Composer and singer Nakul Abhyankar is in the spotlight for his latest creation, ‘Ide Swarga’, from Kannada film ‘Love Mocktail 2’.
The film featuring Darling Krishna has been appreciated for its noticeable tracks. Abhayankar has composed all songs in the film.
He has worked with A R Rahman for the music of Tamil film ‘Sarkar’ and Hindi web series ‘Tandav’, among others.
In a freewheeling chat with Metrolife, he reveals more about the process and his journey so far.
How was the experience of working on ‘Ide Swarga’ for ‘Love Mocktail 2’?
‘Ide Swarga’ was one of my and the team’s favourite songs. I had initially composed the song as a single, which I wanted to release in multiple languages.
Krishna and Milana were asking me about my compositions and as soon as they heard this song, they fell in love with it. Raghavendra Kamath wrote wonderful lyrics for the piece, which has turned out well. Sanjith Hegde has done a great job singing it.
Having crooned two songs for the first part, how was it to work with the same team for ‘Love Mocktail 2’?
Both Krishna and Milana have exceptional taste in filmmaking and the music which should represent their film. I could see that clarity in their mind right from the beginning. They sureshot know what they want.
It was easy to work with the team. In the first part, I sang two songs and programmed and arranged background score under Raghu Dixit. In the second part, the entire responsibility came on my shoulders. I was very excited as I could relate to the story well.
Honestly speaking, Milana could have opted for anyone else. I think they chose me because I knew the brand well.
How many Kannada films have you worked in? How has the experience been?
I’ve composed for films ‘Kannada Gothila’, ‘Bicchugathi’, ‘One Cut Two Cut’ and ‘Love Mocktail 2’. There are a lot of people coming up with new scripts in the Kannada film industry. They have innovative ideas. Better team and financial support is needed to execute the film and I can see that happening in pockets.
You have received recognition worldwide for singing in the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu versions of ‘Frozen 2’. How was it to work with Disney?
Disney was a dream come true. All of a sudden, I got a call for auditions. Even before I could release anything, the recordings happened. After the recording, when I was sitting relaxed at home one day, I reflected on my work and that’s when it really hit me.
Every day I would go to the studio and there were so many versions to be worked with. Listening to the original English number and trying to recreate them in our native languages was a different journey. The way words are stressed and pronounced in English is very different (sic).
What challenges have you faced while singing in different languages?
When I was new in Chennai, I didn’t know anything about Tamil. I took around six hours to record my first Tamil song, because I had to understand how to pronounce and mean what I was singing. Now I can manage Tamil, Telugu, and even Malayalam with proper guidance.
Who does Nakul love being more — singer or composer?
I love being both. However, I am a bit lenient towards composing as I love taking up responsibilities and composing tunes. Once I come up with a tune, I make my wife listen to it.
There are infinite ways to make a tune, but to make and strike the right chord of emotion can be hard.