Meet Vishal, the man behind Sita Ramam’s soulful music
The melodious soundtrack of Sita Ramam has been the talk of the town lately. Vishal shares about his musical journey, the hard work that went into Sita Ramam, and the kind of music he wants to compose in the future.
Hyderabad: From a six-year old boy who spent hours on keyboard playing bhajans to composing the soul stirring music of Sita Ramam, Vishal Chandrasekhar says the success of the film bears lot of significance for him.
The melodious soundtrack of Sita Ramam has been the talk of the town lately. Vishal shares about his musical journey, the hard work that went into Sita Ramam, and the kind of music he wants to compose in the future.
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How are you dealing with all the love that’s coming your way after the success of Sita Ramam?
It’s overwhelming. I have been around 20 years in the industry and have been craving this for so long. I feel ecstatic when I receive compliments from musicians and people I’ve looked up to.
How challenging was your musical journey?
Breaking into the film industry was difficult, and I had no idea who to approach. I eventually started composing music for commercials and short-films. There was a time when I thought I would have to settle with composing ad jingles, until Santosh Sivan’s Inam came along in 2014. Later, the albums of Jil Jung Juk and Padi Padi Leche Manasu became major hits, though the films did not work well at the box office. Sita Ramam is my biggest hit to date.
Jil Jung Juk and Sita Ramam are two completely different genres. What are you more comfortable composing?
These two albums are musically very sound, and that itself is a genre. I believe that the script should demand the music and I’m comfortable with making any kind of music that fits the narrative, unless it is not diluted. I’m glad I have been given the freedom to experiment with these albums.
For instance, a song in the JJJ album is a mix of jazz and EDM. Sita Ramam called for music that would stand the test of time and only organic music and live instruments can do that.
What kind of research went into Sita Ramam’s music?
I had to research extensively on ragas for the film, as I never received formal training in Hindustani or Carnatic music. Every song in the movie involves a very peculiar mashup of various ragas. For instance, Kanunna Kalyanam borrows elements from Khamaj and Nata Bhairavi. The background score for the climax and intermission is based on the raga Saramathi. Additionally, a plethora of Middle Eastern instruments were also used throughout the film.
What kind of music can we expect from you in future?
I’m looking forward to anything that excites me. I’m constantly interested in exploring what hasn’t been tried before. I cannot accept work that I’m not comfortable doing and would like to stay accountable for the music I create.
