Musicians Sadhu Tiwari, Rishi Pathak and Dr Vishal Chaturvedi credit ‘honest and rooted music’ for Hanuman Ansh success

As the songs of Hanuman Ansh strike a chord with audiences, it's director and singers-composers share their experience of bringing the film's music to life.

Feature film Hanuman Ansh, based on the journey of saint Neem Karoli Baba, is hogging limelight due to its blockbuster collection, and one of the major pillars behind it has been its viral music.

(L-R) A still from Hanuman Ansh and Sadhu Tiwari, Vishal Chaturvedi and Rishi Pathak during a musical session

Debutant director Dr Vishal Chaturvedi, a trained musician and also a singer-composer of the track Hriday Mein Jinke Sita Ram, says, “The stars of the success are musicians and their honest and rooted compositions.”

The film’s composers include Sadhu Tiwari, Rishi Pathak, Dhirendra Mulkalwar, Shreyas Dharmadhikari and visually impaired singer-composer Suneel Lodhi (Maine Tere Hi Bharose), and they have used two tracks of American vocalist Krishna Das.

Singer-composers Rishi Pathak, Sadhu Tiwari and Dr Vishal Chaturvedi

Speaking to HT City, Tiwari, who composed five viral tracks including Parvati, Bajrang Banka and Aavagaman, says, “I composed multiple tracks but knew which would suit the film and they got selected. They were composed with minimal music and regional flavour. I was not here just as a singer-lyricist-composer; we all worked owning the project. What happened thereafter is Baba’s blessings. I knew they would be liked but such virality is just magical.”

Singer-composer Rishi Pathak, who has also doubled as line-producer in the film and is part of three songs, says, “I am associated with the project from the start, and with Vishalji have worked together for years and musically jammed too for his Hanuman Chalisa Club. I co-wrote and composed Jai Hanuman, sung and recomposed Vaishnav Jan To and wrote-composed Ram Bhajan Ki Or. Nothing in the film is due to personal relations, and probably due to this professionalism the film and its music connected with people.”

Hailing from Sitamarhi, Bihar, he has done multiple indie projects and composed and sung for R Madhavan’s Rocketry, but in the end all songs were taken out from the film.

Himself a singer, Vishal says the rawness of the musician and language played a big role. “The songs are in Awadhi, Braj and Bundeli boli and part of culture. Its mithas (sweetness), mitti ki khushboo and soul probably reached the heart. Sadhu’s raw voice, Rishi’s khuli awaaz and deep composition, Suneel’s full of life voice, Krishna Das’s soaked in devotion compositions which we used as it is, and Dhirendra’s background music and song – that we used last moment – all are the hero of the film,” says Vishal.

He recently sung Parajay and Dhain Dhain in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s film Ghamasaan. He has received musical training from Bhatkhande Sanskriti Vishwavidyalaya, Lucknow.