Maja Ma: Siddharth Mahadevan and Souumil Shringarpure on creating Boom Padi track for Madhuri Dixit

The music composer duo Siddharth Mahadevan and Souumil Shringarpure are all in readiness to up the excitement levels this festive season. Their new high octane track - Boom Padi from the upcoming Amazon Original Movie Maja Ma picturised on the superstar Madhuri Dixit has wowed the nation with its enthusiastic, foot thumping Garba rhythms. The ease with which traditional Indian melodies and instruments blend into a contemporary dance melody, picturized on Madhuri Dixit’s awe-inspiring Garba moves, makes for an audio-visual treat for all ages.

What was your reaction when you heard that Boom Padi would be picturised on Madhuri Dixit?

Soumil: We were super-excited when we first heard that Boom Padi would be picturised on a living legend of our industry in Madhuri Dixit. It really doesn’t get any more special than that. But, with that heightened excitement came some pressure as well. The fact that the song was to be Madhuri’s first Garba dance track only added to the expectations. So, we wanted to put in the extra effort into composing the track. We wanted to keep it groovy and upbeat with rhythmic patterns that brought out its core traditional Garba flavour; so we could do full justice to the song and the eventual choreography. We could have delivered nothing less for one of the finest actors and dancers of our generation in the country.

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Tell us the work and preparation that went behind composing the track?

Composing Boom Padi was definitely a challenge. The brief was to make an authentic Gujarati festive song. Director Anand Tiwari was also open to the idea of recreating a traditional Gujarati folk number, but it would be ideal if we came up with something fresh and original. So, that’s where we started from on the drawing board. We wanted to keep it authentic so every instrument - whether melodic or rhythmic - is live in this. Basically, we wanted it to sound like a live ensemble playing at a Garba event while also being fit for a picturised segment in a movie. We wanted to steer clear of any electronic or digital sound.

Once we locked down the melody and the structure after jamming with the director and the lyricist, Priya Saraiya, we went ahead with the song production trying to figure out the nuances of the rhythm sections and the ideal instruments to make it sound authentic. Blending different instruments and meaningful lyrics, retaining that folk flavour, and still keeping the tempo up to support the choreography, made composing this track different from other traditional Garba songs.

Your source of inspiration for the song?

Siddharth: The fact that Boom Padi Re was being picturized on one of India’s greatest actors and dancer in Madhuri Dixit was inspiration enough! We knew there was a lot riding on our composition and expectations would be high. Secondly, working with such incredible talents across the board was an inspiration in itself. Finally; my dad’s advice, inputs, and feedback inspired me to give it our all and make the most of this unique opportunity.

Souumil: Another thing that inspired us was the trust and belief shown by the Producer Amrit and Director Anand Tiwari in our ability to deliver something like Boom Padi Re. I had done the background score of “Bandish Bandits” on Amazon Prime for the full season and built a very good rapport with both of them. That added to their belief in us being able to come up with this track, for sure. It was also heartening to see the buy-in from the both of them and the incredible line-up of artists who eventually worked with us on this. All of this served as ready inspiration every day we worked on the track.

What went behind making an authentic Gujarati song?

We are fans of Gujarati culture, the dance form, and cultural influences; but don’t speak the language at all. Of course, we saw videos growing up. And, having grown up in Mumbai, we were able to draw on our past social experience of attending Garba events from back in the day. That definitely helped us get into the right mind space and visualise the end picturisation. Those memories and experiences actually laid the groundwork for what we eventually composed with “Boom Padi”. Priya Saraiya, the award-winning Lyricist, being a Gujarati herself was able to lend more context with her authentic lyrics and gave us an opportunity to immerse ourselves further into the project so we did complete justice to its originality.

There are some key elements that composers need to get right to ace any Dandiya or Garba track; given our experience working on “Boom Padi Re”. Firstly, one needs to be true to such a track’s Gujarati roots. Right from the infusion of traditional folk elements and instruments like the dhol, flute, or shehnai…the composition has to retain that traditional richness. Next; the melody and tempo have to be fast enough for audiences to be able to dance to it at a leisurely pace. This can be done by fusing contemporary dance elements that balance out the track while retaining its original soul. And, finally…it just needs to be super-fun and relatable. Such a track is for the masses at the end of the day. So, if it uplifts moods and spirits while being festive and joyous…nothing like it!

And, we were blessed to work with a dynamic and dedicated group of artists who helped bring the composition to life. Priya Saraiya has penned the lyrics, bringing an authentic Gujarati feel to the track while Shreya Ghoshal and Osman Mir have done complete justice with their vocal renditions. The whole rhythm section is done by Padmashree Sivamani and also features incredible musicians such as Tapas Roy, Paras Nath, Yogesh More, and more. For us, as composers, it was a very fulfilling and enriching experience to get a chance to make a song like this that tells an original story while also having one of its own.

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