Julius Packiam, who has worked on background scores for movies like Sultan and Tiger Zinda Hain, speaks to SHAlINI SAKSENA about the secret behind his hits
What is your score for Tiger Zinda Hain likeIJ
The theme has already been there since Ek Thha Tiger. The movie is on a bigger canvas this time round. There is a mission and it’s going to be larger than life. It will incorporate an orchestra that we will record and have newage and electronic music that will compliment the film. It will be something that one sees in movies like The Avengers andIron Man. It’s a high breed score — electronic and orchestral music.
Were you always interested in creating musicIJ
I did the usual nine yards when I was young. I was exposed to a lot of music, in school I was part of many rock bands and that culminated into a profession when I left college. I started doing jingles and shifted to Mumbai and my journey began in 2009.
The good, bad and ugly of the music industry.
I would not say good, bad or ugly. But there is competition and some may find that bad or ugly since the competition is tough. It’s a doggie dog kind of environment. But you find this in corporate world too. People are vying for your job, you have to be the best at your job every moment. You must be able to please people that you work with. This industry is not stable, you are not getting salary at the end of the month, you have to look for a new job every day. There are so many people coming to Mumbai and you have institutes who are teaching music. So yes, there is competition. The good is that there is a spirit that one has to maintain.
What is easy to create, a jingle or a score.
This is very subjective. Sometimes a jingle can be a nightmare and film a breeze and vice-versa. A jingle is usually a 30 seconder or a 50 and doesn’t take a day or two. But that can be gruelling 12-20 hours, work in the studio and not sleep. So it can be taxing on some.
What is your secret for giving hitsIJ
There is no secret. It is a matter of chance that the score that I have made for such films have been Rs 100 or Rs 300-crore movies. It is not that I use any particular secret. But I am a director’s guy, try and attain the vision that he has and value-add my own bit. I try and give what he wants. This could be my USP.
How do you approach a scoreIJ
It is a takeoff from what I said earlier — which is the director’s vision. He may tell me that he looking at this scene as a very avant-garde approach. That there is a lot of action but don’t want loud drums beating, instead want a soft score like vocals or a light piano playing while crazy visuals are taking place. Or you go with the flow like the one you see in a movie like Batman. So the approach comes from the director.
Does this hamper your creativityIJ
The director is the visionary of the movie; he the main artist of the film. It doesn’t hamper but challenges me because I have to understand what he is hearing when he is narrating a scene to me. That could be difficult. It could be an orchestra playing but it can be a 60-piece group of musicians. Which part of the orchestra is playing whatIJ What notesIJ What is the dynamicsIJ That is the intricate part. This helps me learn and grow.
You are part of a web-series too.
This a project by director Kabir Khan for Amazon Prime, one of the biggest projects that they are investing in now in India — an eight part mini-series — The Forgotten Army. But it is a multi-lingual series. So if there is an Indian he will speak in Hindi, if he is Japanese, he will speak in Japanese and there will be subtitles making it easy for the international audience in 200 countries where it is aired.
Do you do something to keep your mind workingIJ
Not at all. I don’t think I want to do that. I don’t listen to music since it takes so much of my time. So at the end of the day, I look for silence and listen to sounds of nature. This gives me reprise. But I do have a young team who keeps me updated with the latest music.
How do you unwind thenIJ
Watch TV. I am cued into politics globally. I go for drives and walks.