Q & A With Amit Trivedi – The Composer of Dev.D
The final week of December 2008 worked magic in the lives of all fans of Hindi music—It was that very week the music of Dev D was available online and was introduced to us, courtesy Tushar Shukla’s superb music review, even though the CDs of the Dev D OST weren’t out until much later.
Singer, lyricist and music director Amit Trivedi’s 18 simply amazing and unique compositions left me and many music fans all over the world absolutely mesmerized, especially since we were subject to a lot of musical attyachar in 2008. Rajasthani folk, rock music, band-baajaa, Awadhi, semi-classical, Punjabi, European style music—Dev D’s OST has it all, making the music of Dev D not the “baap of different genres” but the Daadaaji of all music genres!
Many of you PFCians expressed your interest in seeing a PFC interview with the musical genius himself, Amit Trivedi. Finally, I present you with an in-depth interview of Amit Trivedi, here, on PFC. And, believe me, when I say in-depth, I mean precisely that: 31 questions — I can’t believe that instead of yelling at me for subjecting him to interview attyachar, Amit instead went ahead and answered each and every one of our questions…
Tell us how you got interested in pursuing a career in music composition…Were you always interested in music composition, or is it a vocation which you got into later on in life…Did you receive any formal training in music composition?
I got interested in music while I was in college. Before that there was no direction on any career choice. Once I realized my passion I knew there was no turning back. I have trained briefly in music from few music teachers.
Tell us about your band, Om.
Om was a byproduct of 5 friends. Sriram Iyer, who is the lead singer, formed the band way back in 2002-2003. We did quite a few gigs and then we got signed by Times Music, the album released in 2004. It didn’t do well as the album was not marketed well but we got some rave reviews and good feedback. It was critically acclaimed. I was the arranger and the programmer of the band.
In Dev D you explore so many music genres—Punjabi, Jazz, Folk, Sufi, Rock, etc. Have you grown up listening to music from different genres? Or, did you have to do a lot of research to work on the compositions?
Yes. I enjoy listening to all kind of music. I basically haven’t done any research as such for the film.
How important do you think raaga-based composition is?
Raaga-based compositions are important as they reflect our Indian tradition and keep us rooted.
By the way, what is your personal favorite music genre? What songs are on your playlist these days?
My favorite music genre would be Jazz, Rock and western classical. Presently I am listening to The Essential: yoyoma.
Which was the most challenging composition for you so far, not necessarily for Dev D, but in general, so far?
Both versions of Emotional Attyachar.
How you zone in on a singer for a particular composition? It’s interesting that you work with female singers who have a deep voice instead of those who sound chirpy and sing in the higher octaves…
Depends on the mood of the song. No such discrimination.
Do you read the script of Dev D before working on the compositions? I believe you had composed some of the songs before the filming had even started. Do you have pre-composed songs you tweak for projects?
Yes, I had read the script for Dev D. But some songs were made before I got the script, based on the brief provided by Anurag Sir. I don’t really have pre composed songs as I go with the flow of the script.
Anurag Kashyap has shared his memories of meeting with you through Shilpa Rao and also revealed how it was after he checked out the songs you composed that he decided to turn Dev D into a musical…would you like to tell us about your meetings with Anurag from your point of view? It must feel great to know that it was your compositions which ended up changing the concept behind the film, no?
I was in awe of Anurag Kashyap as I had recently seen Black Friday, understandably I was very nervous when I met him, however he made me feel very comfortable and at ease. I got really positive vibes from him. And it does feel nice to be able to contribute to a film of this stature.
What did Anurag tell you when he asked you for music? What was the mood that he wanted from you—for example, did he specifically tell you he wanted psychedelic influences in the music? (Ravptor)
Anurag Sir had mentioned that Dev D is a contemporary take on Devdas. There was no specification provided by him. He gave me a lot of freedom to do my own thing.
Did you feel that you should have created a signature tune for Dev D? (Om)
Actually no I didn’t feel like it.
There was an observation by some that though the songs are great no doubt, and we have hardly ever seen such a rich ‘musical’ album for a Hindi film, there was something missing in some tracks, possibly a richer sound, a heavier beat, or a more mature execution. (Tushar)
Actually this is a first one for me; no one has given me this feedback so I haven’t thought about it.
