“I don’t look at songs and the background score as separate entities” – Gulraj Singh

It is quite impossible to put somebody like Gulraj Singh in a box. He is somebody who has explored different aspects and dimensions of music. Apart from working as a music producer and arranging songs for several notable composers over the years, Gulraj has also worked as an independent composer and singer. He has also lent his expertise as a keyboardist on several popular songs and performed with composers like A. R. Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and Ranjit Barot at many of their concerts.

Gulraj did all the songs and the background score for ‘Kakuda’, a film which recently started streaming on Zee5. The Aditya Sarpotdar-directed film, which features Riteish Deshmukh, Sonakshi Sinha and Saqib Saleem in principal roles, marked Gulraj’s foray into horror-comedy as a composer for the first time.

In this interview, Gulraj talks about the process of creating the soundscape for ‘Kakuda’, why it is important for a single composer to be given the responsibility of creating the entire soundtrack for a film, collaborating with Manoj Yadav, upcoming projects and more.

Apart from doing the background score of ‘Kakuda’, you have also done all the songs for the film. When one composer puts together the soundtrack for a film, one sees a certain cohesiveness in it.

Yes! I believe music is one of the actors in a film. It helps in taking the story forward. In a way, it is a part of the narrative. Background score plays a very important role in a film. In the course of storytelling, the background score can be used as an important tool to direct the course of the storytelling. If the story requires, one can also, very intelligently, mislead the audience with a certain kind of score. I don’t look at songs and the background score as separate entities. While songs are used to take the story forward, they can also be used to break the narrative and provide some kind of relief to the audience. Sometimes, songs are only made for promotional purposes as well. I look at songs and the background as one entity. Both make the musical layer of the film. When one composer does the songs and the background score, a seamless integration happens between the songs and the score.

I will cite the example of one of my recent projects, ‘Unaad’. All the songs in the film contribute towards taking the story forward. These songs are not just designed to break the mood. Of course, songs can be used to pause the story for a while and there is nothing wrong in that. However, that was not the case with ‘Unaad’. Every song was made for a particular situation in the film. Sometimes, you can make themes out of songs which can be used in a score. If there is a love song, its main melody can be used multiple times to represent the chemistry between the lovers. So, everything is tied together. When one person is given the charge for the music of a film, they can create songs and the background score seamlessly.

Most of the times, when Rahman sir takes up a film, he works on both the songs and the background score. There are some music pieces in the background score of ‘Rangeela’ which also feature in the songs of the film. There is a song in the film called ‘Ayi Ayi Yo’. There is an uptempo music piece in the song. Rahman sir used the same melody in a different way for Aamir Khan sir’s character when he gets emotional in the film. When one composer is involved, he can tie together the entire music of the film. The songs can merge into the background score. Similarly, some pieces from the score could be used in the songs.

In today’s times, many Hindi films feature multiple composers. What do you think about this trend?

You will never see multiple directors making a film. Have you ever heard about an individual directing the first half of the film and another person directing the second half (laughs)? Just like the direction of a film is handled by one person, the charge of music direction, too, should be given to one individual. You have to make songs that fit the situations in the film. The background score has to enhance the narrative. Like I said earlier, music is one of the actors in a film. You don’t see him in a human form but he is present.

If there are four songs in a film and each of them is done by a different composer, there will no cohesiveness in them. Also, each composer will be connected to the film only for that particular song. Even when one composer does all the songs and another composer does the background score, the sound feels disconnected. As a composer, I work on multi-composer projects at times. Sometimes, I do the background score and somebody else does the songs. I take up a film if I like the story, even when they want to get multiple composers on board. However, it is always better to get one person on board to create the entire soundtrack, including the songs and the background score.

Given the fact that ‘Kakuda’ is a horror-comedy, and not a romantic comedy or a romantic drama, was it difficult to find situations to place the songs in?

I have been fortunate to work with directors who have been very clear about their vision. Aditya (Sarpotdar) has got an incredible sense of music. He was very clear about the situations in the film where songs are required. The album has two songs, ‘Shukraguzaar’ and ‘Bhasm’. While ‘Shukraguzaar’ is a love song, ‘Bhasm’ comes at an interesting point in the film. ‘Bhasm’ is a fun-filled song. Manoj has written some quirky lyrics for it. Most of the times, a director has an idea about how songs should be placed in a film. Sometimes, when you are doing the background score, you realize a song or two could be used in a few situations. While working on the score, I ended up making an additional song. It is a short song which is not there in the album but is a part of the film.

You have worked with Aditya Sarpotdar in the past. How was the experience of working with him this time around?

This is my third film with Aditya. We had earlier collaborated on ‘The Sholay Girl’ and ‘Unaad’. He has an immaculate sense of music. What I like the most about him is that he does not restrict you in any way. As a composer, I get complete freedom while working with him. When you give him something, he will know whether it is working for him or not. ‘Unaad’ was a film based in coastal Maharashtra. When we started working on the music, Aditya told me that I do not have to restrict myself to the folk music of that region. He said we could use folk elements in parts or fragments but the sound had to be international. While working on ‘Kakuda’, I was briefed about the situations and had complete freedom to do whatever I wanted to.

Since the last few years, one has seen labels releasing the background scores of some films sporadically. Back in the day, one would never have the chance to listen to the background score of Indian films outside the films. Do you think people who do background scores are finally getting their due now?

Because of background scores being released and people getting proper credit for their work, the audience is slowly getting to know there is something called a background score. Earlier, people in India would only know about the songs and the composers behind them. When people are acknowledged for their good work through awards, they feel encouraged and validated. In India, background scores did not get enough attention for the longest time.

Background score is one of the most important elements in a film. 80-90% of the music you hear in a film is the background score. The majority of music you listen to while watching a film is the score. I always feel that doing the background score is more challenging than making songs. I am not implying that making songs is not challenging. However, people who do background scores deserve as much attention, if not more, than those who do songs.

Unlike India, Hollywood has had a long-standing tradition of releasing background scores.

Yes, that’s right! In the west, people who background scores, like Hans Zimmer and John Williams, are referred to as the composers of the film. They source out songs from various places and put together a compilation album. The one who does the background score is celebrated. I was in school when ‘Titanic’ came out. ‘My Heart Will Go On’ had become very popular and I loved it too. However, I was completely enamoured by the score after watching the film. I bought the cassette to listen to the score. It had such incredible themes. Doing the background score is a specialized art and the ones who do it should be recognized.

The lyrics have been written by Manoj Yadav. This is the umpteenth time you have collaborated with him. What makes this collaboration so special?

I look at Manoj as an elder brother. It’s not only about making music together, you have to know the person you are working with. Gulzar saab and R.D. Burman sir were very good friends. Their bond translated in their work. That is the kind of chemistry I share with Manoj. We know so much about each other, so there is a great level of comfort. Making music becomes very easy. He knows what I want in a particular situation and he has the faith that I will do justice to his words. He is somebody who always comes up with great words. In ‘Kakuda’, he came up with a quirky word like ‘Bhasm’ which worked so well. Even ‘Shukra Guzaar’ is a beautiful word. He comes up with great thoughts and justifies the phonetics as well. The words should ‘sound’ good.

One of your upcoming projects is ‘The Mehta Boys’, a film directed by Boman Irani.

It was wonderful working with Boman sir on the film. It is his first film as a director, so that makes it all the more special. Along with the background score, I have done a song for the film. Manoj has written it. I am looking forward to see how the audience responds to the film and my work in it.