Page 45 - Rolling Stone - India (December 2019)

Uday Benegal

The people behind Nexa

Music seem pretty committed

to it which I’m really happy

about. They seem to have
good intentions. Also Qyuki,

who are pretty much the

operation driving the whole

thing. Everybody seems to
have their hearts in the right

place and for me that’s very,

very important.

- Uday Benegal

stuff. Get down to brass tacks. Don’t be not challenging the system. “Because most of to innovate, too. “It’s like, ‘Okay so I’m an
afraid of clichés. “Because I started with all them don’t know anything. They just want indie songwriter. I get a guitar and sing
the clichés very early in my life,” he says. As a to follow something else that worked, then about myself.’ But what’s new about that?
teen, Rahman was a roadie of sorts, helping copy-paste it.” Rahman says it’s not limited to Of course, in that there’s honesty and soul,
his father film scorer R. K. Shekhar run his music—stagnation by not challenging what’s so people love to hear that. But how do you
studio. After his father’s passing, he eventually old is common in politics, medicine, art and break the clutter? How do you stand out? It
entered the film industry himself, taking on many other professional fields. “If things are is a very important question we all have to
grunt work for other composers and artists. “I not reinvented and we don’t find better ways ask—even I’m asking myself when I’m doing
did all the normal stuff, played for other people to do them, we rot.” music—how’s it going to stand out? There
for 10 years, and then I got sick of that. So I The lack of reinvention is something is so much going on. And, you know, the
said I’m not going to do this,” he recalls. “When he’s spoken about many times before. In an question makes you work harder.”
I got in that state of mind, I started making interview with film critic Anupama Chopra Rahman’s entire identity as an artist is
music. I pushed myself… Even [someone like in 2018, he had lamented about how lazy tied to the idea of constantly looking inward,
Michael] Jackson, has done all the ‘normal’ the Indian music industry is, relying on seeking self-improvement and then seeing
stuff before he got the power and started doing the same formulas again and again. “They it emerge in his music. “I think music
extraordinary things.” act according to convenience,” he had said, reflects what’s inside you,” he says after a
Another tenet: to pursue your dream, you further explaining that most music directors moment’s contemplation. “And the search
need to reach a point where you cannot be settle on working with who they have on hand for the secret of the universe. I think we’re
afraid of what other people say. “It’s that fear rather than choosing artists or instruments all searching for that—where are we coming
that says, ‘If I don’t do what they say, I’ll lose that fit the bill. from? Where is the mothership?” Different KUNAL GUPTA
the job’. But that’s where mediocrity comes in,” Can the younger generation break the people seek answers in different ways:
he points out. Creative stagnation stems from cycle? Rahman feels they’ll need the push science, spirituality, family and, “Love.” says

December 2019 | Rolling Stone India | 45