When Varanasi gave ‘Pupa’ its musical voice | Reghupathi Pai on his Hindi experiment

Varanasi provides the setting, Hindi the language, and a Malayalam film the canvas. For music director Reghupathi Pai, ‘Pupa’ offered a chance to explore a sound he had never attempted before. The second film of State Film Award winner Tony Sukumar, ‘Pupa’ is currently streaming on ManoramaMAX and has drawn appreciation, particularly for its music. The film features three songs, all in Hindi.

‘Pupa’ was also selected for the Moscow International Film Festival. Its first song, ‘Man Mein’, has received an overwhelming response since its release. Pai speaks about creating the music for the film and his friendship with director Tony Sukumar.

Experimenting with music for ‘Pupa’
“Although ‘Pupa’ is a Malayalam film, Tony explained that the story is set in Varanasi and shared his vision for how the songs should be composed. The film follows a police officer who travels to Varanasi to investigate a case, with the story unfolding over a single night. Tony was clear that he wanted the songs to be crafted in ‘pure Hindi’.

This was my first experience composing music for a Hindi song. I immersed myself in Hindi music and explored various approaches before creating the three tracks featured in the film. It makes me very happy to see the positive response to the first song released from the film. Everyone is saying good things about it.”

‘Man Mein’ brings Varanasi’s Ganga aarti to life
The first song, ‘Man Mein’, is set against the backdrop of Varanasi’s famous Ganga aarti. Recalling how director Tony Sukumar described the sequence to him, Pai says, “He told me, ‘There is a temple pathway... it is night in Varanasi. A small waterbody flows alongside, and there is a gentle breeze. Our song should flow through this setting.’”

The girl in the song sees the hero as a divine figure, giving the track a mood where devotion and love come together. “I wanted the song to sound perfect, so we recorded it in Mumbai. Jo Paul wrote the lyrics. I also wanted a fresh voice for the song, which is how Shivani Bhagat came on board. We chose a different voice for each of the three songs,” he says. The next song has a romantic mood and is told from a young man’s perspective. “I am eagerly waiting to hear what the audience thinks of that song,” Pai says.

A friendship that began with ‘Bonami’
Pai’s association with filmmaker Sukumar goes back to the director’s debut film, ‘Bonami,’ for which he composed the music. “Tony is someone who wanders like an ascetic in search of a film. We studied together at Model School in Thiruvananthapuram, but we weren’t particularly close back then. We became friends when Tony was developing a story and decided to turn it into a film.”

Pai was brought on board as the composer, with Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma writing the lyrics. “I composed the music, and Tony liked the track. But the film didn’t happen at the time.” Pai later moved to the US due to personal circumstances. “Two years later, Tony called and told me he was planning a film and wanted me to compose the music. That’s how Bonami happened.”

The film went on to win the State Award for Best Children’s Film, while its songs also received appreciation from the jury. Their creative association continued with Pupa. Recalling one particularly warm response from Sukumar, Pai says, “When I finished the songs and played them to Tony, he told me, ‘If you were here with me now, I would hug you and kiss you, Raghu.’”

Sukumar remains the first person to hear Pai’s compositions. “That one sentence was enough for me,” he says. Another memorable response came from a listener who heard Man Mein. “Someone who heard the song messaged me saying it was ‘soul-calming music’. What more can I say other than ‘bliss!’”

Quality matters
For Pai, the scale of a film should never determine the quality of its music. “Whether a film is made on a small budget or a big budget, the music has to maintain a certain quality. You cannot tell people who enjoy music, ‘This is a small film, so please make some allowance.’ They will simply judge whether the song is good or bad. For a music director, that itself is a challenge.”

Kiran Lal from NHQ, Kochi, handled the mixing of the songs for the film. “If you are hearing the songs in good quality, Kiran Lal deserves credit for that too.” There is also a personal connection that makes the music of Pyooppa particularly special for Pai. Anil Govind, who played the flute in the first song Pai composed 20 years ago, has also played the flute in Pyooppa. “That makes it all the more special for me.”If you want, I can also make this more magazine-style and emotionally engaging, especially the opening around Pai and Sukumar’s long friendship.