Interview | Composer Mujeeb Majeed: I am excited about the challenges each project entails

When Taal, Subhash Ghai’s Anil Kapoor-Aishwarya Rai Bachchan philharmonic movie released successful 1999, that changed the beingness of a 14-year lad surviving successful Thrissur, Kerala. AR Rahman’s euphony captivated him truthful overmuch that helium was inspired to prosecute euphony seriously. Cut to 2026 and helium is 1 of the celebrated composers successful Malayalam cinema.

Mujeeb Majeed’s filmography reads critically and commercially acclaimed movies of caller times – Kishkindha Kaandam, Rekhachithram, ekō and Kalamkaval. He has besides scored the inheritance euphony for the action-heavy Chatha Pacha, which marked the debut of the composer trio of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy successful Malayalam cinema.

About Chatha Pacha, an engaging ticker with well-choreographed enactment sequences centred astir wrestling, Mujeeb says that the composers made it casual for him to enactment connected the inheritance score. “They are legends; their songs blended truthful overmuch with the movie that it was casual for maine to get astatine the inheritance music. I could adjacent instrumentality elements from their songs to usage successful the score. Even though I had lone 1 enactment with them, that excessively online, determination was nary dearth of connection since they were ever successful interaction with Adhvaith [Adhvaith Nayar, manager of the movie],” says Mujeeb. He has besides composed 1 English opus and 2 hip-hop tracks successful the movie. “I can’t take betwixt composing songs oregon doing inheritance score. I bask both.”

Mujeeb started his vocation with abbreviated films and tv earlier entering films. After his debut with Mandharam (2017), helium worked successful Thinkalazhcha Nishchayam(2021), which won nationalist and State level recognition. The breakthrough, of course, was Kishkindha Kaandam (2024), a nuanced enigma play that gained from Mujeeb’s music. By past helium had worked connected the people of 1 movie each successful Marathi and Hindi and had done euphony for the Malayalam web series, Perilloor Premier League.

“Sushin [Sushin Shyam] was expected to enactment successful Kishkindha Kaandam. But erstwhile the movie got delayed, helium got engaged with different projects and that was erstwhile Bahul [Bahul Ramesh, writer and cinematographer], a adjacent person for galore years, called me. I loved the communicative truthful overmuch that I was stuck with it for a mates of days,” Mujeeb recalls.

It helped that helium and Bahul stock the aforesaid sensation successful euphony and are fans of Rahman and Hans Zimmer. Interstellar, which had the latter’s elevating music, was successful information a notation constituent for Kishkindha Kaandam. “We had decided connected a graph for the euphony – it starts dilatory and the tempo picks up arsenic the communicative progresses. Bahul and Dinjith [Dinjith Ayyathan, director] did not privation the assemblage to locomotion retired of the theatre with a dense bosom since the movie has a acheronian theme. They wanted maine to travel up with thing unexpected. The little was to marque viewers consciousness they person watched a sports movie! It was a bold determination that they took,” Mujeeb says.

He worked with aforesaid squad successful ekō (2025), which, helium says, threw respective challenges. “We had nary hint however to spell astir it. It had to beryllium caller and the statement was that determination should beryllium euphony from the archetypal framework dissimilar Kishkindha Kaandam. Barring a fewer silences successful between, determination is euphony passim the narrative, but successful specified a mode that assemblage does not consciousness it. The recognition goes to mixing dependable technologist Vishnu Govind,” helium says.

It is each astir squad work, helium stresses. “Those who enactment successful station accumulation – composer, dependable designer, exertion etc – person to beryllium successful sync. Like, erstwhile an exertion locks a philharmonic portion astatine the close spot the interaction is terrific,” helium says, citing an illustration — the country successful ekō in which the dogs propulsion Vineeth’s quality disconnected the cliff.

Mujeeb says helium is excited astir the challenges each task entails and loves experimenting with genres. “Kishikindha Kaandam, a thriller, was followed by Rekhachithram, which was successful the aforesaid genre. But I had to bring a antithetic dependable and the inspiration came from the film’s storytelling. Whereas successful Kalamkaval, besides a thriller, I went with melody. Dheeran, which came successful between, was of different genre and truthful needed a antithetic approach.”

Talking astir the retro-flavoured, soothing Tamil numbers successful Kalamkaval, helium says, “Tamil due to the fact that the quality [Mammootty] mostly listens to Tamil numbers. The archetypal program was to bargain the rights of aged Tamil songs truthful that the assemblage could link easy with specified songs. But erstwhile I composed ‘Nilaa kaayum’ and decided to physique the inheritance people astir that, I asked Jithin [Jithin K Jose, manager of the movie] if we tin marque our ain songs with the retro vibe and helium agreed. Thankfully, we got the close voices arsenic well.”

What is his instrumentality connected the existent inclination erstwhile songs are not utilized successful their entirety successful films oregon are heard successful the inheritance oregon conscionable arsenic snippets? “That goes good with the storytelling successful today’s Malayalam cinema. We similar to support it real, grounded and truthful springiness precedence to the script. May be, we volition spell backmost to the aged satellite benignant wherever the actors interruption into a opus if astatine each we get bored of the existent communicative style. As a musician, I person adapted to the scenario,” helium explains.

At the aforesaid clip helium is enthused astir the OST (original dependable track) releasing connected YouTube oregon streaming platforms. “It feels large that our effort is getting noticed. Earlier, this happened lone with English movies. I retrieve the clip erstwhile I tried to perceive to OST, particularly of Rahman. For example, Rang de Basanti.”

A hardcore Rahman instrumentality that helium is, Mujeeb recalls however helium came to emotion the songs from Gentleman and Kaadhalan erstwhile his uncles brought location euphony cassettes. With small thought astir however to marque music, helium started taking lessons successful keyboard and besides learnt the antithetic bundle utilized by musicians. “Since I didn’t person a computer, I installed them connected my cousin’s strategy and tried to enactment with it.” He besides remembers unit of Varnam Digital successful Thrissur who helped him.

Then helium took what helium considers “the biggest determination successful life”. Moving to Chennai to survey audio engineering [at SAE]. “It was determination that I became portion of a ellipse of friends, immoderate of whom went connected to go known names successful cinema – Shabareesh Varma, Alphonse Puthran, Ebin Paul, Kailas Menon, Govind Vasantha etc.”

His upcoming projects see It’s a Medical Miracle, Prathama Drishtya Kuttakkar, Unmadam and Padayaathra.

Is determination a wishlist? “I privation to support moving with proficient artists and marque bully music. I hoped to enactment with Arijit Singh someday. But present that mightiness stay a dream.”

And a favourite soundtrack? “Of late, I person been listening to the portion successful the past country of Kannathil Muthamittal when Nandita Das meets her daughter. I emotion that section,” helium signs off.