Director Indrajit Lankesh’s upcoming film Gowri, which marks the debut of his son Samarjit Lankesh and stars Sanya Iyer, has been one among the most talked about films ahead of its release thanks to how each of the songs – Time Baruthe, Love You Samantha and Dhool Yebsava, that have been released so far have been trending. “It is a story in which music plays a huge role. The film features seven songs, and we have released three of them so far. There’s a lot more to come,” says the director. He tells us more:
The film has seven songs, but also features work by many music directors who have pitched in for different songs. What was the idea behind including so many music directors for one film?A musical film like Gowri required these many songs and I don’t think one music director could have brought in the kind of range in genres of songs and dialects that this story required. While telling a story, the film’s director needs to be able to bring in the kind of music he requires to tell his story. We have seen how you can be assured that a particular director’s film will surely feature music of a certain kind that goes with their story – this sometimes happens irrespective of who the music director of the film is. A director has to be able to bring out what he wants for the story from any music director.
What went into choosing these musicians for each of the songs?Today, a film’s songs cannot be just some number added in the middle of a story where you see the lead actors dancing in some exotic destination just for the heck of it. The music and the story of this film are interrelated. Whether it is the peppy Time Baruthe that went viral or the recently released Dhool Yebsava that is a rustic number seeped in the Hubli dialect, each of them is part of the story. I knew that Dhool Yebsava had hit the right chords when people in the audience at the mall where we released it at in Hubli came forward to dance to it right there. This song, even though it is rooted in tradition, is now trending within the top five numbers in the country. A director’s choice in music comes through because of his own judgement of music, and that is what I have done for this film.
What role has your use of social media played in popularising the songs to this extent?Social media is an amazing platform. It has transferred the voice of opinion has gone from media critics to the common man. Earlier, people would read reviews in the media to decide whether to go out and watch a movie or not. Today, it is the common man who has the power to say whether a film is good or not, whether the film’s music is good or not, or for that matter – they have the platform and space to voice their opinions on anything and everything under the sun. Today, the entire narrative is now in the hands of people. Of course there is also a flip side to social media, there is trolling, there is negativity, etc. But this is also the space where you can really reach out to people and where people in turn can reach out to you. Even before the release of the film, the songs have gone viral, with millions of views from across the globe. I just got to see a reel by a girl in a remote village where she danced to the hook step of Time Baruthe at their agricultural field. The fact that the song has reached her and the fact that she has been able to record that reel which has in turn reached us – is amazing.
Will the other songs of Gowri also be released before the film hits the screens?I plan to release one more song – titled Gowri. It is a song dedicated to my late sister Gauri Lankesh. It has been put together with a lot of love and has lyrics by Nagendra Prasad and features Kailash Kher as the singer. The rest of the songs will be released after the film is released as the remaining songs also tell the story.
The film has seven songs, but also features work by many music directors who have pitched in for different songs. What was the idea behind including so many music directors for one film?A musical film like Gowri required these many songs and I don’t think one music director could have brought in the kind of range in genres of songs and dialects that this story required. While telling a story, the film’s director needs to be able to bring in the kind of music he requires to tell his story. We have seen how you can be assured that a particular director’s film will surely feature music of a certain kind that goes with their story – this sometimes happens irrespective of who the music director of the film is. A director has to be able to bring out what he wants for the story from any music director.
What went into choosing these musicians for each of the songs?Today, a film’s songs cannot be just some number added in the middle of a story where you see the lead actors dancing in some exotic destination just for the heck of it. The music and the story of this film are interrelated. Whether it is the peppy Time Baruthe that went viral or the recently released Dhool Yebsava that is a rustic number seeped in the Hubli dialect, each of them is part of the story. I knew that Dhool Yebsava had hit the right chords when people in the audience at the mall where we released it at in Hubli came forward to dance to it right there. This song, even though it is rooted in tradition, is now trending within the top five numbers in the country. A director’s choice in music comes through because of his own judgement of music, and that is what I have done for this film.
What role has your use of social media played in popularising the songs to this extent?Social media is an amazing platform. It has transferred the voice of opinion has gone from media critics to the common man. Earlier, people would read reviews in the media to decide whether to go out and watch a movie or not. Today, it is the common man who has the power to say whether a film is good or not, whether the film’s music is good or not, or for that matter – they have the platform and space to voice their opinions on anything and everything under the sun. Today, the entire narrative is now in the hands of people. Of course there is also a flip side to social media, there is trolling, there is negativity, etc. But this is also the space where you can really reach out to people and where people in turn can reach out to you. Even before the release of the film, the songs have gone viral, with millions of views from across the globe. I just got to see a reel by a girl in a remote village where she danced to the hook step of Time Baruthe at their agricultural field. The fact that the song has reached her and the fact that she has been able to record that reel which has in turn reached us – is amazing.
Will the other songs of Gowri also be released before the film hits the screens?I plan to release one more song – titled Gowri. It is a song dedicated to my late sister Gauri Lankesh. It has been put together with a lot of love and has lyrics by Nagendra Prasad and features Kailash Kher as the singer. The rest of the songs will be released after the film is released as the remaining songs also tell the story.
