The Other Route

If there was one thing that stayed on from the whirlpool of sights and sounds that was 033,it had to be Onno Kothao Chol. And it needed no great imagination to figure out that it was a Chandrabindoo composition. From their colloquial vocabulary to the engaging arrangement of sounds,Onno Kothao Chol had Chandrabindoo written all over it. Anindya,vocalist with the band however,is of the opinion that it’s important to understand the director’s vision,before scoring the music for a film. And when you add their brand of music to that,what you get is a fresh,quirky sound that complements the language of contemporary Bengali cinema. So,it doesn’t come as a surprise that more filmmakers are roping in Bengali bands or members of these bands to do the music for their films.

Gourab Chatterjee aka Gabu,drummer with Lakkhichhara is scoring the music for upcoming films Kagojer Bou and Necklace. And while he wouldn’t say that he is deliberately departing from what is considered his brand of music,he says that exploring new genres is definitely on cards. “I am using baul,qawwali etc in the films. Something that we as a band wouldn’t normally do,” says Chatterjee. The band in such cases act as a sounding board and a support system. “While we have a vision for our band,we all have our individual aspirations too. Which can’t possibly be realised while working in a band. Most of my band mates are scoring music individually. And we discuss each other’s work,” says Chatterjee.

Moreover,the association of a popular band or a band member with a film has been instrumental in drawing the young urban crowds to Bengali films. Recently at the premiere of Sumon Mukhopadhyay’s Mahanagar@Kolkata,Rupam,who debuted as a composer in the film was seen surrounded by a neat clique of fans. “There’s always a curiosity around the way the songs of your favourite band is used in a film. Also,most of these films come with interesting content which sort of demand a new sound. Adds to the interest,” says Sthitodhee Saraswati,an IT professional and a Fossils fan.