‘Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani’ music is full of nostalgia, inspired by old Hindi songs: Pritam

Mumbai: The music of Ranveer Singh-Alia Bhatt starrer “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani" is inspired by the songs of the 1990s Hindi films, says composer Pritam.

The family drama movie is directed by filmmaker Karan Johar and also stars veteran actors Dharmendra, Jaya Bachchan, and Shabana Azmi in key roles.

The composer said Karan wanted a whole catalogue of songs that would remind viewers of the "'90s romance".

"He wanted LPs (long play)... so the structuring of the songs changed. Every song has two 'antara' (paragraphs) and they are about five to six-minute long. If you see the whole movie, it is full of nostalgia, emotions, everybody is singing old songs and we have used them in the background. The soundscape is like that,” Pritam told reporters here.

The music composer was speaking at a promotional event of “Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani” along with Ranveer and Alia on Friday evening.

For one of the songs, "Jhumka", Pritam and his team gave a spin to the tune of the iconic Asha Bhosle song "Jhumka Gira Re" from the 1966 movie “Mera Saaya”. The new track is penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and sung by Arijit Singh and Jonita Gandhi.

Pritam also revealed that Dharmendra will be seen crooning some of the classic tracks in the movie.

“There is a reason for revisiting 'Jhumka Gira Re'. The soundscape is full of that nostalgia and there is Dharamji singing old songs and it is all for a reason. That's what excited me,” he said.

“When I was composing the songs, I kept in mind the LPs, Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik and the '90s era. We modernised it but the basic core and melody remained the same," he added.

For leading lady Alia, wearing chiffon sarees and dancing on snowy mountains was her dream, which got fulfilled through the song "Tum Kya Mile". The track is her personal favourite from the “Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani" album, the actor said.

"It was a dream for me, wearing chiffon sarees, running around in the snow and singing songs. So the kind of satisfaction that I got is something I haven't experienced before," she said.

Alia also said her actor-husband Ranbir Kapoor loved the trailer and songs of the movie. Ranbir had worked with Karan for his 2016 directorial "Ae Dil Hai Mushkil", which also had music by Pritam.

"He is a huge fan of Pritam, they have produced some fantastic albums together. When the work had begun on the music of the film, I would often make Ranbir hear the songs. He has a strong instinct for sound.

"Like, when I made him hear 'Tum Kya Mile' and 'Jhumka', he gave his opinion on it. He said, 'This is good.' Usually, whenever I work on a film, I bring my enthusiasm and take him along the journey. Even when he has other things to do, I drag him into it," Alia said.

Ranveer revealed his actor-wife Deepika Padukone has become a fan of the movie's album and is looking forward to the film.

"She loved the trailer and understands what it means to be a lead in Karan Johar's directorial movie. It is a big deal. He is one of the eminent directors of our country. I can't wait for her to see the film and to know what she thinks of it," he said.

Pritam praised Alia and Ranveer, saying the two actors have given everything to their characters.

"I'm a Bengali and Alia plays a Bengali in the film and she is so good. I can imagine my sister talking in that tone. Ranveer is also good. Once you watch the film, everything will fall in context," he added.

The musical event, organised by Spotify, saw performances by Jonita Gandhi and Sonu Nigam.

Pritam expressed his excitement about collaborating with Sonu for one of the songs of the movie.

"Sonu was on a holiday in Mauritius and I had to call him. It was sweet of him that he agreed. The song is extremely special, you have to watch the film to understand the impact of the song," Pritam added.

Produced by Dharma Productions, "Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahani" is scheduled to hit the theatres countrywide on July 28.