No Strings Attached

Subir Malik, Nitin Malik and Sonam Sherpa

For a band that is known to present unique compositions and record most of their numbers at live performances or concerts, it is normal for Parikrama to present a creative melange of melodies for their first Bollywood outing, Manjunath, a biopic on Manjunath Shanmugham, the IIM graduate who worked as a marketing executive for Indian Oil. After staying away from a host of commercial outings, three band members Nitin Malik, Subir Malik and Sonam Sherpa took up the challenge of working on the music of Manjunath, since they loved the script and were familiar with the lead protaganist’s story. From setting verses from the sacred Bhagvad Gita on heavy metal rock tunes to creating an impactful background score for the film, they have done it all. “Manjunath is not a Parikrama project, as it has been composed by me, Nitin and Sonam. The subject of the film is very close to our heart because Manjunath studied at IIM Lucknow and Parikrama as a band has played at their festival, Manfest, several times. Our director, Sandeep (Verma) gave us a lot of creative freedom to create compositions that suit the story,” stated Subir (organ player, synthesizers), who adds that there was no compulsion of creating a typical latka – jhatka number, which made their decision of going ahead with the project all the more firm.
The trio also felt a sense of connectivity to the character, since he was a rock music enthusiast and Parikrama too has been active on the rock music scene since 1991 (the month of June marks their 23rd anniversary). The music of the film was composed one and a half years back, but since the film didn’t have any takers, it finally released this year and the composers re-worked a few portions before releasing the album. Malik mentioned that while music lovers would expect the Manjunath album to be replete with rock numbers, it is actually a mix of various melodies that tend to have a youth connect. “The rock song is purely heavy metal, while Rabba is an emotional ballad sung by Shankar Mahadevan. There is also a journey song rendered by Papon, which is extremely easygoing. KK has also sung a track. There are lots of jugalbandi compositions which we have worked on as well,” he said. The band members have used a variety of instruments, including the wah wah guitar, flute, harp among others. In fact, the trio even travelled to Mizoram, where they met members of a choir and got 100 singers together to record sounds for a number in a cathedral. This recording was blended with verses sung by a 70-year-old qawaal from Old Delhi Masjid. “You see, that’s unique stuff. We mixed the soft sounds from the choir and the high pitched voice of the qawaal together. Parikrama has never believed in asking, ‘Why’? We always say, ‘why not’?” quipped Subir. The artist also added that the sounds created for the background score were so extensive, that there was enough stock for 20 more films!
Since the Manjunath album was released only last week, the band members are optimistic about the future and confessed that they will happily accept interesting projects, whenever they come their way. With the rock music scene growing by leaps and bounds in the country, they will continue to be busy with concerts in multiple cities. “Our affair with rock music will continue, as our schedule is pretty much packed with events across the country,” concludes Subir.

priya.adivarekar@expressindia.com