Composer Salim Merchant: Knew the music had to be minimalistic

Salim Merchant

Late actor Mac Mohan's daughter Manjari Makijany made her feature film directorial debut with the Friday release, 'Skater Girl', based on a rural teenager's life-changing experience when she discovers her passion for skate-boarding. Offsetting the rustic ambience of the film with a soundtrack that's contemporary and upbeat, composer Salim Merchant sheds light on creative decisions taken during its making.

Edited excerpts from the interview:

Given the array of projects you are currently working in, not all of which are associated to cinema, what drew you to this film?
[Sulaiman and I] like to explore genres that we haven't dabbled in, because there's always a wealth of knowledge to acquire from such projects. 'Skater Girl' has so many layers; it's about skate-boarding, and also the caste system. We had to interplay the struggles of the other protagonist, an American woman, Jasmine, played by Amy Maghera, as well. When you have to inculcate all these emotions within the music, it makes for an interesting task. Creating music for cinema is an evolved process, and a beautiful one.

I have worked with the director and writer, sisters Manjari and Vinati Makijany respectively, on a short film in 2015. The Corner Table was directed by Manjari. Vinati acted in it with Tom Alter. I knew then that these two sisters will go ahead and achieve their dreams. When I saw ['Skater Girl'], there was no doubt [that I wanted to be part of it]. I got emotionally involved, even when it had no music. I wanted the music to be minimalistic. The storyteller had already captured the emotions well, and music could spoil it. I didn't want that, and so, tried to do as little as possible.

But the team felt we should try making a song, and a few sections for the skate-boarding sequences. So we did. And they sounded so good that Manjari and Vinati got greedy. The other number, Mari chhalangein, comes at a point when the film, until then, is at a low point, and needs a lift. This track brings in a sense of euphoria. Since the film is in two languages, I knew it would also be nice to have the song in English and Hindi.

How did you arrive at the singers for the tracks?
Raja Kumari is someone I have been wanting to work with for a while. She's a good singer and has been on my radar. The person I wanted for another song was Bhanvari Devi. She recorded the track, and I liked it, but Manjari was keen to have a younger voice render it. We couldn't find a young girl, so we found a young boy, Mohmmad Fazil, who sounded like a girl. For Mari chhalangein, I knew it had to be Sharvi [Yadav]. She has a pop-rock voice, and belts out her songs [strongly].

Why was the decision to limit traditional folk elements taken?
I wanted a Rajasthani flavour since it has been shot in a village. But Manjari urged me to stay away from that. With the contemporary pop-rock vibe that we created - only employing a [traditional] voice to support it - we were able to create a soundtrack that will be more palatable for the audience consuming it on Netflix. Adding Rajasthani flavour would not have been bad, but I don't miss it when I see the film.