Musical Melange

A popular name in the ad world — he is also behind the Limca ad currently on air — Anandh,42,had composed for Sangeeth Sivan’s Zor in 1997. But,unimpressed with the Mumbai film industry,he chose to return to what he terms as his “core competency”. A year ago,however,a music composing session for filmmaker Pradeep Sarkar’s ad film got cancelled and set the tone for Anandh’s second stint in Bollywood. “When our session was cancelled,Dada (Sarkar) asked me to compose a scratch for Lafangey Parindey,which producer Aditya Chopra liked,” says Anandh,whose knowledge of classical music goes back to his 12-year training playing the veena.

In Rang Daalein,he has experimented with the Irish tin whistle and the cello,but the guitar,acoustic and electric,is prominent through the album. If the title track is an upbeat rock-ish number,Man Lafanga,sung by Mohit Chauhan,has Eric Clapton-ish guitar riffs. Nain Parindey,with Shilpa Rao on vocals,shows the composer’s hold on Indian classical music. Despite repetitive use of lafangey and parindey across the tracks,Anandh gives each song a distinct flavour.

The music also steers clear of clichés by retaining the local flavour despite use of Western instruments. “It’s my take on the city,” he says. Anandh’s version has worked. Though Lafangey Parindey,which releases August 20,associates Anandh with the Yash Raj Films brand,the composer is not looking at a career in Bollywood.