When language is a barrier

Composer Devi Sri Prasad

Creating a tune that rises above the clamour in the music market and appeases music listeners, is a tough feat. Creating it in five languages such that each appears to be an extension of the other, only makes the process more gruelling. While Jaago jaago bakre composer Devi Sri Prasad laughs about the process as he recollects it for this interview, he admits that enduring it was challenging.

After setting the fundamental composition of the track for Allu Arjun's Pushpa: The Rise, Prasad took an additional 45 days to create the different editions that have now become a rage, online. The process of creating it in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi was less cumbersome "since I know the language and could monitor the lyrics appropriately". But he had to ensure that the lyrics matched the content being depicted by the visuals for the Kannada and Malayalam versions. "Each line had to match the concept of the segment unfolding on screen. We broke the process down. I made the writers pen four lines, and then recorded them with the singers to see if they aligned. I am glad that my sound engineer patiently sat and worked with me. It is not easy to write the same line, with the same meaning and in the same order, across languages. We had to write version after version to arrive at songs that matched the flavour of the original."

Also Read: Devi Sri Prasad: Have recreated Seeti Maar to suit Salman Khan's image

For a track meant to be "rugged and raw", Prasad's choice of singers may seem to be unconventional. He admits that Benny Dayal too was left confounded with his selection. "I look forward to working with singers whose voices I love, but prefer to use the voices in ways that they haven't been before. Often, singers ask me why they've been appointed for the songs that they have. None of the singers I chose [for these five tracks] were those I have worked with, but each is popular in his respective industry," says the composer, particularly elated to have collaborated with Vishal Dadlani for the Hindi version. Roping in a suitable voice for the Kannada edition took longer than anticipated because "few singers had the voice that we desired". "There is a certain way to pronounce some words. I told [singer Vijay Prakash] to follow the tune, but also take liberties. He was the one who said he could use original Kannada expressions. That's what we needed - singers who offered the best they could in their language." In the pipeline for him is Rohit Shetty's Cirkus.

Also Read: Salman Khan lauds 'Seeti Maar' composer Devi Sri Prasad

On top of my playlist: DJ Sheizwood

>> Oh hansini - Kishore Kumar: This is the best melody ever produced! The great arrangements are coupled with better singing.

>> Kabhi to nazar milao Adnan Sami: The first time I heard this track, I fell in love with it. Even today, it sounds as fresh as it did on the day of its release.

>> Tonight - Enrique: Again, I think the amazing music arrangement and singing makes this track great.

>> Mitti - B Praak: I love B Praak's voice. It is only enhanced in this track.

>> Rimjhim gire sawan - Kishore Kumar: In my opinion, this song is the best monsoon track ever created.