Sameer Rahat: Always composed my father’s poems

Late Rahat Indori and Sameer Rahat

Sameer Rahat, son of veteran poet the late Rahat Indori makes his debut as composer with Soumyajit Majumdar's youth drama, Homecoming, featuring Sayani Gupta and Hussain Dalal. Collaborating with his friend for his first professional work as composer was rewarding for Rahat, given that the director placed no impositions on him. "Usually, when you're working on a film, several [parameters] are defined. He told me the story, and asked me to do as I pleased. Two of my songs had been made before this film came my way, and Soumyajit was keen to have them in it. Now, if you remove these tracks from the movie, it seems [incomplete]. I felt important, because each song adds value to the narrative," he says.

Rahat revisits his father's poem, Khul Jaun Kya for this offering, and has composed the film's central theme around the poem. Given that he had access to his parent's literature from a young age, composing music on poetry was never an unfamiliar process.

"We were in search of a song for the central character. We thought the poem fit the situation aptly. And, it could also serve as a tribute from me to Indori sa'ab. I've grown up reading his, and my mother's poetry. Even before I began working on films, I had access to this literature on which I could compose music. So, this wasn't a new experiment. But, since this was for a film, it was special."

Today in music

February 14, 1987: Bon Jovi started a four-week run at the top spot on the US singles chart with Livin' on a prayer, the group's second US No.1, a No.4 hit in the UK