Mind over melodies

In tune

He might just be a few films old, but with every single composition he has scored, Joshua Sridhar has only gotten bigger and better.

Be it his soul-touching score for Balaji Sakthivel’s Kadhal or more recently, his scintillating tunes for Veppam, Joshua has managed to make an impression. However, music buffs and fans, who admire the composer, complain that they haven’t got enough of his work to enjoy. Deccan Herald gets the reticent music director to finally open up on a number of topics ranging from the music for his latest film 54321 to his journey as a music director. Excerpts:

How did you get into music?

I was seven when I first told my mom that I wanted to be a film composer. I guess she took it lightly then. I am a big film buff and began learning film music when I was 16, but my parents were against my career choice. So, I left home, stayed with a friend and learnt music. I was 17 then. I studied music for two years at The Madras Institute of Music.

After finishing my studies, I went to Ilaiyaraja to play for him. I would go everyday to his studio in the hope of meeting him. This went on for three months until one day, Ilaiyaraja’s son, Karthik Raja, met me. He told me that there were already four keyboard players and that there were no openings left. I was devastated. It took me a month to recover from the shock. I tried approaching A R Rahman. That too did not work out. Later, I got an opportunity to work on a gospel album. Soon, more such offers came in. When I was working on one such album, I got to know Navin, the flautist who plays for Rahman. He said, “I like your work. Can you produce Christian devotional albums for me?”

On the process of composing…

For any given situation, I score three to four tunes. It takes anywhere between three to five days to compose a song. So, if it is three songs, then I might have taken about two weeks. That is because I need to do not just three tunes, but also the alternatives.

So, when did you start composing for films?

Navin was my first film industry contact. For one of the albums I was doing for Navin, he had a rhythm programmer called Ricky, who got me in touch with music director Keeravani. I worked for six months with him before moving on to work with Mani Sharma, who was getting into music direction then. From there, I started freelancing and soon I began working with several music directors including Vidyasagar and Rahman. Finally, in 2004, I got a call from director Shankar’s office with an offer to compose for a film. From then on, there was no turning back.

Tell us about the music for your next film titled ‘54321’?

There is a reason for this title. The story is about five people, four lifestyles, three murders, two powers and one revenge. It takes place in a matter of two hours. The film has three songs. One is a montage. There is a duet and then we have a title song. This is the first time that I am doing a film which has only three songs. This film is a psychological thriller. So, the script did not require many songs.

You did a fine job in Balaji Shakthivel’s ‘Kadhal’. But then, you maintained a low profile scoring music for only a select few movies. You were again in the limelight only during the release of ‘Veppam’. What transpired?

Actually, at one point, I had decided to give up on cinema. I wasn’t getting many offers. I was seriously considering giving up on music when Veppam was offered to me. Now, after the success of that film’s music, life is again going on.