Santosh Davakhar on Working With Ilaiyaraaja for ‘Gondhal’: ‘He Travelled From Chennai to Nashik to Experience the Ritual’ (EXCLUSIVE)

Authenticity was central to filmmaker Santosh Davakhar’s vision for “Gondhal” and that extended to the film’s music. The filmmaker brought legendary composer Ilaiyaraaja on board to create the music for the Marathi film, but the collaboration went beyond simply composing a background score. To understand the cultural and musical traditions that form the backdrop of the story, the veteran composer travelled from Chennai to Davakhar’s native village in Nashik to experience the ritual firsthand.

In an exclusive conversation with Variety India, Davakhar reveals that Ilaiyaraaja spent two days observing the traditional Gondhal performances and immersed himself in the different musical forms before returning to work on the film’s score. “He decided to experience Gondhal himself. At the age of 84, he travelled from Chennai to my native place in Nashik because he wanted the music to be authentic. He spent the next two days watching kirtans, Gondhal rituals, different kinds of songs and performances by Gondhali artists. He then went back and designed the entire music,” Davakhar says.

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Davakhar explains he wanted to preserve the experience of participating in a Gondhal tradition through this film, which is why the team recorded the rituals live at the locations where they were performed. He also shares that he had shown Ilaiyaraaja one of his short films, which featured Gondhal as part of its narrative as well. “This is a centuries-old ritual and I wanted to document it through cinema. I believe cinema is one of the best mediums to preserve such cultures. When I attended Gondhal performances as a child, I was drawn to the atmosphere. The performers brought incredible energy and devotion to it,” he adds.

When Ilaiyaraaja asked the director why he thought the composer to be the right fit for the movie, he remembers saying, “I told him, as he belonged to a remote village and has performed in several stage shows using the harmonium and different traditional instruments, he would understand our tradition. I wanted to portray this ritual in a raw and rustic way, so sound was extremely important to me. I also didn't want to use too many instruments or sounds that came into the musical landscape after the 1970s because this is a period film,” Davakhar explains.

While the filmmaker says he could not speak for the composer's reasons for accepting the project, he describes the collaboration as a blessing. “Whatever he creates, he brings his entire life experience into it before designing the scores.”

“Gondhal” has been chosen as India’s official entry to the 99th Academy Awards. The jury chose the film with a unanimous 14-0 vote. It was in contention against 32 other Indian films, namely “Angh,” “Ikkis,” and “Main Vaapas Aaunga.”