Bickram Ghosh: ‘At galas, there is also space for small films’

The upcoming Oscars may be special for tabla maestro Bickram Ghosh whose work in filmmaker Girish Malikrsquos musical Band of Maharajas is in the race for two titlesmdashBest Original Song Ishq walla daku and Best Original Score categories In this interview he shares why he believes his music made it to the list of 89 contenders from across the globe Edited excerpts from the interviewWhat has been on your mind since this announcementThere are two aspects to this one is that of course a development like this is a validation for an artiste and makes you feel like your work is being internationally recognised The fact that this is the only Hindi film on the list of contenders is also special Also itrsquos worth noting that this acknowledgement is not the first one for the director Girish Malik and me We were also recognised for Jal in 2014 We are also glad that this film has been selected in two categories Best Song and Best Original Score Wersquore looking forward to the next step now We understand that we are creating the kind of sound that is being acknowledged internationallyIrsquove had a history with the Grammys and the Oscars Irsquove played on four nominated albums and on one Grammyawarded album So we are hoping that in the years to come there is more penetration of our work Right now wersquore just holding on to the fact that this is a step in the right directionWhile many individuals may not emphasise the need for awards you have in our previous interviews never underplayed their place in the life of an artiste Does that aim define the way you score for a filmThe one thing I would underline is that working on an album is different from working in cinema Music for cinema cannot exist without meeting the demands of the film So you are restricted to a certain world of storyline Here the story revolves around three young men who live on the border of India and Pakistan Despite the political turmoil between the two countries the crossover in traditional practices indicates that there is a sense of unity They understand that music can be a hathiyar weaponmdasha medium to protest as well as a social movement We asked ourselves what should be the sonic world that we create for a film like this one Girish and I liked the fact that we could include sounds from across the globe Since the film is set in Punjab we used the Punjabi language but we ensured that the instrumentation was creatively handled There were trumpets and clarinets and then there was also Middle Eastern influences with rababs There were banjos and mandolins too And at the same time we used alaaps So the positioning is lsquoIndia going globalrsquo as far as the sound is concerned yet itrsquos malleable with the current electronic trends There is a huge array of soundIn this song Ishq walla daku you will traverse various worlds but the song is unified by an Indian melody So I believe it was shortlisted because the identity of India has been interestingly retained and the song still aligns with world musicMany fans have aptly pointed to the difference between the attention given to RRR and other Oscar contenders Does that bother youRight now we are on the same list as some of the biggest productions like Dune and Wicked This goes to show that at such shows there is space for everyone Smaller gems can also be pushed into the spotlight and it isnrsquot necessary that only a big film will win We have stuck to our belief system for years To be recognised on the world stage you have to have a sound that is unique and individualistic