic voices. All my projects have been different and deeply artistic experiences.
Producers today are opting for multi-composer albums. Your thoughts?
I prefer the old-school approach of one composer doing the entire film. A solo composer binds the project together and gives it a unique perspective. In the 70s and 80s, this was the norm. A single composer can understand the nuances of a script better than 7-8 people working on it at the same time.