Hans Zimmer agreed to compose Ramayana music without seeing pitch deck, says India's gods and traditions make it important for the West

A behind-the-scenes video offers a glimpse of AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer composing the music for Ramayana, bringing Indian and Western musicians together.

While much is being talked about Ranbir Kapoor and Yash's roles in Ramayana, the film also marks an epic collaboration between music maestros AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer. Recently, the makers shared a behind-the-scenes video offering a glimpse into how the film's music came together. In the video, producer Namit Malhotra revealed that Hans agreed to come on board Ramayana without even looking at the film's complete pitch deck.

AR Rahman and Hans Zimmer have collaborated for the first time for Ramayana.

How Hans agreed to compose music for Ramayana

The video shows Rahman and Hans working together on the film's music, with musicians from both India and the West coming together to create a symphony. Speaking about the film's music, Hans said, "Together we are setting off on a journey that has never been done before, to be able to make music that is thousands of years old about the Gods and traditions that make India so important for us in the West."

Ramayana producer Namit Malhotra spoke about how Hans agreed to compose music for the film without even seeing its pitch deck. He said, "I met Hans in New York. I had made my entire pitch deck and all the world-building. I ran six or seven slides, and he said, 'Namit, it is okay. I don't need to see it.'" Namit went on to talk about how musicians from India and the West came together for the project.

Rahman also spoke about how he and Hans divided the work. While he focused on certain songs and themes, Hans worked on others, eventually bringing the two together. He explained that the process involved constant exchanges between them as they worked towards finding what best suited the film.

'Hans coming onto the project is such a blessing'

Speaking to Hindustan Times in a recent interaction, Rahman had opened up about his experience of working with Hans Zimmer on the film, calling it a blessing.

He said, “Usually I prefer solo work because I'm bad at being precious about my work. I'd just say, 'You do everything and I'll watch!' But in this case, him coming onto the project is such a blessing because it changes the narrative. If someone in New Zealand or Europe sees Hans Zimmer's name, they will watch. If they just see Indian names, they might think it's just another Indian movie, but they'll be curious to see what he has done collaborating on this. It's a great move by the producer.”

Directed by Nitesh Tiwari, Ramayana will release in theatres on November 5.