‘The Kerala Story’ music director Bishakh Jyoti on the controversy: I’m not angry but the Bengal ban hurt me a lot - Exclusive!

He’s the youngest Bengali to win a National Award yet he prefers to stay grounded just like his humble background hailing from Bengal. That’s why even if there’s so much appreciation for the music he has composed for ‘The Kerala Story’ Bishakh Jyoti wants to concentrate only on his work and nothing else. The highly talented composer-singer is also elated to see the overwhelming box office response to his latest film ‘The Kerala Story’ despite the ongoing controversy surrounding its subject.

While the Sudipto Sen-directed film is rich in emotional quotient we asked the music director how challenging it was for him to compose the music for ‘The Kerala Story’. “After I finished watching the film it just emotionally drenched me. I just thought I should sit back and think about all those women who had to endure these horrible acts in life. I took almost a day to recover from the emotional stress and then discussed with the director and producer on how we should approach and how the music will be composed to capture the emotional aspect of the story. Frankly speaking, I didn’t take any extra preparation. When I was watching the film in the back of my mind I was working on the music instantly. The emotional turmoil of the protagonists hit me so hard that it left me speechless,” Bishakh shared with ETimes during an exclusive chat.

Speaking about his composition for the song ‘Pagal Parindey’ sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Bishakh himself, the music director shares an interesting story, “Pagal Parindey became a huge hit. It was trending on YouTube for one week and received so much love from the listeners. But due to the controversy surrounding the film, this song didn’t get the limelight it deserved. Also, in the film, when the end credit rolls there’s another song ‘Akhir Kyu’ composed and rendered by yours truly. We thought people have seen the entire film from a woman’s perspective. Why not try to use the song from a male perspective? Just like women and sensible men will also protest this heinous act against women. So we decided to go ahead with my version at the end and it worked quite well.”
Sadly, Bishakh Jyoti’s own state West Bengal banned the film three days after its release and it made the singer disappointed as well. “I know the Bengal government took the decision keeping in mind the law and order situation but at the same time, being a part of the film, I was so sad to see the film getting banned in my state. I regretted that more people could have seen ‘The Kerala Story’ especially when the response was already a huge one. I believe more than judging the film by its merit the controversies took center stage from the very beginning. It overshadowed all the amazing work we did. Not only the music but the cinematography is also great. Several critics have appreciated the music and cinematography departments but debate over the film’s subject took all the limelight.”

There’s another thing that he wants to point out. The music director feels sad to see the way Bengali music and film fraternity has overlooked him despite hailing from this state. “I don’t know why it happened to me. I am the youngest Bengali to win a National Award. I have been invited by IFFI as a jury and yet, in my own state, I haven’t received the appreciation I expected in all these years. I have been working in Mumbai for the last 10 years but still I my root is in Bengal and I will never forget that. But the industry’s behavior here has hurt me. But I know I have to continue what I am doing and these things will never hamper my work,” he added.

Speaking about his upcoming projects, Bishakh Jyoti shares that he has three films lined up along with his ambitious independent works. “I will be busy working on three big-budget Bollywood films Also, I am planning to make a series on folk fusion. It will be a collaboration with international artists and rappers. I know it will take time since I have to work on it whenever I will get time in between my film project. This is a dream project and I don’t want to rush on it. Let’s take time to create a masterpiece,” said the music director ending the conversation.