Rahul Sharma on 'Ramyug' music: Subject of 'Ramayan' drew in classical greats

Santoor player and musician Rahul Sharma has composed and sung songs for the recent web series "Ramyug", and he says that he wanted an amalgamation of classical and modern sounds for the show's soundtrack.

In fact, he adds that he tried to get the best artistes to perform as he wanted to get the perfect mix.

"'Ramyug' is all about Ramayana, so Kunal Kohli, the director, and I wanted the best of the Indian classical world to combine with today's sounds. For each song, we worked on different combinations. For the 'Jai Hanuman' song, I requested Amitabh (Bachchan) ji to sing it, and was delighted when he agreed. Then we thought Ustad Zakir Hussain playing the tabla on the song would be such a unique combination. 
"For the Ram-Sita theme song, I had Sonu Nigam and combined it with Padma Vibhushan Pandit Shiv Kumar Sharma and Pandit Hariprasad Chaurasia playing the santoor and flute respectively," he said, adding: "The other songs feature Ustad Rashid Khan, Pandit Bhawani Shankar on pakhawaj, Narayan Mani on veena and, finally, the Raavan theme song that I sang. I think the subject of 'Ramayan' drew in the classical greats and, of course, I have been part of the classical and film world for more than 20 years now."

He feels these legendary musicians gave the songs a totally different feel.

"So many different maestros would add a few of their personalities and vibe to the music, and I was humbled by them. In the past, when I've collaborated with Grammy-winning musicians like KennyG, Eric Moquet of Deep Forest or Richard Clayderman, I've always composed the melodies, and I've always loved that each artiste brought their colour to my compositions," he says.

Rahul adds that thanks to shows such as Bandish Bandits, the kind of music being made for projects is changing, and musicians with a classical background are a must.