Sachin-Jigar on composing for Bollywood: Trust and challenges bring out the best in us

Composer duo Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya, who have four films — Gold, Stree, Parmanu, and Arjun Patiala — lined up, describe themselves as ‘method musicians’ working on the basis of a film’s ‘texture’.

We know about ‘method actors’, but ‘method musicians’? That’s how Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya describe themselves. The two, who have four films — Gold, Stree, Parmanu, and Arjun Patiala — coming up this year, say that the script is the nucleus for them, as it helps with understanding the texture of the film. From there, they move on to what kind of soundscape the story demands and the number of songs that are required.

Composer duo Sachin Sanghvi and Jigar Saraiya, aka Sachin-Jigar, is currently working on their independent album.

“We’re quite methodical in our way while making music for films,” says Sachin. “Every script demands a different sound design; it tells you what it’s hungry for. A love song for a romcom, Shuddh Desi Romance (2013), demanded a certain texture, while the one for a dance film, ABCD: Any Body Can Dance (2013), required the touch of ballet, contemporary, hip-hop... The [script] narration before we start working on a film also helps. Challenges are important. There have been times when the filmmakers have asked for a certain number of songs, but we explained that things might work out better in less than that. When the trust is there, it brings out the best in us.”

About their upcoming releases, Jigar adds, “Both Gold and Parmanu are films based on music, while Stree and Arjun Patiala will make you fall in love and go cry for your loved ones. We enjoy challenges, and each of these films demanded something different and took us out of our comfort zone.”

Talking about what inspires their music, the duo says that there are various artists they enjoy listening to; also, what’s happening around them kind of triggers a response, too. “There are artists we look up to. When it comes to blues, country blues and Western folk, we admire John Mayer. Production-wise, it’s Drake and Justin Timberlake. For Sufi, our favourites are AR Rahman and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan — we’ve grown up listening to them. It’s not that we listen to them while composing, but their compositions inspire us,” says Jigar.

Interact with Shreya Mukherjee at Twitter/@Shreya_MJ