Dhruv Ghanekar: Music paves the way for the narrative

Dhruv Ghanekar

India seems to be the flavour of the decade," Dhruv Ghanekar says early in our conversation as he makes a case for choosing Japan as the home for his next musical, Mumbai Star, before it travels across the globe. "Our musical is a celebration of Indian films, movies, and culture. It's about a boy, a Kathak dancer, who arrives in Bombay to become a star," he says of the 19-track musical that continues to travel across the East Asian country before a culminating act on December 19.

Albeit classical in its approach, Ghanekar, who composed the music of Dhaakad (2022), claims to have taken a modern approach to the composition. "There is an out-and-out Ganpati pandal number, and a [dramatic] finale track. You'll find sounds of the city in this musical. The ethos of Mumbai has been beautifully recreated."

His previous exposure to stage acts via the musical, Aladin, taught him that work on a project of this nature can "begin at any point". Ghanekar, however, chose to take a chronological approach. It enabled them to appropriately structure the narrative and facilitate the creation of a drama in which the words and the music can be seamlessly interdigitated. He depended on his ability to pick appropriate collaborators to help him in his endeavour. "For the Kathak portions, we had Pandit Ravi Chary come on board. [He helped me] create rhythms that would be the foundation of the choreography. Taufiq Qureshi did the percussions. His understanding of rhythm, culture, and sub-cultures is intricate. Nakash Aziz was also involved with the project. When you're looking for collaborations, you want to rope in those who are experts in their field. You don't want to be the smartest guy in the room." The diversity in the compositions is a reflection of the assorted musicians Ghanekar has roped in, including Stony Psyko, Riya Duggal, and Naveen Kumar, among others.

Unlike in films where the music supports the narrative, Ghanekar says a musical is driven by the songs. "Music sets the tone for the visual show and establishes the language of the narrative. The narrative must fit the structure of a song. So, the song informs all the decisions of the play." He confesses having to redo a chunk of his play after being asked to "simplify" it for Japanese viewers. "It's a challenging process because you have to tell the audience what is happening at all times. All emotions must be expressed through lyrics. While composing, I often had to sketch while working on the piano. I'd play all the character voices myself, and define their singing styles." However, when he had to let his work finally unfold on the stage, Ghanekar admits to finding the final piece different from the way he had anticipated it to be. "Because you live with the music for a long time, seeing it appear different can lead to anxiety. I had to disconnect from my work as a composer and wear an editorial hat to say that as long as it sounded good, it stayed."

19
number of songs in Ghanekar's Mumbai Star