What are qualities you look for in the voices of singers you decide to work with?
A great tone, and good singing.
Since you are also a singer, how do you determine which songs you will sing yourself? (Honhaar)
Well I haven’t really thought about that as so far the directors have chosen the songs for me. 
Basically when I make scratches often they are in my voice. Rajkumar Sir and Anurag Sir have liked the scratches in my voice and have retained them. I am not a trained singer, actually.
Do you ever catch yourself being greedy in the singing department?
Not at all. I had never aspired to be a singer.
It looks like in Nayan Tarase, you deliberately try to go off in voice and sync, yet still pull back from going all the way–why? You’ve sung the other songs in Dev D in sur, but in Nayan Tarase there is this feeling you’re trying to rough the edges… (Oz)
There is nothing deliberate in the singing, it has just come naturally.
What are your favorite instruments?
Clarinet, Oboe, Mandalin, Harmonica.
Who are music directors, singers and lyricists you really admire?
MD’s would be A.R.Rehman, Vishal Bharadwaj, Lyricist – Gulzaar saab, and singer Hariharan.
What do you feel about your contemporaries? Do you feel there is something of a new brigade of composers like you? Do you guys know each other? (Tushar)
Well, I haven’t really given a thought to contemporaries as such. I think everyone is doing good work, whether its newcomers like me or senior musicians.
Tell us about the relationship between an MD and a lyricist…how does the relationship impact the composition process? For example, when you compose, do you like to have the lyrics ready?
Music and lyrics go hand in hand. For a melody to become popular and interesting it’s imperative to have good lyrics. I compose melody first and fill in the lyrics later.
Tell us about how you met Amitabh Bhattacharya, who writes lyrics for you in Dev D and also sings.
I met Amitabh 8 years back through a common friend, Amartya (Bobo) who is also a very good composer. Amitabh is primarily a singer and writing is his hobby. His lyrics complement my compositions.
Was Anurag clear with you, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Shellee and Shurti Pathak regarding what he wanted to convey through the lyrics? (Ravptor)
He was absolutely clear in what he wanted.
What qualities in a film director make it easier for an MD to compose? For example, how specific do you like the director to be? I believe no brief was given to you for Aamir, you just had the script, whereas for Dev D, Anurag showed you a sequence from Om Darbadar before you started composing…
Sense of direction and creative freedom are qualities that a director must possess. Music for Aamir was definitely script bound, however Dev D soundtrack is more free flowing basis the brief given by Anurag Sir. He had played me Om Darbadar, that was the reference track for Emotional Attyachar.
Tell us about the pros and cons and extent of/limitations on artistic freedom for private album composition versus film music composition.
Well I think album compositions are more market based and audience based hence there is restricted creative freedom. However, although film music is script based there is flexibility in terms of creativity.
Could you please tell us about your music studio…describe it for us.
I don’t have a music studio it’s a small music room where I create my music.
Do you think that there is a potential of more and more films having very few or no song-and-dance numbers is going to be a big problem for MDs? Or, do you think the private album sector will grow?
Well I think music is a big crowd puller for films, however it is also true that some films are made that require no music. So there’s a balance. As long as the balance is maintained we are safe . Private albums were big in an era, but that’s not the scenario now. That was basically more an era of remixes. But that doesn’t have any shelf value as such and the reach isn’t that deep in comparison to film music.
How important is the marketing of music? Of course music can be used to market a film…but what about marketing music itself?
Well I feel that the film as an entity should be marketed. However like I said earlier that in majority cases music is a crowd puller for the films, hence marketing of the music is equally necessary.
What is the biggest compliment you have received and what is the biggest criticism you’ve received?
Anurag Sir said that I am the ‘Bachchan’of his film. Hmm criticism…can’t think of any.
Tell us about ghost composers, ghost lyricists and other issues, if any, you have noticed in the Hindi music scene…
I have no clue about them.
Could you give us a preview of the music for Conditioned Applied?
I haven’t started work on that as yet so I can say anything.
Do you have any words of wisdom you’d like to share with aspiring MDs and lyricists?
Just be yourself…
Tags: Amit Trivedi, Anurag Kashyap, Dev D, Interview, MusicSpecial thanks to Phoenixnu, Sourav Bhuyan and Sudhir Nair.
