Anurag Kashyap on Asha Bhosle’s Early Reaction, and How Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar Shaped the Sound of “Paanch” and ‘No Smoking’ (EXCLUSIVE)

When Asha Bhosle told them they were “ruining” music during the making the music for “Paanch,” it wasn’t just a moment of discomfort, it was a reality check. For Anurag Kashyap and his team, the reaction underlined how far they had drifted from the familiar grammar of Hindi film music. There was confusion in the room, a sense of risk, and no clear template to fall back on. But that unease became part of the process, one that would go on to define not just “Paanch,” but also the experimental soundscape of “No Smoking.”

“It was always the kind of music I used to listen to; I wanted to do something like that. The whole inspiration behind ‘Paanch’ was a band that used to play live in Mumbai at that time. I used to listen to them, and then there was Pentagram, I was a massive fan of all of that,” Kashyap says.

That instinct defined the film’s music, even if the process was far from clear. “I was making ‘Paanch’ and we were working on those mad numbers. I would make Vishal ji (Vishal Bhardwaj) and the others listen to songs by Jim Morrison and more. They would all be confused about how to go about it.”

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The uncertainty extended to the writing room as well. “In that process, we also had Abbas Tyrewala with us, who was deeply into music from the ’70s and ’80s. He wrote a song, and Vishal ji was looking for a singer.”

It was during one such recording that things got tense. “I remember one incident when, while recording a song for ‘Paanch,’ which is not in the film, Vishal ji called Asha ji (Bhosle) and requested her to record it. And she, in return, schooled him, saying, ‘What is this? You are ruining your music.’ We were all, of course, scared, but she did eventually sing a song in the film.” Bhosle sang ‘Jism Hai’ in ‘Paanch,’ which to date is one of the most loved tracks from the album. 

For Kashyap, that reaction only highlighted how unconventional their approach was. “In our defense, we were trying something new, and it kind of ended up working.”

With “No Smoking,” the unpredictability gave way to a more defined but equally unusual approach, led by Gulzar. “With ‘No Smoking,’ it was all Gulzar Sahab. He heard the story and decided that every song was going to be about cigarettes, tobacco and smoking.”