Music for Mumbai

Ananya Panday and Shravan Mantri

Tasked with employing music to depict the struggles that Ananya Panday's character endures as she arrives in Mumbai in the series Call Me Bae, musician Shravan Mantri says his aim was to showcase the nuances of the city. "I had [already] made some beats, and roped in a friend to help with additional programming. Subsequently, he brought a rapper on board to pen and rap it," he shares, heaping praise on the lyrics that "capture the emotions people subconsciously encounter while living in Mumbai".

Ask him about the genre he chose to employ to do justice to the pulse of the city and pat comes his reply. "It has to be hip-hop. Gen Z listens to a lot of this stuff, be it commercial hip-hop or underground hip-hop. We had to keep it upbeat in keeping with the vibe of the city, because Mumbai is fast-paced. The song will resonate with those who have come to Mumbai to hustle because it will remind them of the things they endure on a day-to-day basis, including the way in which they cook, and the clothes they wear. The more that [a person] abuses the city, the more they start loving it."