Saif-Vidya sing Piyu bole, by Shantanu, in Parineeta

A love story and Chandrabindoo’s lyrics have inspired Shantanu Moitra to tune into Tollywood. Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury’s Bengali film Antaheen has brought out from him a totally different sound, the Parineeta melody-maker tells t2...

What took you so long to do a Tollywood film?

I guess I wasn’t approached by anyone and I didn’t get excited by what came my way.

What about Antaheen excited you?

I like the director. I have seen Anuranan and liked Tony’s (Aniruddha) sensibility; the way he treats situations and characters. When he told me the story of Antaheen, I just knew that it would work with my sensibility too. It’s not like I am going to do a Bengali film every day, so I was charged up to put in my best.

I evolved a different way of working on this album.... After a long time, I am doing something which is me. There is a great deal of tension while working with Yashraj Films or making music for a song picturised on Saif (Ali Khan).

What was Aniruddha’s brief?

He told me the story. It’s a love story with two different couples and how they feel for each other. He left it to me to decide how I should design the music. A lot of time was spent on going over different genres of music. We had at least 10 meetings in Calcutta, discussing these details.

Tony never rushed me into anything and always created the right kind of atmosphere till the time we finished the recording in Mumbai. He would get me pabda, ilish and mishti doi in the studio. Only Bangla would be spoken, so the sound engineers would freak out. There was so much merriment; it seemed like a holiday with my own people!

What kind of sound have you created for Antaheen?

I can tell you for sure that it’s a completely different sound, something that Bengal hasn’t heard in film music. I was wondering why it hasn’t happened for so long. Most of the times Bengali film music tries to ape Bollywood. I come from there but I’ve moved away from the trappings of Bollywood and worked backwards.

You’ll find my melodic strength in the songs but I don’t know what the genre of the sound is. It’s unplugged, very modern yet showcased with very fine melodies that I’ve grown up with as a probashi Bangali.

There is a lot of romance in the music. We tried out everything from Dylan and Rolling Stones to Hemanta Kumar and Manna De.

You worked closely with Chandrabindoo...

There are six songs and what really helped me was some brilliant lyrics by Chandrabindoo. The sound of the lyrics was perfect in helping me create the right melodies. They came down to Mumbai, sat with me and that’s how a great song comes about. Lyrics and tunes can’t work in isolation and this schooling comes to me from Gulzarsaab. He always used to tell me how one cannot separate the lyrics from the music.

Who are your singers?

There’s Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal, a duet by Srikanta Acharya and Antara Chowdhury, and Pranab Biswas, a student of Sangeet Research Academy who had sung for me in Khoya Khoya Chand and Eklavya. These are the voices that best suited the film and the music. Since it’s my first Bengali film, I was a little shaky and wanted to stick to the artistes I’ve already worked with. Once I start doing more Bengali films, I’ll start working with other Bengali singers. I would love to work with Lopamudra someday. I love her voice.

What comes easier — composing for Bollywood or Bengali films?

Bengali is something I can be more free with. For Bollywood film music, I have to adapt my sensibilities to suit the audience. Even while composing for Parineeta or Eklavya, I went back to my Bengali roots. Part of my upbringing was listening to old music. My parents were extremely fond of Rabindrasangeet, so it used to play in the house at all times. I used to live in Chittaranjan Park, which is like a small Bengal in Delhi. The influences have been varied — Durga Puja celebrations, jatra, theatre, group songs, khabar dabar.

Any other Tollywood film in the offing?

Talks are on but there’s nothing concrete yet. I am very keen but it will also depend on the script. I don’t think I can take up anything this year since I will be busy with Raju Hirani’s next film Idiots, starring Aamir Khan. I recently finished composing the music for Shyam Benegal’s comedy Mahadev Ka Sajjanpur.