'Addicted to films': Belgian film music composer Simon Fransquet on working for Indian film Lakadbaggha 

The song composed by him has a Rabindranath Tagore connection. Read on to find more 
Simon Fransquet
Simon Fransquet

In just a week, Anshuman Jha and Ridhi Dogra starrer Lakadbaggha has become the talk of the town for its unique storyline. Based on animal-loving vigilantism, the action-comedy is a first-of-its-kind that explicitly highlights the depth of affection between humans and their furry friends — dogs. Apart from the sui generis plot, the film’s music is also unique where global music composer and multi-instrumentalist Simon Fransquet has been roped in to contribute. The Magritte award (Belgian Oscar) winner Belgian maestro composed an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s classic song Purano Sei. Sharing with us how he bagged the project, he says, “I was composing music for a feature film in Morocco when I met DOP Jean Marc Selva. His images and my music were directly influenced by each other, and he particularly loved my songs. When he started to work in India on Lakadbaggha, he introduced me to Anshuman who fell in love with my music sensibility and asked me to compose the score for his film.”

Simon Fransquet
Simon Fransquet

He elaborates on his inspirations, “My first musings are always the images of the film, the colours and the rhythm of the scenes. For example, the rhythm of the fighting sequence in Lakadbaggha is incredibly dynamic with Krav-Maga (Israeli Martial Arts Form) at the centre of the action and I have tried to capture its intensity in my work.” Anshuman wanted Simon to mix many interesting influences. It’s an action film but he wanted the utmost sensitivity because dogs and other animals were portrayed in an empathetic light. “He (Anshuman) wanted me to bring a whiff of fresh air by using modern trap drums. He had the whistle idea for interaction with the animals and we used Tagore’s Purano Sei as a base for that. Post that, we used the entire Bengali song and roped in Shruti Pathak to sing it. It was very exciting! I worked hard to mix all these organic and electronic elements into something very eccentric and unusual.”

Simon has composed music for more than 30 movies all over the world. He is prominently known for projects like When Arabs danced, Megalomaniac, A Summer in Boujad and more. But Lakadbagga was his first project in India and the musician admits he was honoured to try to re-compose a work of literary stalwart like Tagore. He shares how he’s influenced by Indian music, “I have a true passion for traditional music from all over the world and I love to discover new cultures and instruments. During my jazz and classical music studies 15 years ago, I studied Indian classical and Latin music. I do not pretend to know Indian music, but it has surely influenced my work. I'm trying to pursue it with the highest regard.” Simon had pursued many creative passions like graphic art, drawing and sculpture, but composing music for movies has always been the most natural way of expression for him as he loves cinema. “My true love is cinema. I’m truly addicted to films.” The composer will next work for Anshuman Jha’s directorial debut Lord Curzon Ki Haveli starring Rasika Dugal and Arjun Mathur. He is also working on other feature films in Europe and North Africa.

Lakadbaggha is running in theatres. 
Mail: priyamvada@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @ranapriyamvada

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