The new single from the upcoming rom-com Bad Girlz, titled ‘Ila Chusukuntane,’ marks a comeback for notable composer Anup Rubens, who had been relatively absent from film music in the past two years. He says that while he got a little tied up with concerts and other commitments, the coming few months will see the release of many of his film soundtracks, including Seetha Payanam, Bad Girlz, and Boomerang. Besides his song for Bad Girlz, the first single from Seetha Payanam titled ‘Ye Oorikelthave Pilla,’ was also released a few weeks ago. Anup adds, “For Bad Girlz, there is another retro-styled song I have composed, which I am very excited about.”
Anup Rubens had eight film releases in 2022, including major projects like Bangarraju, Lucky Lakshman, and Odela Railway Station. He doesn’t deny the changing music preferences for both music lovers and filmmakers, which are increasingly determined by social media trends. He says, “It’s natural that the scenario will change. Now, any song has to click within 60 seconds.” At the same time, Anup also prefers to look at the positive side of social media and its impact on the music industry. “If a song works now, the reach is greater. Earlier, it was a lot of work for an average listener, who had to either play it on an MP3 player or a CD player. But now, the minute you open social media, the songs are there. They have greater reach now when they achieve success,” he notes.
Among the new composers, Anup says that he is a big fan of Anirudh’s work. When asked to recall other recent favourites, Anup mentions ‘Premalo,’ from Court - State Vs A Nobody. He adds, “Of course, all Pushpa songs were great. I listen to a lot of music and keep track of what’s happening in the industry. I also keep downloading new software and programs to be technologically up-to-date.”
Anup, who completed 20 years as an independent composer last year, feels fortunate that he found success in the industry with his debut film OST itself — Jai (2004), where the song ‘Vande Mataram’ in particular became very popular. He adds, “I was accepted by the industry right away. Then there were breakthrough albums like Manam, — which was a really unique film for the industry— Temper, and Prema Kavali at regular intervals. Of course, all songs of Ishq resonated very well with the audience as well.” When asked about a particularly challenging composition or film project, Anup is quick to mention ‘Needhe Needhe’ from the Venkatesh-Pawan Kalyan starrer Gopala Gopala (2015). He recalls, “It was a song about a conversation about a God and a human being, where the emotion had to be conveyed in a subtle manner, without spelling out the God-related themes.” Anup also mentions the background score for films like Ramleela and Temper as challenging, which required a lot of intensity in their themes to capture the heroism of the story.
The composer, who began his film career as a keyboard player and programmer for notable music directors like Chakravarthy and RP Patnaik, mentions Ilaiyaraaja and AR Rahman as his biggest influences in the industry. Anup also fondly remembers his first piano teacher, Frank Fortunate. On a personal note, however, the composer says that his mother was his first teacher.
With decades of experience, Anup considers patience to be one of the most important qualities of a composer. He then stresses the importance of a composer understanding their director as much as they understand the script. “You have to really understand what he is trying to tell with a story, only then can you deliver great music, music that suits the film,” he concludes.
