New Delhi: Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt’s lead song “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani” is inspired by songs from 1990s Hindi films, says songwriter Pritam.
The family drama film is directed by filmmaker Karan Johar and also stars veteran actors Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan and Shabana Azmi in key roles.
The songwriter said that Karan wanted a complete catalog of songs that would remind viewers of “90s romance”.
“He wanted LPs (long play) … so the song structure changed. Each song has two ‘antara’ (paragraphs) and they are about five to six minutes long. If you see the whole movie, it’s full of nostalgia, emotions, everybody is singing old songs and we use them in the background. The soundscape is like that,” Pritam told reporters here.
The song’s composer was speaking at a promotional event for “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” along with Ranveer and Alia on Friday night.
For one of the songs, “Jhumka”, Pritam and his team played Asha Bhosle’s iconic song “Jhumka Gira Re” from the 1966 film “Mera Saaya”. The new track was written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and sung by Arijit Singh and Jonita Gandhi.
Pritam also revealed that Dharmendra will be seen singing some of the film’s classic tracks.
“There is a reason to revisit ‘Jhumka Gira Re’. The soundscape is full of this nostalgia and there’s Dharamji singing old songs and it’s all for a reason. That’s what got me excited,” he said.
“When I was composing the songs, I had LPs, Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik and the 90s era in mind. We modernized it, but the basic core and melody remained the same,” he added.
For the protagonist Alia, wearing chiffon sarees and dancing in the snowy mountains was her dream, which came true with the song “Tum Kya Mile”. The track is his favorite from the album “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani”, said the actor.
“It was a dream for me, wearing chiffon saris, running in the snow and singing songs. So the kind of satisfaction I got is something I’ve never experienced before,” she said.
Alia also said that her husband and actor, Ranbir Kapoor, loved the film’s trailer and songs. Ranbir had worked with Karan on his 2016 directorial “Ae Dil Hai Mushkil” which also had music by Pritam.
“He’s a big fan of Pritam, they’ve produced some fantastic albums together. When work started on the film’s music, I used to make Ranbir listen to the songs. He has a strong instinct for sound.
“Like, when I made him listen to ‘Tum Kya Mile’ and ‘Jhumka,’ he gave his opinion on it. He said, ‘That’s good.’ Normally, whenever I work on a film, I bring my enthusiasm and take it along for the journey. Even when he has other things to do, I drag him along,” Alia said.
Ranveer revealed that his wife and actress, Deepika Padukone, has become a fan of the film’s album and is looking forward to the film.
“She loved the trailer and understands what it means to be the lead in Karan Johar’s directorial film. It’s a big deal. He is one of our country’s eminent directors. I can’t wait for her to see the film and hear what she thinks of it,” he said.
Pritam praised Alia and Ranveer, saying that the two actors gave everything to their characters.
“I’m Bengali and Alia plays a Bengali in the film and she’s so good. I can imagine my sister speaking in that tone. Ranveer is good too. After watching the film, everything will fall into place,” he added.
The musical event, organized by Spotify, featured performances by Jonita Gandhi and Sonu Nigam.
Pritam expressed his excitement to collaborate with Sonu for one of the film’s songs.
“Sonu was on holiday in Mauritius and I had to call him. It was kind of him that he agreed. The song is extremely special, you have to watch the film to understand the impact of the song,” added Pritam.
Produced by Dharma Productions, “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani” is set to hit theaters nationwide on July 28th.
(This report was posted as part of the auto-generated syndicate feed. Other than the headline, no edits were made to the copy by ABP Live.)
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