When music maestro Debajyoti Mishra was asked to compose the music for Florian Gallenberger?s movie Shadows of Time, he didn?t think twice before accepting the offer. The German director is world-famous and had bagged a gleaming gold statuette at the 2000 Academy Awards for his short film Quiero Ser (I want to be).

?Who wouldn?t jump at the opportunity?? exclaims Debajyoti candidly, ?after all, here?s an Oscar-winning director from abroad making me an offer when he could have had anyone from A.R. Rahman to Ismail Durbar.? Debajyoti?s initial awe, however, was soon replaced by deep respect and admiration. ?As I got to know Florian, I found him to be a highly sensitive director with no intellectual hang-ups. He?s humble and grounded, and most importantly, he knows his job.?

The ?job? in this case was a Bengali feature film ? with German subtitles ? most of it shot in the grimy bylanes of an East Calcutta neigbourhood. While Gallenberger steered the poignant love story spanning six decades in the right direction, the task of churning out the appropriate music was left to Debajyoti. He?s eager to see how audiences react to the sounds he?s created for the soon-to-be-released film. ?The songs I?ve composed for Shadows of Time are haunting and resonate with a certain pang. To capture this, I?ve used quite a bit of thumri,? he elaborates.

If Shadows of Time is almost upon us, so is Rituparno Ghosh?s Antarmahal starring Jackie Shroff, Rupa Ganguly, Abhishek Bachchan, Raima Sen and Soha Ali Khan. The film is slated for release next month and given that Debajyoti crafted the score for Rituparno?s last eight productions, there are no prizes for guessing who?s the guiding force behind this film?s music. Debajyoti says the soundtrack for Antarmahal is starkly different to anything he?s pulled out of his hat before.

If Chokher Bali?s background score was all about majesty and Raincoat?s songs were drenched in sweet longing, Antarmahal?s music ?reflects minimalism?. A subtle marrying of baroque, Bengali folk and Oriental sounds, Debajyoti has merged horns, Tibetan drums and even soprano chorals in the soundtrack. Of course, an interesting slant and selling point will be the fact that Abhishek Bachchan has lent his voice for one of the songs, Tohri Soorathiya. Was Abhishek easy to work with? ?Definitely, as he?s extremely intelligent and knows just what he can or cannot do,? says the bearded, avuncular composer.

Working with Rituparno Ghosh, though, confesses Debajyoti, is no walk in the park ? never mind that the two share a deep friendship. ?He?s the most demanding director I know. Rituparno constantly throws challenges my way, urging me to discover newer strains of music I never thought I had within me. Only someone with a fine understanding of music can do this,? says Debajyoti.

In fact, if Gallenberger came knocking on Debajyoti?s door, it was only after hearing some of the latter?s compositions in Chokher Bali and Raincoat, both Rituparno Ghosh films. The films confirmed Debajyoti?s status as a symphonic force to reckon with. ?It was only after these two productions that things took quite a turn. I?ve been inundated with offers ever since and what?s especially heartening is that I?ve received such positive feedback from abroad as well.?

There?s nothing Debajyoti would like to do better than to take Bengal global. That?s the underlying idea behind another venture in the works titled Strings of the World. A tryst with fusion, the album is to be produced by a well-known international label. Although tight-lipped about the identity of the music company, Debajyotisays, ?the album will predominantly explore the sounds of strings backed up by other instruments. What I?m trying to create is unity through sound ? a common thread of music that binds everyone?.

Also on Mishra?s musical menu at the moment is the score for Sacred Evil, a film based on Wiccan Ipsita Ray Chakraverti?s book of the same name. While the composer admits that his music will reflect the mystical element in the movie, he points out that he dislikes being blatantly literal to the subject. ?I need creative space and my music has to always, but always, have soul.?

The man for whom the ultimate honour is being considered in the same league as Illayaraja, Quincy Jones and John Williams, is one of the few composers who writes his own scores ? a trade tip he learnt from his guru, Salil Choudhary. ?I worked as Salilda?s assistant for close to 14 years. He encouraged me to embrace music as my calling and so did my father,? says Debajyoti wistfully, recalling the early years when every day was a struggle to establish a name for himself. Also helping him stay focused during those times was his wife of eight years, singer Paroma. Today the two share among other things, a young son and an all-abiding passion for music.

At the core of Debajyoti?s unique brand of music is a distinct Indian sentiment. ?I want to charge the West with sounds using everything from ektaras to cellos. I want to create a specific Indian sound using not just sitars and tablas but foreign instruments as well.? It?s a lofty aim all right, but one that Debajyoti is well on his way to achieving.

Photograph by Rashbehari Das