At Bollywood's doorstep, via Arrah

The last time Rohit Sharma had visited Bihar was 20 years ago. Originally from Himachal Pradesh, the music director of Anarkali of Arrah had spent most of his life in Delhi, before coming to Mumbai to become a singer. Ideally, the cultural disconnect should have been a handicap, but in the age of YouTube, lack of exposure can be easily compensated for. “I looked at some performance videos to get a feel of Bhojpuri music,” says the 44-year-old.

At his studio in suburban Mumbai, Sharma reveals the particulars of the film's soundscape. “Of the 10 songs, five are seen to be performed by folk artistes on stage. But the background arrangements for these numbers are on a bigger scale. Don't let the camera fool you by showing only a handful of instruments. To cater to an urban audience, the music has to be more nuanced and sophisticated,” he says.

The rehearsal songs in the film, however, stick to the dholak-harmonium routine for authenticity. The third set — featuring a thumri by Rekha Bhardwaj and a soul-stirring number by Sonu Nigam — is what he calls “Bollywood, urban music”.

Photo credit: Aadesh Srivastava/dna

In keeping with the story's twists and turns, the background strains too undergo changes. Anarkali's molestation marks a turning point in the film, and the music follows this lead. Once she comes to Delhi, the background score is marked by English flute and string instruments. His other big challenge was to come up with a background piece that surpasses the musical flourish of the climax scene. This he achieved through a confluence of shehnai, Indian flute, taiko drums and string instruments.

“Since I am trained in both Indian and Western classical, I can make the switch effortlessly,” says Sharma. He took lessons in flute from Pt Harshvardhan and learnt to play the piano at the Delhi School of Music. The versatility informing his body of work, especially in controversial film Buddha in a Traffic Jam, blurs the contours of the classical and the contemporary. “There are 11 genres of music in that film. For example, the Tope Ka Mantar song is a mixture of folk and rock — the first part comprising harmonium, dholak and morsing (pluck instrument) segues into rock with drums and guitar,” he says. He goes off on a different tangent when he sets to tune the two poems of renowned poet Faiz Ahmed Faiz in the film. Buddha... also showcased his skills as a singer.

Sharma is part of the band Swaang, where he jams with actor Swara Bhaskar, who played the eponymous role in Anarkali of Arrah; and with Ravinder Randhawa, the film's assistant director and the lyricist of Badnam Jiya and the climax song Sa ra ra. “Since Swara was a little unsure of how the film would shape up as it was director Avinash Das' maiden venture, she roped me and Ravinder,” says Sharma. The band's single Maa Nee Meri, written, composed and performed in response to the gangrape and murder of the Delhi physiotherapist in 2012, is Sharma's favourite.

When most of Bollywood is bending over backwards to toe the line of political conformity, Sharma reveals why he is especially proud of Anarkali... “The lyrics are loaded with political and social commentaries. Mora piya matlab ka yaar is about hollow electoral promises while Dunaliya mein jung is a critique on corruption in the police force,” says the mild-mannered civil engineer who got a break in Anand Gandhi's Ship of Theseus. But the proverbial big-ticket film continues to elude him. Post Anarkali..., the dream deal may just be around the corner.