CHENNAI: Los Angeles based Mumbai boy Saahil Bhargava’s music video Kohima has been nominated at the prestigious LA Shorts International Film Festival in two key categories- animation and music video. An elated Saahil Bhargava talks about his song Kohima.
What is the thought behind Kohima? Kohima is about a soldier’s experience at war. It is inspired by the Battle of Kohima, a WW2 conflict that took place in Northeastern Indian in 1944. Rather than focus on the entire war, it focuses on one individual soldier’s emotions. His panic, his desperation and sheer desire to survive and go home. I chose this concept because I wanted to explore the experience of an individual soldier, and I found that the Battle of Kohima was this horrific brutal battle that is not talked about enough even though it is a crucial battle both in Indian history and WW2 history.
When did you start your journey as a musician ? I started singing as a little kid, and eventually started to play classical/jazz piano, rock/metal guitar, bass guitar and the alto sax. I kept studying music and eventually found myself studying musical theater after college. That is what made it all click for me, as my music being stories allows me to combine all my skills as a singer, songwriter, composer, writer and actor.
You have directed and sung Kohima. How did you manage both roles ? I worked on the music first. Starting with lyrics and then eventually doing the music. The trickiest part in the music process was getting the vocals right, as I really had to get into the head of the character, in this case the soldier, and convey his emotions through that lens. Once the song was recorded, I worked with Keshav Dhar (of Skyharbor) on the mixing/mastering elements. After the entire song was completed, I then was able to work with Harmeet Rahal with support from Big Bang Music. Harmeet and I worked together on getting the right visual style for the song, with him driving the design and visuals, while I focused more on the character/story elements. Given my background working in Animation with Rainshine Entertainment, it’s not my first time doing an animation project, but Kohima was special because it was a music video with a very clear focus. We wanted to get the main character’s emotions across, and as a result the video does highlight his face and the dread he is feeling.