Kavita Seth, Kanishk Seth discuss turning their indie single Rangi Saari mainstream with Jug Jugg Jeeyo

Two years back, mother-son musician duo Kavita Seth and Kanishk Seth released their passion project Rangi Saari digitally, which went on to become a viral sensation. And now, the soulful track has become a part of the music album of the upcoming family drama, Jug Jugg Jeeyo (JJJ) starring actors Varun Dhawan, Kiara Advani, Anil Kapoor and Neetu Kapoor.

As the Seths are all set to begin their journey as mainstream music composers, Firstpost chats with them about the mixed response that the video of the film version of their song received, being the first mother-son composer duo, the changing dynamics in the music industry and more.

Excerpts from the interview:

Even as an indie single, ‘Rangi Saari’ was a chartbuster. But what kind of push do you think JJJ has given to it?

Kanishk: People already knew this song and we’ve been receiving a lot of love from them ever since we released the song a few years back. So, it wasn’t like we didn’t know what people would feel about the song when it became a part of JJJ. I was performing at a college fest in Dehradun recently and the audience requested me to sing the song twice and when I was singing it for the second time, the entire crowd was singing it from the beginning to the end. That’s the kind of push that JJJ has given to our song.

It isn’t restricted to Spotify or YouTube anymore but is now being shown on television too, thanks to the production house. Its journey began in the digital space but it has now gone full mainstream.

So, how did the song become a part of JJJ?

Kanishk: Earlier, it was supposed to be a part of a film that Shashank sir was directing. A fun fact here is that the original song didn’t have my voice but he was the one who told me to lend my vocals to it after I played him my other singles. Though we couldn’t collaborate with him, we decided to re-record it using my voice as well and release it. Last year, we met him again and he wanted to still use the song in a film, which again couldn’t happen (laughs). But we were in touch with Dharma Productions and music supervisor Azeem Dayani told us that they wanted to use it in JJJ.

Was there any kind of apprehension from your end regarding the song being changed to fit into the film?

Kanishk: No, it has been a rather collaborative experience. They’ve been very supportive. I used to meet Azeem a lot and we would discuss how we can rework on the song. What usually happens with remakes is that you remake a track which is 20-years old, the remake value is different and it hits you differently. But this is a song that released two years back. It was too soon for people to expect to see it in a film. So, we had to be very careful with it. I had met Varun too and he agreed that the song shouldn’t be touched or changed too much and only make very few changes so that it works for the film. So, we haven’t changed the song entirely. We’ve kept its essence and soul intact; we only changed the music slightly as per their requirements.

Kavita: And the special thing about this song is that it has been catering to people across demographics and age groups. For us, it’s a big achievement.

The video of the film featuring Varun and Kiara has received a mixed response. There are some people who believe that the video isn’t doing justice to the song. What are your thoughts on it?

Kanishk: Yes, the comments have been mixed so far. While some people are complimenting the choreography, some believe that the video is too sensual and isn’t in tandem with the song. There’s a common tendency among people to go back to the original video and compare the new one to it, but we’re okay with the new video.

Kavita: The original video was our interpretation but the new one is in line with what the film required. This is the beauty of art. Be it a song or a poem, our perspectives vary. The video of the song used in the film has a quintessential Bollywood touch to it and we were expecting this. Having said that, we’re more than okay with it.

We’ve seen siblings and spouses as music composer duos. This is perhaps the first time that the industry is going to see a mother-son duo…

Kavita: I feel like we’re creating history as a mother-son composer and music producer duo. I’ve always composed songs but when it comes to film music, I’ve been more of a singer. When I was working on Mira Nair’s A Suitable Boy (2020), she told me that I’m a good composer and I should do more of it. Now, you’ll see us do a lot of work together.

Kanishk, now that your career in Bollywood begins, have you received any input from your mother on how to navigate through the industry?

Kavita: We always go to each other whenever we compose something new, individually. We wait for each other’s inputs. When it comes to instant feedback, I get it at home.

Kanishk: She has a lot more experience than I do, so she advises me on how the industry functions. However, she never imposes anything on me and leaves it to me to do things my way. I also tell her things based on the experiences I go through. All in all, it’s a friendly collaboration. It’s never like, ‘Oh, she’s my mother and I need to do things a certain way when I’m working with her’. Working with her is like working with another artiste who I share a great bond with. So, yes, it’s a lot of fun!

Kavita, you had once said that you began turning down dance numbers when you were flooded with them post the success of ‘Tumhi Ho Bandhu’ (Cocktail; 2012) because you weren’t comfortable with their lyrics and the innuendos in them. As a composer, is there any deal-breaker?

Kavita: None. We used to and will continue to make all kinds of music, even as commercial composers. We also have no hard and fast rule that we’ll be singing every song that we compose. We want to tap newer talents too.

What are your thoughts on film albums having multiple music directors composing different songs today?

Kanishk: The situation has changed today. Nowadays, producers come to composers knowing their forte and the style of music they’re known for. Music supervisors are also aware of it. It’s like being in a space of constant self-exploration.

Kavita: And that’s why a film album will have songs composed by multiple music directors. Back in the day, we had one music composer creating a qawwali, a thumri and a romantic song in the same film.

Kanishk: Having multiple music directors working on a film album is a Western approach. The only difference is that unlike the UK or the USA, the songs in our films aren’t exactly synced. We know how our music industry works – the production house buys a song and sells it to a music label. Look at Ms Marvel… the songs are synced and we’ve Raja Kumari and Ritviz among others who’ve sung them. This is a culture that has been there in the West for a long time. We’re gradually getting used to it here and I think it’s both a boon and a bane. We’ll just have to wait and see how things shape up.

Jug Jug Jeeyo will release in cinemas on 24 June

Titas Chowdhury is a journalist based in Mumbai with a keen interest in films and beaches.

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