I want to focus more on films now, says Niladri Kumar

Apart from being a popular sitar player, Niladri Kumar also enjoys composing music for films. Having made songs for Hindi films such as Shorgul (2016) and Laila Majnu (2018), the Indian classical musician ventured into OTT with Dr Arora last year. He composed the songs Mehram and Khaalipan for the web series.

Talking about his love for composing for on-screen projects, Kumar says, “As a composer, I have always enjoyed the process of making songs and taking the narrative forward... I feel, being a musician is a big advantage when you start composing. Not all composers are musicians, but most musicians can have the ability to compose.”

While Kumar enjoys making music for films, he only has a handful of outings to his credit. “I am not selective,” explains the musician, “It’s just that I don’t go out of my way to do films. It’s rare to find filmmakers with similar joy and excitement towards music like me. But now, I want to focus more on films.”

Ask his opinion on the prevalence of Punjabi tunes and rap in Hindi film music of today, and he laughs: “Many times I have joked with my friends that listening to music on radio in the car these days may feel like you are driving in Punjab. Nothing wrong with that, but it makes me wonder about how much more and till when. But, for all you know, I might be composing a Punjabi song next, since I adore the music and the lehja/style of Punjab.”

Meanwhile, the musician has been touring back-to-back over the last few months for concerts. After being off stage for two years during the pandemic, he says “being given the opportunity to be in front of a live audience is a blessing”.