Music composer Tapas Relia strikes a nuanced chord with the music of Mrs Deshpande

Renowned music composer and background scorer Tapas Relia continues his prolific journey in long-form storytelling with Mrs Deshpande, the Madhuri Dixit–led web series directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, which is currently streaming on Jio Hotstar. Having composed both the title track and the background score, Tapas brings his signature sensitivity and restraint to the series.

With an illustrious body of work that spans films like Hanuman (2005), Dhanak and Ferrari Ki Sawaari, as well as acclaimed series such as City of Dreams and The Hunt – The Rajiv Gandhi Assassination Case, Tapas’s music has long been known for elevating narrative without overpowering it.

Tapas shares journey from an advertising firm to creating evocative BGMs

Reflecting on his formative years in advertising—where he created some of India’s most iconic jingles, including the legendary Close-Up campaign—Tapas credits that phase for shaping his creative instincts even today.

“Skills like delivering music really fast, approaching everything with a lot of clarity, dabbling in multiple genres, and the pressure to make something really catchy… all of these skill sets got developed back then in my advertising days and all of these help me today when I’m approaching even long format music,” he says. Emphasising collaboration, he adds, “I am a director’s composer. Even today I love to have conversations with my director… the more they give me clarity, inspire me, influence me, the better my music is for their projects.”

What were the cues for Mrs Deshpande like?

For Mrs Deshpande, Tapas focused on exploring the emotional duality at the heart of the show and its protagonist. “The key musical emotions in the show that I wanted to highlight were just two… a very dark side and the other very bright side,” he explains, drawing parallels with Madhuri Dixit’s layered character.

Elaborating on the process, he shares, “Nagesh and I, we spent over a month exploring different shades and different sound palettes… We always want music that is also a character in the show, not a lead actor but just a character that supports everything.” The title track became the foundation for the series’ musical identity, with themes drawn from it woven seamlessly into the background score.

Despite collaborating with celebrated names like Madhuri Dixit and Nagesh Kukunoor, Tapas maintains a character-first approach. “It’s not Madhuri Dixit in the show, it is Mrs Deshpande in the show, and the music that we are writing is for Mrs Deshpande,” he notes.

Looking ahead, the composer remains eager to push creative boundaries. “One is a musical… like a Broadway musical play. And the second thing that I’d love to do is get up on stage with my own music, my independent music,” he says. Grounded in self-critique and constant reinvention, he believes staying fresh is about trusting the process: “It’s always trial and error, R&D… you trust your own self-critical analysis to help you be fresh in every project.”

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