In the initial years of his life, he travelled a path opposite to that of his father to pursue the same passion — music. The son of Goutam Nag, who is the dean of the faculty of fine arts at Rabindra Bharati University and a disciple of Guru Jnan Prakash Ghosh, Soumya Rit, who aspired to be a cricketer as a child, was musically inspired by modern songwriters like Kabir Suman and Nachiketa. But now, Soumya loves weaving the eternal strains of classical music into his compositions for Bengali films.
His haunting score for Arjunn Dutta’s debut film, Abyakto, still reverberates with anyone who has listened to the tune. “I aspire to bring an international touch to the compositions made for movies here. Foreign films have a central musical theme that plays in a loop from the beginning to the end, which remains with viewers for years to come. Hans Zimmer and Satyajit Ray are the background music maestros who I worship,” says Soumyo. His compositions for Guldasta, especially the song Rang Rasiya is trending on social media with celebrities trying to create their own renditions. With the film’s release postponed for the moment, we had a long chat with Soumya on his latest compositions and the road ahead. Excerpts:
After Abyakto, people are now talking about Rang Rasiya, the song you composed for Guldasta. How does it feel?
I am feeling overwhelmed, because I have never wanted to be anything other than a composer. The music for Abyakto will always stay close to my heart. I got it after a lot of struggles, and the same is true for Guldasta.
How did you conceive Rang Rasiya?
Arjunn (director of Guldasta) asked me to compose a typical Marwari song with a folksy feel. I composed it while I was away in the US last year, and it’s based on Ragashri Raag, a very common raag in Rajasthan.
Isn’t it difficult to weave classical strains into mainstream films?
It depends upon the directors’ demand. But I love playing around with all kinds of music. If you hear the music for the two other upcoming films, Sohobashe and Shrimati, you will be surprised. Shirmati is all about rock ’n’ roll and blues with a persistent Carnatic base, while Sohobashe has a very contemporary Bengali music feel.
Both the films you have worked on so far are with Arjunn Dutta. How is it to work with him?
Arjunn has a knack for and a keen sense of classical music. He is calm, composed and supportive, and never forgets his friends.
sharmishtha.g@new indianexpress.com
@sharmidas