No better feeling than getting on stage

Only a few Indian rock ba­nds have been able to co­nnect to the audience. And one such band is Vishal Dadlani’s ‘Pentagram’, which is considered as one of the pioneers in Indian independent music.

The band has not only created waves with its heavy be­ats, but Vishal, the lead vocalist of the band, has also made a mark in the competitive music industry of Bollywood.

The music director-cum-musician, spoke to Metrolife about the City and his
compositions.

The band came out with its album ‘Bloodywood’ in 2011 for which it received mixed reviews.

“The album comes from our personal space and our experiences in Mumbai,” he says. The video of the title track, ‘Bloodywood’, was shot in the midst of the Ganesha visarjan in Mumbai.

“We had a massive crowd that had come to watch the shooting. Around 40,000 people turned up. It was complete madness,” he recalls. Talking about his live performances, Vishal says, “There is no better feeling than getting on stage to perform. And each time we perform a gig, it’s just as fresh and exciting.”

Vishal has also carved a niche for himself in Bollywood with fellow composer Shekhar Ravjiani. The duo has worked on projects in several languages including Bollywood films like Jhankaar Beats, Dus, Bluffmaster, Om Shanti Om, Bachna Ae Haseeno, Dostana and Chennai Express among others.

Ask him how he balances his independent music and Bollywood music and he says, “First of all, there is no balance involved. And secondly, I’m in the City with my band. I don’t want to deviate.
 
I will only talk about the band and its music,” says Vishal firmly. Ask him about his stint with reality shows on which he comes across as a harsh critic and pat comes the reply, “I’m not going to answer that question!”