Having crafted and rendered the ghazals for Tabus character in A Suitable Boy, Kavita Seth on taking inspiration from the music of the 50s
Kavita Seth
Having a Mira Nair-project on one's resume is just as coveted for actors as it is for musicians, like Kavita Seth, who get the chance to explore new facets of their craft owing to her "brilliance". "She knows what she wants, and also knows how to get that from the artiste she is working with," says Seth, who composed and rendered the ghazals for Tabu's character in Nair-backed A Suitable Boy.
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"For this show, Mira wanted ghazals from the 1950s, and even curated a list of ghazals of Ameer Minai and Mirza Ghalib, for me to compose. On one occasion, she said she wasn't excited about one of the ghazals we were set to record. Within 30 minutes, we worked on it again and made it right. So, it was an educational experience. Artistes like myself become aware of our abilities [when working with her]," says the singer.
Ever so often, Tabu would drop in at the recording studio to watch Seth at work. With a watchful eye on her, the actor would make notes to breathe life into her character of a singer, Saeeda Begum. "Once, Mira ji asked me to send videos of me singing so that Tabu could observe me. I have watched two episodes of the show, and, on occasions, I can point to moments when she has [mimicked] me."
Nair's cinematic adaptation of the Indian classic novel by the same name has been mounted on a lavish scale, piquing curiosity of cinephiles both, in India and abroad. And while another filmmaker would consider the cons of involving an array of musicians for a single show, Seth says only someone of Nair's calibre could weave the different sounds together as seamlessly as she did.
"The music doesn't overpower the show, and is not underplayed either. Based on reactions from the UK [where it first aired], I have been told that viewers look forward to Tabu's appearance, and rendition of a new ghazal," she signs off.
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