Exclusive! Bann Chakraborty on the music of Plan A Plan B: The clarity of Shashanka Ghosh’s vision helped

While Riteish Deshmukh and Tamannaah Bhatia’s romcom Plan A Plan B failed to impress the critics, the music composer of the film, Bann Chakraborty recalled his experience of composing Talli and Keh Do Ke. In an exclusive chat with OTTplay, the musician also talked about how Shashanka Ghosh – the director – helped him with his brief. Read on…

Tell us about the songs. What was your brief while making the songs?

The director Shashanka Ghosh was clear about the two situations for which he wanted me to compose two songs. One was an upbeat dance number at a club and the other was about an opposite-attract romantic situation.

I thought of Talli as an idea that felt correct in the given situation of the film taking place at a discotheque. I had the mukhda of the song in my mind with the words ‘Mai Toh Talli Ho Gaya’ but the magic of words and lyrics was brought about by lyricist Ginny Diwan who was really able to execute the thought of the song very creatively and articulately. This was the first time we worked together and it was such an awesome experience.

I was very sure of the legendary Sunidhi Chauhan who was also part of my first film, Vicky Donor, where she sang my song Mar Jayian with Vishal Dadlani. And again this time, she was so generous to have agreed to sing on this track. Her voice just added another dimension to my vision for the track.

In terms of the overall sound of Talli, I wanted a particular sound that had a retro vibe yet was modern and relatable to the listener.

In fact, with Keh Doh Ke also, I had an idea of what two opposite characters could feel for each other and came up with ‘Keh Do Ke Tum Hi Ho Na Mere Liye’ but beyond that, it was all lyricist Ankur Tewari's poetry that nailed the song. Then, of course, I discovered Vivek Hariharan. This was the first time I worked with him and I must admit that he totally surprised me with his abilities as a singer. I was bowled over by his confidence and talent. Mali is a known name in the independent music scene for a long time but she has mostly done songs in English. I thought it could be interesting to get her to sing the chorus parts of the song in Hindi and it really worked.

I believe both these songs are refreshing in terms of lyrics, composition, and sound.

Plan A Plan B appears to be a comedy. What did you keep in mind while composing the BGM?

First, it was the clarity of director Shashanka Ghosh's vision for the film. Second, again I had a different but fabulous team to work with both internally (my team) and from the studio (the Netflix team). The important thing for all of us was to be on the same page in terms of the overall sonic language of the film. So we tried a mix of '90s and modern soundscapes to cater to the romantic comedy genre. However, I think we were able to create a unique modern zone that worked with the visual aesthetic of the film. My co-composer/producer Natasha Pinto added a great deal to achieve that vision. The music supervisors from Netflix were a dream team to work with. I really hope to work more with them.

Tell us about your experience of working with Sunidhi.

This was the second time I had the opportunity to work with Sunidhi. I tried to work with her for my second film NH10 too but unfortunately, she was unwell during those dates.

Singers like Sunidhi have a limitless commitment to their craft and that is what makes them iconic. For Talli, honestly, I only wanted her, as I felt she was the perfect voice due to the nature and vibe of the song. I was lucky that she agreed. I was more than confident that her voice would be perfect for this track.

Also read: Plan A Plan B review: Riteish Deshmukh and Tamannaah Bhatia's lack of chemistry hinders this Netflix rom-com 

However, it was the male voice that I was not sure about, so I reached out to others. During this time, the producers wanted the rough track (which had my voice recorded with Sunidhi) for choreography and rehearsals. Just before I was planning to re-record the male voice with another singer, the team got back saying that everyone including Riteish Deshmukh felt that we should retain my voice. I was still not sure and remember calling Sunidhi, asking her if it was ok to keep my untrained voice alongside her in the song. As usual, she was so supportive and insisted equally that I should retain my voice for the male vocal section. These are the moments when I count my blessings and getting to work with Sunidhi is definitely one of them