Journalism of Courage
Imaad Shah on his début as the music director of 404
He’s the thin,lanky,curly haired boy who explored the bylanes of Delhi in Dil Dosti Etc and the artist in Little Zizou. Imaad Shah comes from a family of talented actors,yet dismissing him as just another star-child would be incorrect. He does act in films and works with his father Naseeruddin Shah’s theatre company,Motley. Yet his true calling,by his own admission,is music.
Shah points to upcoming,psychological thriller 404,directed by Prawaal Raman,as his and his band’s big break. They have provided the soundtrack for the film and Shah is also the music director. The soundtrack is a compilation of songs that are entirely our creation. The lyrics are very colloquial and desi,using very Bambaiya mawali and tapori words. We have moulded these words with a very funky sound,which we believe is representative of our generation one that thinks in English and Hindi simultaneously, he says. And the reception has been very encouraging,by both the audience and those involved with the film. Since 404 is an indie production,the director and the producer let us do our own thing and were impressed with the end result. We were on no tight leash, he adds.
Being the music director has helped Shah personally. I have learnt the secrets of the sonic spectrum and sound mixing from the best in the business. I do a bit of sound production at home,but this job has given me the kind of hands-on experience that I couldn’t get anywhere else, he says.
It must be some task,juggling between films,theatre and the band? It’s not easy, admits the guitarist. But the trick is simple – to concentrate on your passion. And for me,that’s my music, he says.
(The Pulp Society will perform at High Spirits,Koregaon Park,today evening)
