Melodies in Munnar

A still from the series

Set against the picturesque locales of Munnar, Love Adhura is brought to life by Dharam Bhatt's lilting music that fittingly justifies the beauty of the valley. Producer Tanveer Bookwala, he says, is a fan of maestro AR Rahman and the "emotional touches" he can lend to a love story. "That was the [sonic] quality he wanted. When he went for the recce, he showed me the different locations across which they were set to film, and that became my inspiration," he says of the four-episode series starring Karan Kundrra and Erica Fernandes.

Given its melodic quality, Bhatt was certain that he wanted to explore the "retrowave" genre for this series. The composer, who also crafted the series' songs, says, "Scoring the background music is more [laborious] because it's like giving life to a movie. Creating an upward trajectory for the narrative is a lot easier to do with songs than it is to do with the score. The way an actor performs also influences my work. When the performance is good, you don't need the music [to stand out]. But it can be used to highlight a performance. Because the narrative builds up in each episode, composing every part of this was a challenge."

The romantic drama follows a wealthy man's interaction with a con woman as they subsequently navigate love and betrayal.