Very early on in the process, I scored the 10min test film that was made before the main filming began. I’m very visually inspired so the visual tone and atmosphere of that gave me a great template to experiment with and come up with a unique sound palette and themes for the film.

We didn’t want a conventional horror score for this film. We also definitely didn’t want to use the clichéd Indian instruments such as the sitar or tablas.

We were after a much more ancient atmospheric score that portrayed the inner journey and character transformation of Ronnie.

I could identify with the roots of the main character. He is an ‘outsider’ trying to connect with his past as he arrives in India as a stranger. The ethnicity of the score is something that is embedded in my own DNA so it’s not something that I had to bring out by force. It was already there !

I was particularly inspired by the visual atmosphere evoked by films such as The Shining, Angel Heart, and Don’t Look Now - real classics of psychological horror - that look at the unravelling and descent of the main characters and in the case of Don’t Look Now - also the ‘under the surface’ underworld portrayal of a city.

We didn’t to resort to conventional musical horror tropes relying upon shock effects and orchestral stings.

I wanted to use sound sources pooling from Indian classical traditions, the female voice and analogue synths as well as ancient 16th century stringed instruments.

The music helps illustrate the unveiling of the layers of Ronnie’s character.

I wanted to explore the concept of evil - present within Ronnie that grows and envelopes him the deeper he immerses himself into the sub-culture of the city.

During the filming, I also wrote lots of sketches and thematic ideas away from the pictures - to find a theme that represented Rakhi and the concept of Evil that encroaches and grows more prevalent, and also a theme that represented the pulse of the city.

I used slightly unconventional Indian classical instruments such as the Sarangi and ancient bowed instruments such as the Viol and Violette to create atmospheric motifs and textures.

It was a huge relief to see that much of the music fit the tone of the film so well when they started editing. It was a really wonderful way of working in a way that drew all of the film’s elements together very organically.

I used the immediacy and emotional quality of the human voice to represent Rakhi - a powerful, raw organic element that would hopefully give it a visceral quality, almost like a siren calling - that seduces and lures Ronnie deeper and deeper into the underworld.

Later on however, as the score developed, we found that it was more effective to use the voice sparingly and I gravitated towards more contemporary, electronic atonal soundscapes with elements of strings, electric guitar and voices for the more emotive aspects.

The guitar is the western instrument that connects you to Ronnie’s western foundations.

The city also has it’s own rhythm so in some instances, the score evolves out of the natural sounds of the city such as the revolving ceiling fan, or the bell of a rickshaw, when it transforms into an incessant heartbeat weighing heavily on Ronnie.

I also like what I call “happy accidents”. When music you write away from the visuals is laid against a scene for which it wasn’t originally intended. you gain a difference connection and outlook on the scene; it brings out a hidden sub text and meaning.

Music Supervisor: Claire Freeman

Score Mixer: Steve Parr

Sarangi – Surjeet Singh

Prepared Double Bass – Malcolm Laws

Baroque Violin & Vielle – Pavlo Beznosiuk

Vocals – Nainita Desai

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