29-year-old Sanchit balhara, who gave the background score for Padmavat, speaks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about working with Sanjay leela Bhansali

It must leave you with a nice feeling that Padmavat is doing so wellIJ

Of course. It is good to know that there are people, like you, who have not been able to see the movie because they didn’t get tickets. It is a compliment.

When and how did you get your first break in the industryIJ

I did my classical training from Trinity College in london. Then I went to Point Blank for further studies. I came to Mumbai in 2013 and met Monty Sharma while looking for work. He was looking for a programmer to do background scoring for Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-leela. After doing that project, I wanted to gain some more experience and went to Sanjay sir (Sanjay leela Bhansali — SBl). I wanted to establish myself as an independent scorer.

How was the experience of working on PadmavatIJ

After scoring for Bajirao Mastani, I got a call from Sanjay sir again to discuss a project. He, at that time, didn’t give me the details. He just told me that there is a conqueror, a ruler, a king and a queen — just gave a rough character sketch. He also said that there was a sacrifice at the climax and explained the jauhar scene. He asked me to randomly come up with a score. I tried a few things which he liked. He then narrated the entire story and told me it (Padmavat) is a period film. Since I had just finished doing a period movie — Bajirao Mastani — I wanted to do something different. It was then that I came up with a humming music. Sanjay sir loved it and we moved forward.

What were some of the instruments that you usedIJ

The good part is that it gave me a lot of scope to explore with different instruments. There is Middle-eastern touch for Alauddin Khilji since his journey began from Turkey to Iran to Afghanistan and all the way into India. I used instruments like zurna, rubab, darbuka and a Turkish instrument — oboe and kept it very  minimalistic so that people could enjoy the folk element in it. For Rajasthani, I used sarangi and been (pungi) which is not commonly used in the industry. Then I blended the whole thing with European classic orchestration to give it a more contemporary feel.

This is not the first time you have worked with SBl. Has this been a conscious decisionIJ

It was not something that I had planned. It was spontaneous that I went to him. The way he uses scoring is the finest. We use a lot of western music, with him there is a lot of originality. I felt working with him brings out the best in me and I am able to showcase my talent through his movie.

You have now worked on two historical romances. Have they been similar or differentIJ

Both (Bajirao Mastani and Padmavat) are historical movies. Yet there was a difference. The major being the culture. When I got into the depth of the character, For Bajirao, the Maratha uprising was to fight against the Mughals. Whereas Rajputs were already established rulers for centuries. There was a lot of emotional difference when it came to giving score for me. Also, in Bajirao, it is more of a love story and fight within. In Padmavat, it was fighting the enemy directly. While the environment was similar, emotions were different.

What are the challenges that come with giving a score for a project that has historical contentIJ

The biggest is to try and sound different. To live up to the expectations of a film which has a huge budget, was another challenge that I had to overcome.

Was there a lot of hands-on mentoring by SBlIJ

He is a brilliant director. The music that one gives is not for me but to uplift the movie. Due to Sanjay sir’s experience, it is important that I consult the him and work within the guidelines I have been given. True for other directors as well.

Have you composed music for a Hindi filmIJ

When you talk about composing in India, it is all about giving music to the song. Movies here make a distinction between composing and background score. Not so abroad where composing is all about music. One just has to collaborate with a lyricist to add words to the composition. For me, everything is about composing.