Nilayan Chatterjee on Bagha Jatin's Music: "It's a New Age"

The soundtrack for the Dev-starring film Bagha Jatin was written to narrate the little-known stories of the liberation warrior. The 92-character movie, which debuted on October 19, has songs and a stirring background soundtrack by composer Nilayan Chatterjee. Talking with Nilayan on t2.

What about writing for Bagha Jatin most piqued your interest?

the time frame, the age, and the difficulty of using audio to capture the essence and narrative of Bagha Jatin. To start with, the movie is a whole other animal. It's challenging to produce the sort of movie we're doing, challenging to follow the filmmaker's method, and challenging to prepare myself for Bagha Jatin on yet another level. Completing the picture and taking on the task of capturing the essence and tale of Bagha Jatin has really piqued my interest.

What difficulties did you face?

Finding the ideal balance between being really patriotic and exaggerated was the most obstacle. I thought it was great that Arunda (Roy, the director) and Dev both felt that these unheard tales needed to be made entertaining in order to reach the largest possible audience. The music must also be taken into account when it is included. It must find equilibrium. Given the pictures and the way they were filmed, even if I go all out and create a recorded kind of cinema music, it won't be engaging enough for people to watch. Once again, if I shout too loudly, it can mask the true feelings in the movie! Finding a balance between the two must have been the true difficulty.

Since my first approach to the background score was so drastically different from the final one, I've virtually completely redone it three times. After we found a midway ground, we wanted to make it more amusing even though it was more symphonic and organic at that point. The music has to reflect the majesty of the sceneries as well as the utilization of contemporary technology in their production. I thus revised it, and after three tries, we eventually arrived at a solution that I was happy with.

What effect, in your opinion, did the compositions have on the audience?

People typically get up from their seats and start leaving when a movie ends, but I noticed that some people were staying put and just staring at the screen. Some of them were crying, some were gently wiping away their tears, and some of them had a proud expression. I felt that this was a blessing of sorts. I've heard from others that Bagha Jatin is a movie that draws crowds to the theaters time and time again. A youngster who was rushing came up to me and said, "Ebar jante parlam Bagha Jatin ki korechhilo." I consider such responses to be a gift.Bagha Jatin will always have a special place in our hearts. Our whole team and Dev have put in really wonderful work.

Have you gotten inspiration for any of your creations from any patriotic music or song?

Since I was a little kid, I believe that every patriotic song I have heard has motivated me. To be honest, Kaba Bharater Haldighat and Kazi Nazrul Islam were my two biggest sources of inspiration. I developed a recording using Kazi Sabyasachi's voice and adapted his interpretation of this poem, which can be seen on YouTube. We used Bagha Jatin's voice, poetic vibe, and passion to create a soundtrack palette. We used to listen to it again each time my colleagues and I sat down before work. We would get really emotional and excited about the idea after hearing. We began working on it as soon as we received the feeling. Of course, one of my favorite works of art is this poem, Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna Ab Humare Dil Mein Hai, which says a lot about those times. These served as my main sources of inspiration while writing the soundtrack for Bagha Jatin. I've also been inspired by how masterfully A.R. Rahman expresses patriotism in his songs.

Could you please expound on the movie's songs?

We considered sticking with four songs, but because there are 92 people in the movie, we began coming up with separate soundtracks, which I believed would enhance the narrative technique. Bagha Jatin, of course, has many songs, but Khudiram and Rashbehari Bose each have their unique scores. The famous remark of Bagha Jatin inspired the title of the song, Amra morbo jogot jagbe. The theme song, which I wrote especially for the kids, followed. Devda insisted that it be filmed, and we purposefully left the kids' voices in the song so that young listeners could relate to it. A tune that the future generations may hear.

A memorial to the liberation warriors, Ashbo Phire Aaj Shi is modeled on the moment when the fighters left for Buri Balam for the final time. You may claim that it's an homage to the song Ekbar biday de ma ghure ashi! It served as motivation. The reaction has been incredible. The essence of the movie and the character is encapsulated in the title song, Jago Re Bagha. I made an effort to use strings and electronic music to convey the joy. It resembles a song for celebration.

A song of awakening was needed to accompany the account of the freedom fighters' exploits, and Dash Amar was just the one. There are eight songs on the jukebox, one of which is an English song I wrote called Prince of Mine. The idea was to speak for the hearts and minds of the British citizens who, in spite of their own will, chose to remain in India. A few of them were here in support of family members employed by the British government. They made no request for it.Prince of Mine entered the scene to symbolize their feelings.

What is the brief that Dev sent you?

At the outset, Dev gives me a brief and outlines his goals for us. However, I provide my opinions, and he really listens to what I have to say. And that's the great thing about working with him—he's always there to feed our craziness and enthusiasm. He's all with it if he can see the plan is sound and will result in a better movie! He is an inventive and smart producer. Together with the team, Arunda is a revolutionary in her own right.

What did you learn over the whole process?

To be really honest, I never contacted anybody about doing music for movies since my music is so personal. I composed songs during a typical campaign, and Dev said to Rahool, the director of Kishmish, "Check this guy out! I like his music," and then it took place. God has been kind in enabling me to share my music with a vast number of people. I will continue to be someone who enjoys spending time at home alone with a guitar. I will continue to perform music, both for the public and for myself.A new age begins with Bagha Jatin. From here, the magnificence will only increase, and I have great hope.