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It is rare to see artistes from indie music scenario to instantly make it big in Bollywood, but for the music producer-maker duo Kabeer Kathpalia and Savera Mehta of Gehraiyaan nothing is impossible. And it all happened thanks to an Instagram message from director Shakun Batra – “Hi, I like your music, wanna meet?”
Shakun Batra, maker of Gehraiyaan, came across a song by the music duo online. The composer duo was recommended by another indie music artiste. The Kapoor & Sons’ director, who was looking for a specific sound for his film, initially reached out to Kabeer for background score but soon sealed the deal with them for the whole album along with the background score.
“It is thanks to our independent music that we got the Bollywood film,” says Kabeer, adding that Shakun Batra’s brief for them were very specific to the story of the film and in relation with the emotions of the characters.
The title track of Gehraiyaan went viral almost as soon as it was released. The same goes for Doobey. Together they have more than 50 million views on YouTube. Sony Music India now releases groovy and fun ‘Beqaaboo’ on YouTube, which has a “synth pop vibe.” The music of the album is fresh and accessible. The elated music composers describe their distinct sound as ‘atmospheric-pop’. According to Kabeer aka OAFF, the music is “cinematic, immersive and an attempt at creating a blend of atmospheric and pop music elements.”
Kabeer, who is a friend of Savera Mehta since school, also collaborated with him for their first single ‘For a While’ in 2018. The song was an instant hit on Spotify. By 2021 they created music for many ads and have given score for the theme title of the international Emmy nominated show, Inside Edge. “Savera is not my music partner but one of my closest friends. In fact, Lothika (who sings the title track of Gehraiyaan), Savera and I went to the same school. Savera and I were also school bandmates (laughs),” Kabeer shares. “We have similar taste and aesthetic sense in music and yet we both work differently so it’s a good balance.”
A student of math and physics, Kabeer finds patterns, structures and reasoning in rhythm interesting to pursue. “I have always been curious about how things work in my mind musically, patterns of what I like and why.” Other than relying on emotions to create music, Kabeer spends time reading about the “mathematics of rhythms and the mathematics of harmony,” which help him in creating the distinct sound. Growing up in Ahmedabad, he listened to varied kind of music from Ravi Shankar to Pink Floyd, but he admits he has always been fascinated by the vast landscape and sonic sounds.
Shift from academics to music was a calling and he had already worked on a few songs before moving to Mumbai about six years ago. He is hopeful and not afraid to be excited about going back to do independent music. “During the pandemic there were not many Bollywood films and less songs, that’s when people started discovering many interesting artistes and different music. It’s during this time that the numbers of people listening to non-filmy music have risen. It’s a good sign.” Kabeer is hopeful that the music in future would be much diverse and will have a richer palate.
However, one of the major setbacks faced by independent artists comes down to marketing and distribution. “Indie musicians need to figure out how to collect royalties, how to manage the music and market it. Once we get these things right, we will have a stronger footing in the market,” Kabeer says.
One would wonder why an artist with that level of clarity would get a moniker ‘OAFF’, as clearly the musician is anything but oaf-like. “Haha, the name is inspired by that word. It’s short and I like the sound of it. I just want to have fun with the music instead of taking things too seriously. The name is a reminder for me to play music and experiment and not turn things too intellectual,” Kabeer shares.
The music album of Gehraiyaan is now out and the movie is releasing on Amazon Prime Video on February 11.
