Ricky Kej, Three-time Grammy Award winner and Padma Shri recipient has added yet another laurel to his name. He composed the background score for Papa Buka which went to become the Papua New Guinea’s first-ever official Oscar entry. The film was directed by acclaimed three-time National Film Award Winner Dr Biju (Bijukumar Damodaran). It has been submitted in the Best International Feature Film (Tok Pisin) category.
Reflecting on the significance of the project, Ricky Kej shared, “It’s the first step on the Oscars race, but for me, the joy lies in creating music rooted in history that dates back over 3,000 years. This collaboration between India and Papua New Guinea tells the story of Indian historians searching for an indigenous World War II veteran to uncover forgotten secrets.” For Kej, the challenge laid in aligning the score with the film’s tone and setting. “It’s a very subtle film, so the music had to be in sync with it. I studied raw tribal music, indigenous instruments, jungle sounds, rhythms, archival recordings and natural sound-scapes to create it,” he explained.
Papa Buka is not Kej’s first collaboration with Dr Biju. The two previously worked on Adrishya Jalakangal (2023), an anti-war Malayalam film. Ricky Kej’s career has also spanned globally for projects such as the National Award-winning documentary Wild Karnataka (2020), narrated by Sir David Attenborough, and Hollywood’s MR-9: Do or Die (2023), which starred Frank Grillo and Michael Jai White.
While his music now resonates on international stages, he has remained true to his creative values. “I love watching Hindi films but I can’t do item numbers or misogynistic songs. I’ve stuck to music that represents me, and perhaps that’s why I’ve won three Grammys. Still, I’d love to compose for Bollywood someday,” he said.
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