2024 was a good year for musician Justin Varghese. The two-time Kerala State Film Award winning composer is spending his days in Hindi cinema with his background music. was the first Munjyawas a box office hit, then woman 2Which is the highest grossing Hindi film ever in India.
2025 will start with a bang for him with another big Hindi project, a war drama, which is expected to reach theatres. Although he did not reveal the details, one can easily guess the film. He is also involved in Vicky Kaushal’s mega project. MahavatarWhich will go on the floor next year.
These are all production ventures of Maddock Films, which boasts of commercially and critically acclaimed films Cocktail, Badlapur, Hindi Medium, Luka Chuppi, And mm. Whereas woman, wolf, munjya And woman 2 Are part of its supernatural universe.
joji‘S BGM, which earned Justin his first state award, marked his entry into Hindi cinema. “Amar sir (Amar Kaushik, director) woman, boy, wolf, woman2 And Mahavatar) messaged me on Instagram and said he wanted to work with me in his next production. But because of my projects in Malayalam, I couldn’t take up this and his another film as well. Nevertheless, they contacted me again and asked if I would like to work woman 2I was surprised and amazed. before work begins woman 2he gave me MunjyaWhich he produced,” Justin says over the phone from his studio in Kochi.
The demo track he submitted to the production house is now the theme music woman 2He adds. “I have got a very good friend and supporter in Amar sir and whenever he comes to my studio in Kochi I take him for food with me. He’s fun to be around. And whenever I think of deleting my Instagram account, I hesitate because if it wasn’t for that platform, most likely, he wouldn’t have contacted me!” Justin says.
Musician Justin Varghese | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
The composer says that although horror comedy was a new field for him, the process was seamless. “In case of all projects [Munjya, Stree 2 and the upcoming one]He showed me the entire movie with reference BGM. He told me to say yes only if I liked the work.
In MunjyaA gripping film about a young man and his spirit of vengeance, Justin says he was given free rein. “It was an interesting exercise. For example, they wanted a playful tune, especially in the interlude. So I took a machine tone and manipulated the pitch to create that. It was greatly appreciated,” he says.
In woman 2Starring Rajkummar Rao and Shraddha Kapoor, Challenge was smoothly switching between horror and comedy. “We brainstormed a lot and it was fun. In fact, working in that film has been the most comfortable experience I have ever had. I had apprehensions about working in Hindi, but all that went away,” he says, “This comes from Amar sir’s 100% trust in me. He asked for my opinion and also made changes suggested by me. last reel of woman 2 It was difficult because I had not worked on such a long track before. I gave it to him just three days before he left for the mix. But he was not stressed because he was confident about my work. We also made some changes a few hours before the mixing session.
success of woman 2 Justin believes this is no surprise. “We are not used to seeing this kind of humor in Malayalam cinema and so I was not sure whether the comedy would work or not MunjyaBut when I saw that people were enjoying it so much I was convinced woman 2 Will be a super hit. Especially because we laughed so much while working on it,” he says, referring to the jumpiness and humor in the scenes where Rajkumar, the headless demon abducting young girls, stars Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Banerjee and others. This is against the innocent characters played by.
Justin is one of the few Malayalam composers who have performed successfully in the Hindi industry. In fact, he received many offers from the industry to compose songs and score BGM. “But I had to let him go because of other commitments.”
MahavatarIn which Vicky Kaushal plays the role of Lord Parashuram, came as a surprise. “I had to score the first look poster overnight. At that time I didn’t even know that this was Vicky Kaushal’s film!”
Justin emphasizes that he prefers composing BGM to songs. “Even if I don’t get to write songs, I’m okay with that.” He has composed songs and BGM for his Malayalam films. Njandukalude Nattil Oridawela,Thanneer Mathan DinangalSuper Sharanya, Oru Thekkan Thallu Case, Palathu JanavarAnd Chaver.
Justin Varghese (left) with director Amar Kaushik. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“As a musician I am not confident. Sometimes I feel that I have created the so-called hit! When ‘Jathikkathottam’ [from Thanneer Mathan Dinangal] The composition was composed, the entire team went crazy and there were even talks to re-shoot the song sequence. I got scared seeing their enthusiasm. I always worry about whether my songs will be played or not. But with BGM I don’t have that stress.”
Justin calls himself an average musician. “I may not be able to create a full-blown Carnatic piece or a heavy metal composition. But I like to experiment, perhaps, because I’m no expert. I believe that when I work with what I know, it clicks,” he says.
Making a career in music was never in his plans, leave alone cinema. Justin attended a seminary to become a priest, but did not progress. After graduating in philosophy, he moved to Delhi where he worked in various jobs and also taught in a school in Arunachal Pradesh.
“My goal was to find a job that didn’t make me hate Mondays! I realized that if I do something related to music then it is possible because I love it. I used to sing and play keyboard in our church. Later, I came to know about sound engineering and did a course. This is where I heard about music production. It was the team at Thaikkoodam Bridge that introduced me to concepts like programming. I started creating demos and got the opportunity to work with Bisible. I am grateful that they gave me a place.”
However, after this he has not had any release in Malayalam. chaverWhich won him the State Award for Best Composer, his music will soon be heard Penkilly, David And Odum Kuthira Chadum Kuthira“It was much easier to work in Bollywood than in Malayalam because the trends and demands keep changing here. I don’t think the work I did there is as good as what I am doing in Malayalam.
Justin Varghese was awarded the Kerala State Film Award for Best Background Score joji
Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Reflecting on the recent controversy where a film was trolled for its loud BGM, Justin believes that the composer often has to follow the demand of the director or producer. “If they want it louder, a musician has to go along with it. But then theater mixing also plays an important role.” In fact, scoring for a “mass masala entertainer” is on his bucket list.
Justin emphasizes that he is open to criticism. “One has to be strong enough to make cruel comments on social media. It’s disappointing when people belittle my work by saying it’s a copycat. However I have learned to take them with me. I have my own insecurities. But I like to take things as they come. Mahavatar It will only be released in December 2026 and one of my team members jokes that at least I won’t be out of work by then!”
He further says, “When someone asks what is my dream, I tell them that what is happening now, I had never even dreamed of. What more could I want?”
published – December 04, 2024 03:22 PM IST
