PremiumRP Patnaik on Ahimsa: Felt guilty that I couldn’t return to music direction when SPB was alive
The multi-faceted artiste talks about his next release as a composer, Ahimsa, for which he joins forces with director Teja after many years
Last Updated: 09.45 PM, May 29, 2023
Ahimsa, which introduces Rana Daggubati’s brother Abhiram Daggubati and Geethika as lead actors, also brings together director Teja and composer RP Patnaik after many years. The combo had given us some memorable hits like Nuvvu Nenu, Jayam, Chitram, Nijam, to name a few. After several commitments as an actor and a director, RP Patnaik is returning as a composer with Ahimsa. Ahead of its release on June 2, he interacted with OTTplay.com on Monday.
On making a comeback with Ahimsa:
Irrespective of whether I’m working on a film or not, I work for over 18 hours a day. I’m associated with a few films in Kannada and I’m writing stories that I wish to direct someday. Music brought me a lot of fame but I took a brief sabbatical from composing. SP Balasubrahmanyam kept asking me when I would be back as a composer and when he passed away, I felt guilty that I couldn’t fulfil his request. When I said this to Teja, he offered me Ahimsa in a few days.
On his ambitions as an actor, director, composer:
Be it acting, directing or music direction, I take up something only when I believe in it fully. I like all roles equally. I’ll be honest that people identify me as a music director first but I enjoy writing too. There were days when I didn’t eat for 24 hours to finish writing a 70-pages-long story. In this stint, I plan to focus on music more but I’m not too keen on small-budget projects.
Music direction, a costly affair:
Composing music is a costly affair these days. Singers, keyboard players have all increased their remuneration. I’m someone who doesn’t believe in trends and I believe I’m relevant for the times. If something succeeds with audiences, it becomes a trend. When I work on a song, I’ll think if it’s compelling enough to make a viewer sit in a theatre. When I’m not convinced about it, I reject even a great composition. I want to create music that is timeless.
What can one expect from Ahimsa?
Ahimsa has a new story and it’ll be a refreshing experience in theatres from what I experienced while scoring the background music. The freshness in the story has rubbed onto the album too. The story revolves around protagonists with contrasting ideologies. The male character, who believes in non-violence, evolves with experiences and feels Krishna’s philosophy is right for the times we live in.
On the responses for film’s songs:
I am happy with the responses for the music but I think it deserves more love too. I think audiences will look back at the songs and appreciate them better after the film release. A song like Priyathama in Jayam was so integral to the film’s success. I believe Ahimsa’s music has potential to create such an impact. Listeners who have high expectations from Teja and me won’t be disappointed.
The other highlights of Ahimsa:
Teja understands how to groom newcomers like no other director in the industry. Abhiram fell in the right hands. He knows how to mould debutants and extracts the best out of them. The film will be a visual feast as well. We went to several scenic locales in Madhya Pradesh for shoot - they’ve hardly come to the fore in Telugu cinema and will captivate your senses.
What next?
As a director, I want to helm a musical next. I have written a story around elections as well and it has the scope to go big if I find a producer. It’s much bigger than Broker. I have written two stories for OTT as well.