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Music composer Ravi Basrur.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Ravichandran N\n <\/p>\n

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The historical film has the traditional art form Yakshagana as the main element throughout its narrative. The ambitious project attempts to blend folklore and drama, and is set to release on April 18, 2025. The music composer opens up on Veera Chandrahasa<\/i>, his style of music composing, handling criticism and more.<\/p>\n

Excerpts:<\/i><\/p>\n

What is the origin of \u2018Veera Chandrahasa\u2019?<\/h4>\n

Yakshagana is a thriving art form in the Karavali region.\u00a0With this film, I wanted to address some problems suffered by the artists. Every year, they work for 6 months and are unemployed for the next 6 months. They can\u2019t perform during the rainy season. If this movie does well, the Yakshagana artists will have an opportunity to be in films during the off-season. I see Veera Chandrahasa <\/i>as a tool to discuss these issues with the government. Also, the artists don\u2019t have modern sound kits. Their health is affected because of the high-pitched shouting involved in their performances. They deserve lapel microphones instead of hanging mikes.<\/p>\n

How have you experimented musically in \u2018Veera Chandrahasa\u2019?<\/h4>\n

Usually, I produce modern sounds using strings or violins. But for this movie, I used only two instruments: Madal and Chanda. We wanted the audience to feel the vibration through the screen through the sound quality of the two instruments. For the entire movie, we have used 1600-1700 recording tracks of Chanda and Madal to create the atmosphere of the Yakshagana experience on screen.<\/p>\n

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Shivarajkumar in \u2018Veera Chandrahasa\u2019.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Special Arrangement\n <\/p>\n

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Shivarajkumar plays a prominent role in the movie. What made you think he is apt for the film?<\/h4>\n

This film is an attempt to take the popularity of Yakshagana beyond Karnataka, and you need a popular face to achieve that. We approached Shivanna (Shivarajkumar) after completing the movie\u2019s first schedule and showed him the visuals. He was thrilled to see our work. We gave him a solid character, and it\u2019s not a cameo for the sake of it. Even with his cancer treatment, he made time for our film. He showed great energy throughout the shoot and followed all the rituals and customs related to Yakshagana.<\/p>\n

What was the reason behind setting up a studio in your hometown Basrur, Kundapura?<\/h4>\n

Initially, people thought I had lost it when I poured so much money to set up a studio there.\u00a0They had predicted that I would settle down in Mumbai or Bengaluru, thinking only big cities generate revenue. I decided to come back with the best products and set up a studio in my hometown. It\u2019s been five years since, and the studio has generated Rs 21 crore so far. Around 30 people are working there. I am happy with the growth.<\/p>\n

In \u2018Salaar\u2019, a group of women keeps chanting as Prabhas kills the antagonist. How did you create music just by the chants?<\/h4>\n

Music can stimulate people emotionally, and doesn\u2019t need lyrics to enhance it always. For instance, had we put lyrics to the \u2018Tandani Naane\u2019 tune from KGF<\/i>, it would have remained limited to a certain language. As we hum the tune, we tend to connect to it. Even in Salaar<\/i>, the \u2018Yaa Yaa Yaa\u2019 chants express the pain of the women from that tribe. You don\u2019t need lyrics for that. Even in KGF: Chapter 2<\/i>, Reena (played by Shrinidhi Shetty) tells Rocky (Yash) she is pregnant. She says it\u2019s his mother being born again as their daughter. The tune during the scene has become so viral that people have made it their caller tunes. Similarly,\u00a0the melody you hear when Rocky sits near his mother\u2019s memorial is very popular. We generated it by using a flute.<\/p>\n

In \u2018KGF: Chapter 2\u2019, there is a long portion, from Ramika Sen seeing Rocky\u2019s kingdom to the point where one of the gold biscuits gets seized by the police. The entire stretch is so gripping, thanks to your score…<\/h4>\n

While composing the background score, we consider characters and sequences. I look at a series of scenes as one sequence. In the film, I have to keep the audience hooked from the scene where Ramika Sen orders arrests and raids till the police manage to get a gold biscuit. I have to maintain that momentum till the end of the sequence. One sequence can have five to 10 scenes, but the entire sequence must have the same tempo. With each score, the idea is to generate a mood.<\/p>\n

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Ravi Basrur in his studio.
\n | Photo Credit:
\n Facebook\n <\/p>\n

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\u2018Marco\u2019 was a departure from hero-centric films like \u2018KGF\u2019 and \u2018Salaar\u2018. More than the hero, the violence took centre stage in that movie. How different was your music for that film?<\/h4>\n

For Marco<\/i>,\u00a0<\/b>I decided not to use my regular instruments. Generally, I use ensemble brass and strings. I would adopt the epic orchestral style. I didn\u2019t do that for this movie. We used out-and-out modern instruments for Marco<\/i>.<\/p>\n

You often get criticised for loud scores. How do you defend it?<\/h4>\n

I am not on any social media, so there\u2019s no question of getting affected by criticism. I aim to take my music to the global stage. I want the audience to get the feel of watching a Hollywood film while watching our movies. That said, some English films do have ear-splitting background scores. After the KGF<\/i> films, the music in our movies has gone one step ahead. I use hybrid sounds to attract the younger generation. Take any youngster\u2019s Spotify playlist, and they will mostly have English songs. So we must not fall behind in matching their quality. After we released the video \u2018Sound of Salaar\u2019, those who worked with me for the film called me from the U.S. They were thrilled that they collaborated with me.\u00a0<\/p>\n

As your experiences evolve in the field, how do you ensure it doesn\u2019t get repetitive?<\/h4>\n

I don\u2019t feel I have gotten repetitive yet. I try to create unique music and hope to work in different types of films. In KGF: Chapter 1<\/i> and KGF: Chapter 2<\/i>, we had to have a similar kind of music. When we did Salaar<\/i>, people still had KGF<\/i> in mind. They felt the music was different from KGF<\/i> only after seeing the \u2018Sound of Salaar\u2019 video that showed the making of the film\u2019s music. Till then, they couldn\u2019t understand the difference in music in the two movies.\u00a0Marco<\/i> was a different attempt. People accepted it. That said, I had to be ready for rejection as well. If I keep expectations in check and do not respond to everything said out there. It helps my music. Also, people who work\u00a0in the music department are very sensitive. That\u2019s the reason I dropped out of social media.<\/p>\n

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Published – April 16, 2025 06:58 pm IST<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ravi Basrur Masterclass: On hit songs and BGM for \u2018mass\u2019 films Music composer Ravi Basrur, who is gearing up for the release of his directorial \u2018Veera Chandrahasa\u2019, talks to The Hindu about his journey in the film industry. | Video Credit: The Hindu Ravi Basrur loves experimenting. After charting his own path as a music […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":243659,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[40509,20841,25405,5245,196474,3601],"class_list":{"0":"post-243658","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-kgf-chapter-1","9":"tag-ravi-basrur","10":"tag-salaar","11":"tag-shivarajkumar","12":"tag-veera-chandrahasa","13":"tag-yash"},"yoast_head":"\n