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
Thanks Amit, for your kind gesture and that amazing score! And three cheers to Amanda for seeing this through. Brilliant post!
Fantastic interview..thanks a ton Amit..for this this..feel very happy bout..
Thnaks Amamnda also for the persistance..
How we wish Amit wasnt camera friendly and had done this on a video…but, cant complain..getting this was a great revealation in itself
amit comes out as a reserved and, dare i say, a politically correct guy. some of the answers are shorter than the questions.
gr8 score in DEV D. to put things in perspective, i bought CD of Dev D. just so that i cud listen to it everyday on my way to/from office.
thx team, for the interview with Mr. Elusive.
It was pleasure to listen to such a wide variety of music after a long time… I wish you shower us with more gems in the coming days… All the best!!!
Finally, i was thinking Amit Trivedi was fictional character.Anyway great work man.
Finally after a long time a film soundtrack which was different and appealing other than Rahman’s
Great interview!!! Good questions! Thank god no one asked whether he prefers gucci or armani or which designer he swears by.
Amit, if you’re reading this, I still listen to Maula and Piya. My band’s bassist introduced us to Om.
“on the whole a great interview” lol. many questions were longer than the answers, was amit not interested or was he just tired?
The interview was very succinct.
But I’d take that as long as he keeps creating music the way he has been doing.
GRT music Amit bhai…Here is a small review from an ardent fan of AR.
Organised chaos is the word to be used to define Amit Trivedi’s Dev D soundtrack. Yes! i’m still an ardent fan of AR and he’s still the god of music. But, sometimes i feel like rahman’s music is too perfect, without any small missteps, no little off notes..its just damn perfect.He’s like the guy who always gets a 100/100 and always is on top, going abt his business of coming first in class, but then there’s this cool kid who always is on the playground, chilling with his buds, talking abt girls, porn and his experiences but mysteriously manages to get good grades. This is Amit Trivedi, the new 29 year old kid on the block whose second OST Dev D (first being Aamir) is just…..Organised Chaos.
A masterful piece of work, brilliantly woven with layers and layers of emotions as demanded by the script. Arrangement is sooo unique, clever, hip, funky and what not..and the vocal tunes bending all the laws of composing but still having melody and flow.This is experimentation at its best and this is the first time i feel Best Music Director of the year award should go to this guy, just to encourage experimental music and give a huge pat on his back.I strongly recommend this album to all music lovers coz these kind of albums dont come often, and when you stubble over such music u just pick it up, add it to ur playlist and hit the repeat button.
TAKE A BOW Amit Trivedi.
Applause plzzzzzzzzzzzzz
he says very little. questions much longer than answers. was the interview in hindi by any chance and translated later on ? i’m quite glad he likes the clarinet and oboe.
“Q : What are qualities you look for in the voices of singers you decide to work with?
A: A great tone, and good singing.”
Average Question. Classic Answer.
Thanks Amit for the interview and great work amanda..:)
Anurag sir?! :o
Great interview!
Amit Trivedi is THE next big thing in Hindi film music scene.
Nice interview. I read with a lot of interest but felt somewhat disappointed in the end. The questions posed are really good but the responses were rather short and lacked much insight into the man behind such great music, as if Amit is just going through the motions, waiting for the interview to be over. This is not a criticism, many creative people are often “camera shy” and the guy seems to shun spotlight. I am fine as long as he keeps coming out with great music.
..and also thanks to PFC gang for some of the quesions.
Well nice to hear something from the man himself
and full credit to Amanda for bringing his responses to us.
wasn’t particularly outpouring with information, was he?
One of the greatest soundtracks in years. Amit you deserve to fly high after this, you deserve every single opportunity, people ask who will walk in Rahman’s footsteps and maybe we have found a man who will…..I have not stopped listening to this album day and night for three weeks, so textured, so layered, so diverse, so human…….Amit thank you for your music god bless you man
Great, great job Amanda! Most of the answers by Amit have been so downright rude that it looks funny. The PFC crowd who has been gushing about the Dev D.’s music even before it was released deserved a better response.
Great job Amanda!!! Kudos
Tanul.. thats reading a wee bit too much betweeen the lines!!
