Folk rhythm represents the true spirit of Indian music: 'Sairaat' music directors Ajay and Atul Gogavale

You'd worked with Nagraj Manjule on the Fandry theme. Were you prepared for that intensity again when approached by him again for Sairaat?

Ajay: The deep hurt and sorrow of rejection that Fandry spoke of worked without melodrama. The protagonist knows he can't wish away the 'otherising' upper castes and lives with it. He won't let that pain affect his love for life. That was the spirit we tried to imbibe Fandry's theme with.

Atul: We met for the Sairaat narration a month after Fandry released. In the first five minutes, we were blown away by the directness, simplicity and innocence of the love story. Unlike Jogwa or Natasamrat which came with their own traditional paradigms, here the canvas was wide and open.

And you had a song within the first five minutes of narration.

Ajay: Its always like that with us. We don't think of music, words or interludes in isolation. The whole song comes together in a flash. I stopped the narration, picked up the keyboard and began singing the first line of Yaad laagala.

Just like that?

Atul: We've always been instinctive and organic. We don't know another way.

Ajay: We only have clarity on what we don't want. Often we are blank and keep striking off options till we feel something clicks at the gut level. Even with Sairaat, I said we need a full-fledged symphony orchestra for this. We wanted the rural folksy words to contrast and stand out with the symphony.

You knew you wanted to record the music overseas then?

Ajay: When we thought of the song, we knew that. The feel and texture were in front of us, and we're glad Zee Studios agreed immediately.

But why LA's Sony Scoring Stage?

Atul: We researched and sounded off several places like Prague, Vienna and others. But with the Sony Scoring Stage, the connect was instant.

Ajay: In the past, this studio has recorded the music for iconic films like Gone With the Wind, Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia, Schindler's List and ET. It is a favourite with filmmaking legends like Steven Spielberg. It took nine months of emails before we finally flew down to record the symphonies with 66 musicians under the baton of renowned conductor Mark Graham.

Ajay and Atul recording the first ever Indian film score for 'Sairaat' at Sony Scoring studios, Hollywood LA 

And what was the experience like?

Ajay: For us it still feels surreal. We come from a background where we didn't have any musical instruments and often practised with chatties, buckets, containers and bowls at home.

Atul: This was a totally new and different ecosystem. Royalties which are never given even to music directors in India. There they have to be mandatorily given even to musicians.

Not many music composers evoke such mass frenzy as you.

Atul: Many legendary actors, composers and filmmakers have done great work and are deservingly well-respected, but the way people from grassroots want to own and take pride in our work is humbling. All our lives we've idolised composer Ilaiyaraja. When people accord us the same love and respect it is overwhelming.

Ajay: I can only call it a blessing that not only connoisseurs, but people on the streets shower us with so much love. That drives us to work harder.

Doesn't this come with the burden of expectation?

Atul: No. Because we don't think like that. Anything done with an eye on popularity alone can't work in the long run. A performer only gives audiences what they want. An artiste gives audiences what they didn't even know they wanted. When they hear it, they feel divine.

Atul: Every composition is like our first ever and we work on it like we won't ever get another. We've always done one film at a time. We want to make thrones, not chairs. Having said that we admit, given the sheer number of platforms and options, a song has to stand out. Simply copying a trend can only make one the second best.

But you worked with a symphony in your 2005 album Vishwavinayak.

Ajay: We wanted to do it right then and even called the album Symphony Ganesha in the beginning. But there was no budget. We made do with four violinists and programmed music.

As Hindi films beckon, will Marathi films now be the second choice?

Ajay: We want to do good work. Whether it's Hindi, Marathi or even Telugu films.

Atul: The budgets, criteria and logistics are all very different in Hindi cinema, but Marathi films have given us enough space and comfort to experiment. In Hindi too, whether we worked with Raju Hirani, Rohit Shetty or Karan Malhotra, we've had a free hand.

How do you choose projects?

Atul: We get calls from people who come with shopping lists. They want a song like Abhi Mujh Mein, one like Chikni Chameli and maybe a Khel Mandala. And even on the phone we know we don't want to do that film.

Ajay: While its flattering that the reference points are our own songs, this shows how little they trust us. We want to challenge our creativity and do better and bigger things.

Is getting non-Maharashtrians like Hariharan, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal, Shankar Mahadevan or Kunal Ganjawala to sing in Marathi a ploy to create a buzz for your songs?

Atul: Nothing could be more untrue. When the song comes to us, we already know what kind of voice and style will suit it best.

Ajay: Do we see Lata Mangeshkar and Asha Bhosle as only Maharashtrian? They have ruled the world of film music for over six decades in almost all Indian languages.

Your music borrows heavily on folk rhythm.

Ajay: We think this represents the true spirit of Indian music. People are using hip-hop, club, lounge, reggae but these are far from the sound of cinematic music we grew up on. Its bigness is getting lost. We want to bring back grandeur which we love.

Atul: People like such novelties, but eventually go back to melodies from the '60s and '70s when they want to unwind to music on the radio or long drives. Folk is a good way to bring back that magic.

You haven't had training in classical music...

Atul: We come from a working class family with no background in music/films. But people like Mark Graham in LA felt we're can think out-of-the-box because we're free of the stranglehold of formal training.

Ajay: Sometimes when we are in places like the LA studio, we wonder if we'd communicate our ideas better if we could write our music and create sheets.

What were some of the early influences which moulded you as composers and musicians?

Ajay: We have taken generously from Prahlad Shinde, Shahir Vitthal Umap, Shahir Sable, Ram Kadam, Hridaynath Mangeshkar, Sudhir Phadke, Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Laxmikant-Pyarelal, John Williams, Hans Zimmer to Jerry Goldsmith.

Who are some of the contemporary composers you admire?

Ajay: Vishal-Shekhar, Vishal Bhardwaj

Atul: Shankar Ehsaan Loy

Ajay: And AR Rahman and Amit Trivedi

Some say your stage performances as balladeers from a young age gives you an edge over others?

(Both laugh)

Ajay: Now this is too much! So we'll now get to hear that we were lucky to be growing up in rural interiors.

Atul: "How lucky! You had pigs in your village."

Many say your music for the Make in India event at Hanover, Germany was the best thing about the campaign.

Atul: What kind of question is this? Are you here to get us into trouble?

Music and music composition too is becoming slave to technology now. What is your take on this?

Ajay: If art is bereft of soul, then it won't remain art. That's what too much reliance on technology is doing.

Atul: Why did we go all the way to record with live musicians in LA? We could have simply got it off a computer programme. But it doesn't work like that...

Finally, do you also fight like all siblings? If yes, what about?

Ajay: It's rarely about the creative process. On that we are always in sync. It's other things (laughs).

Like?

Atul: Like he went all over LA looking for Indian food. And I'm like, why can't we eat at McDonald's and be done. Almost all our fights are about stuff like this.