Tanishk Bagchi on how he became a music composer, what makes Kesari different and recreating classic songs

Music composer Tanishk Bagchi has given Bollywood some of its biggest contemporary chartbusters with films like Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya, Bareilly Ki Barfi, Loveyatri and Simmba. He is a talent to watch out for but it’s quite surprising to know that Tanishk never wanted to make his career in music. Speaking to Firstpost, he said, “I used to do music in Calcutta, but I was not interested in it as there were very few opportunities for growth. I wanted to do something else. I wanted to become a pilot”. [caption id=“attachment_6215401” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Tanishk Bagchi. Image via Facebook[/caption] Bagchi was not ready to choose music as his career but his family’s affection towards the arts decided him to make his way into the musical world. “I was happy doing other work until one day, I decided that since my family is dedicated to music and as it is in my genes, I’ve to continue the legacy and if I fail to carry it forward, it will end the association of generations,” added the Raid composer. Bagchi comes from a Brahmin family where his great grandfather was a musician — a Kirtan artist who used to perform in the temple. His father researched further in this field and they shifted to Calcutta (now Kolkata) where he met his mother, who was also a musical artist and now he’s continuing the legacy with his contributions. Anand L. Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu Returns gave him the break but it was not an easy journey, as he approached many biggies in his initial years but got rejected every time. “After learning music in Calcutta, I came to Mumbai to earn a living. I used to do programming and I never thought that I’ll become a famous personality. I just wanted to learn new things and how can I improve myself,” he says. “I tried my luck in the Bhatt camp; I have sent many songs to Mohit Suri. I have contacted many but everyone was busy with their struggle. This made me much stronger. I started making my own songs, writing lyrics by myself. I did my own compositions.” After his debut song ‘Banno’ became a chartbuster, Tanishk collaborated with Mohit Suri for the Half Girlfriend song ‘Baarishein’. Kapoor and Sons track ‘Bolna’ was also composed by Bagchi and he soom became a favourite of many production houses. Tanishk has composed two songs in the upcoming Kesari. One of the songs ‘Sanu Kehndi’ is already out and he shared details about the second song and the reason why he chose this project. “Kesari is a film I didn’t do because of the name or money or anything else, I did it because my mother is from Punjab, that is my connection to this film.” Speaking about the second song, he said, “It is a romantic track on the lines of ‘Bolna’ — very soulful. As the movie is set in an era where you can’t use electronic music, I have maintained a lot of things in it. There is a very thin layer of sound that I have used here.” Tanishk has also recreated many songs successfully like the recent ‘Aankh Maare’ from Simmba. Such songs often face plenty of criticism, like recently the ‘Mungda’ recreation from Total Dhammal. So, Tanishk says, “I was offered ‘Mungda’, but I didn’t accept, as I believe some songs should not be touched. Many a time, people take classic songs and because of bad treatment, it gets wasted. However, I always see what new element can I bring with the recreation.”