If there’s a word to describe Raghu Kunche’s stint with music, it’s persistence. In a career of many lows and a few highs over two decades, Raghu hasn’t given up on his hope of finding a dream project and getting into a bigger league. Content with his work across films and yet doing his best to change preset conventions, his next step is a series of independent music videos (including For You , Yuvatha ) to set himself free from commercial obligations and template soundtracks. His latest in the series, the melody Ishtam gaa , shot across Sydney, showcases the scale at which he wishes to take his interests forward.
“Whenever I’ve travelled for shows across US, Australia, the weekends were often the busiest. My itinerary would have me scouting for picturesque locations around the country to shoot music videos for my independent compositions. I didn’t want to waste time,” he remarks. Realising the little scope to experiment with films, these attempts fulfilled his creative zeal. But Ishtam gaa was shot with more seriousness.Use of drones for the shoot, a good technical team including his good friend Sunil and actress Junaita helped him complete it.
The song initially composed for a film couldn't make it to the final output owing to certain creative differences with a director. Raghu still knew the song’s potential and left no stone unturned to shoot the video to the best of his abilities. “I'm not expecting any instantaneous reach for this video. I have six songs in my kitty to be released soon. The fact with independent music is the popularity of one viral video will help the reach of the others. I enjoy the freedom of the medium and I can adhere to my tastes.”
That Telugu cinema continues to be format driven in its music-the introduction song, the duet, the item song, had also pushed him to do something new. “There are newer subjects coming up everyday, but music-wise, even with the newer lot, not much change is happening. I'd even fought with certain directors about breaking stereotypes. I decided I had to do that myself.” Melodies like Ishtam gaa are his forte, he says they may take time to reach people but have greater shelf life than other genres, citing the example of his song Nuvvele in Devudu Chesina Manushulu touching 1 million hits recently. “Like how we’re recollecting the songs of the 90s and 2000s now, I hope people recollect them 10 years down the line. The fate of a film often defines the reach of the music, it's unfortunate that people don't differentiate between music and film.” That precisely explains his indie turn, but he says shooting music videos too is no less of a challenge. He finds it necessary to keep it rooted and help a viewer find a visual reference he/she could connect to.
Did he look at doing cover versions of his/other popular songs with his Youtube channel? “People like Michael Jackson and Bruno Mars were stars because their music was original. Mashups and cover versions aren't something I'd like to associate myself with. I wanted to do my bit to showcase my identity.” Next on his playlist is a jazz number, also shot in Sydney and a poignant number to release on Women's Day that bats for more women safety in society. He’s also turning a producer for a film 47 Days (besides composing for it) a single of the project is due for a release on February 14. What keeps him going despite his limited success? “Confidence. The fact that I give my best to the project that I commit to. I stay relevant with music tastes, travel countries, gather influences, interact with teenagers, all of this will pay off soon, I hope,” he signs off.