No doubt ARR and Vishal Bharadwaj are his fav MDs.One can clearly see influence of both these MDs in Dev D soundtrack
Whaoooo!! Hold on a sec….. These days lot of young music directors(md) are coming into the industry who are inspired by AR. The guy who’s probably the closest in terms of arrangment and the whole feel is mickey j meyer from the Telugu industry. His music has the purity and virginity as found in rahman’s yesteryear songs.do check him out guys.
@wb: thank you for such kind words yaar!
@OM: thanks! i agree…it would have been really awesome if we had a video interview of him.
@Satyendra: sach mei! the dev d score is really fun to listen to!
@Kenny: glad you liked the questions
lol, yeah, didn’t ask him whether he prefers Gucci or Armani, so instead asked which instruments he prefers ;)
@Venk: well, I guess 31 questions can be a bit overwhelming…pataa nahin.
@NRI: nope, the interview was not in Hindi and translated later. it was in English.
@turtle: glad you appreciated his answer to that question.
@Sourav: thanks yaar!
@Sriram: glad you enjoyed the interview
@ashok: yeah, i suppose some of the answers could have been expanded upon.
@Sethumadhavan: thank you ji
@shamoni8: well, he was kind enough to go through 31 questions. most interviews consist of fewer and clich'©d questions.
@Tanul: thanks yaar!
@DPac: thanks!
Just 2 films old, and AT is creating a lot of (sound) waves already …. Rock On man! The best track of DevD is Nayan Tarse!
I recently wrote about the much talked about Emotional Atyachar on my blog.
http://www.onesongreview.com/2009/02/09/emosanal-atyachar-from-dev-d/
Look fwd to many more wonderful music … bring it on “Amit Saar” – I am holding my lighter on!
Great stuff Amanda!
Those were some damn good questions!
Vishal Bhardwaj definitely is an inspiration here.
Having said that, the music director of ‘1971′ comes to mind for that reason too.
Woh kahan kho geya?
And will Amit have a similar fate? Talented, but lost?
Amit Sagar was the name I think?
Pete Something, yes, Mickey J Meyer’s is very much like an earlier Rahman.
Loved his ‘Happy Days’ album!
‘Bachchan of the film’ indeed!
Picture ka toh pata nahin, but yup, fab album!
When I first heard Dev D songs, I didnt like them. After 2nd and 3rd listening, I am now hooked. What a great album with a great range. Now, I want to see the movie
. My only hope is that, Amit Trivedi keeps churning out this kind of music consistently.
Akaash, not Amit Sagar!
I knew it began with an A! :-)
Thanks, Steve. I wonder what happened to Akash Sagar…the 1971 OST was really superb…and the film was just amazing!
Amit…I am a huge fan…Seriously…You are way ahead of anyone in your league…Keep it coming
Awesome interview! Was searching the net for interviews with Amit Trivedi and this one’s the best. I truly believe Amit Trivedi is going to be the next great in the music industry.
His compositions for both the movies (Aamir & Dev D) are simply divine and no number of words can do them justice. His music is classic stuff and will be remembered by the people for loooooooooooooooong! :D
Amit Trivedi ROX!! Presenting:
The Next A. R. Rahman in making!!
My A.T. & A.R.R. are my music GODS! :D
Rock On!
Also, thanx very much Amanda for bringing us this wonderful interview. Much much appreciated! :D
Thanks, Prince!
Hi…
i ve become a fan of Amit Trivedi now….really brings new freshness into the music with use of distorted guitar strum loops in Nayan tarse..
i also like the way vocals sound in his music..they have a natural texture unlike most music these days where cleaning up removes the feel of the voice.
great work.
would love to see his studio and setup as i am myself learning electronic music.
Very Good music Amit, keep on.
Never Forget yourself and Never Let U Down.
U’hv created really Good music.
thanks.
Amit Trivedi is the next A.R Rahman…I am ur biggest fan sir… wat great compositions… its simply addictive.. gives you such a high..all the 18 songs ..drive me just crazy.. thank youu sir for the great music and the interview…wishing u all luck.. cant wait for ur next album…
Great work Amit… Looking forward to hear more and more from you.
All the best!
What is with the Dev Chanda Theme… The music is killing me… I can’t decipher what it is?
Sadness, sorrow, anger, grit, frustration, depression, upheaval, revolt, joy, pride or what?