UK-based musician Nitin Sawhney talks about composing for Mira Nair’s ‘The Namesake’
To pigeonhole him into any particular genre would be close to impossible. His music is a stew of old soul, lounge, electronic, hip-hop, classical, folk…and a lot more.
Nitin Sawhney, whose last album ‘Philtre’ released in 2005, is now busy with Mira Nair’s film ‘The Namesake’ for which he is composing music. “I have completed the score for the film. It’s based on the novel by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jhumpa Lahiri,” says Nitin.
After working on about thirty odd films and numerous plays, for Nitin, working on the adaptation of German director Franz Osten’s 1929 classic ‘Throw A Dice’ was very alluring. “It’s based on the ‘Mahabharata’ and is an undiscovered treasure,” he says.
Quiz him about beating down on his otherwise political stance on his last album ‘Philtre,’ and he confesses that it’s deliberate. “Philtre means healing potion. The album doesn’t represent any political perspectives because I was completely fed up of everything I did being politicised.”
Nitin, who was brought up in England, dealt with racism through his music. “Anybody who goes through a difficult time will find music as a way to escape from problems. Jazz and blues was born out of the black movement in the 50s and 60s.”
However, he dismisses the whole ‘Asian Underground Movement’ with - “I just find it funny; you can’t reduce a cultural movement into a fad.”
Nitin’s admirers in the music world include Madonna, Sting and Sir Paul McCartney, among others. “A year ago I was with Sir Paul McCartney and David Gilmour (guitarist/vocalist of Pink Floyd). I was playing the piano, David was strumming his guitar and Paul started singing. It was overwhelming,” he laughs.
Nitin who was in India earlier this year visits his relatives on and off. “Lara Dutta is my cousin and I often come down to meet Lara and her sister,” he says. Of course Bollywood is calling. “I would like to work in Bollywood but it needs to have the grace and dignity of films like ‘Umrao Jaan’,” he signs off.
k_shridevi@dnaindia.net
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