Recently, composer Sanket Sane was driving his mother around when one of his songs from the three-part series, The Ankahee Project, started playing on the radio. It was a moment to cherish when he realised that the songs, for which rockstar Sona Mohapatra has lent her voice, are as popular in his hometown of Pune as they are in the countries he is touring to promote the project.
Composed in Goa, the common thread that weaves through the three songs of the project, which also ‘makes the world go around’, is love. "We tried to portray love in its holistic nature. It celebrates all kinds of love," says Sane, who is also a member of Mohapatra's band. Sane gushes when he tells us how the singer jumped on board as soon as she heard his compositions for the project. "I just kept thanking God all the way, it was unbelievable," he says, sneaking in the fact that Mohapatra and him are very close friends.
The 30-year-old has a bit of a fanboy moment when he tells us that Abhi Nahi Aana Sajna, one of Mohapatra's goldies, was the first song he learnt to play on the guitar. Though things were falling into place, Sane made no haste in searching for a record label who would be willing to release the song. Sane says, "I wanted to wait for the right opportunity to come around," and after waiting patiently for six to seven months, it did! Gaana Originals launched all three tracks and another three might just make their way to you in December or early next year. "The songs are going to be dance-based," says the composer, who intends to use a lot of Indian instruments, something that most of the audience has forgotten.
"Our responsibility, as musicians who make pop music, is to make sure our culture goes places," says Sane and he cites Pandit Ravi Shankar as an example to explain how the maestro made the sitar an international sensation, so much so that even the Beatles used it in their music. Much before Sane became a musician, he was a composer. From playing patriotic songs at the school assembly to being awarded Best Pop Artist at the Freedom Awards, he has come a long way and it has not been easy.
Sanket Sane, composer
And though his mother and sister were extremely supportive, his businessman father wanted him to follow in his footsteps and be a businessman too. "It's hard for people to understand when they haven't seen the professional side of music," he says. But Sane is convinced that he is on the right path. "I wake up to the pressure of composing three songs and that's the most wonderful pressure I could have ever asked for," he concludes with a smile.
