Music composer Daniel B. George moved to Mumbai back in the early 2000s to make a career out of his passion. What began as a music arranging stint for films like Lage Raho Munnabhai, 3 Idiots and PK, has now culminated into him composing the background music for multiple top-grossing films like Johnny Gaddar and Andhadhun. He has also spun magic with his background score in Bell Bottom. We caught up with the veteran musician on his collaboration with National Award winning director Ashutosh Gowariker for Toolsidas Junior, and upcoming release Tikdam.
Tell us about the soundscape of Toolsidas Junior?
Toolsidas Junior is set in the old school snooker clubs of Kolkata and has an inspirational tone to it. The soundscape of this film tries to bring together some earthy folk tunes with the contemporary genre.
Ashutosh Gowariker’s movies are iconic for its sound palate. How different is Toolsidas Junior from his other films?
The fact that Ashutosh Sir hails from a strong musical background reflects in each of his projects. This was my first collaboration with Ashutosh and throughout the making period of Toolsidas Junior, he came up with a plethora of infectious inputs. I remember him vouching success for this song. Udd Chala sets the tone for this movie and lays the narrative for it.
How has the journey been from being an amateur musician with no formal training to one of the topmost composers in the industry?
Despite not having any formal music training, I was a part of an ensemble back in the 90’s and my learnings from this phase have stayed with me. I believe the powerhouse of energy and impish enthusiasm I gathered from performing on stage helped me convey the same through screen. This was quite a fresh perspective back when I started off in Bollywood which in turn helped me get a foothold in the music scene here.
What elements do you have to keep in your mind while composing for each movie with a different flavour?
The job of a composer is to lay a track for the lyricist’s vehicle of words to travel safely without any potholes. I truly believe one mustn’t experiment too much so as to not lose grip on his skills. A composer needs to thoroughly think through well ahead of a composition if he intends to experiment.
Your upcoming projects?
I have composed the musicscape for Hotstar’s Grahan and I am looking forward to Netflix’s upcoming docu-series on Lord Ram. It is all more interesting because this series will bring forth a historical perspective of the lord, instead of a religious one. On the movie front, I have just finished working on a movie set in the Kumaon region. It’s titled Tikdam and explores the plight of children of migrant labourers.
Toolsidas Junior is now streaming on Netflix.