Ceiri Torjussen on composing for Delhi Crime : ‘Score shows that the scariest things are rarely the loudest’

Ceiri Torjussen. Pics/Youtube, X, Instagram

From the gothic vibe of Underworld: Evolution (2006) to the industrial thrum of Live Free or Die Hard (2007), high-octane sounds have dominated Hollywood composer Ceiri Torjussen's career. The recently released third season of Delhi Crime was new terrain for him. "This season deals with a sex-trafficking gang. So, I had to figure out a sound that encapsulated the horror they wrought," he reflects.

The Welsh-born, Los Angeles-based composer returned to the Netflix series after scoring for the second season. But the Shefali Shah and Huma Qureshi-led third edition demanded a different soundscape. The result is a synth-driven, bass-heavy motif - built around the show's antagonist Badi Didi, played by Qureshi - that depicts her power and cruelty. The music for the young girls, on the other hand, required a different emotional register. Torjussen explains, "Their sound needed to be sad, tragic, and unsettling."

(L-R) Sayani Gupta and Huma Qureshi in ‘Delhi Crime 3'

Torjussen and showrunner Tanuj Chopra began discussing the score, in early 2024, long before the composer saw any footage. Through those conversations, it became clear that Chopra wanted a balance through the score - the classic grit of Delhi Crime with its urban tension, and the devastating core of the sex-
trafficking narrative. "Tanuj and the team were open-minded about how I should score the new season, but we did have conversations about themes. I wrote a bunch of music having just read the scripts, based on my own, visceral reactions to the story."

As he composed over 14 months, the challenge was musical restraint. He needed to articulate grief without slipping into melodrama. "I needed to keep the synth-based sound alive while addressing the tragic human consequences. It was hard being emotionally impactful without going over the top. Delhi Crime's score shows that the scariest things are rarely the loudest."

For this season, the composer decided to use more traditional Indian sounds. He elaborates, "I focused on instruments like the sarod, santoor, and bansuri. I also included vocals. The latter two elements were recorded by Sheela Bringi. She recorded a few songs that I wrote as ‘wild-tracks'. I was then able to use her performances not only as the basis of certain cues, but also use isolated elements of the recordings. These sounds gave a much more human approach to my score, which was useful for the world of the young girls' storylines."

Spot him if you can

Way before finding success as a composer, Ceiri Torjussen oddly found himself in front of the camera. He spent a day as a background artiste in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘English Babu Desi Mem' (1995). "I'm not sure I ever made the final cut, but I definitely spent a day with Mr Khan," he laughs.

International films on his résumé

‘Live Free or Die Hard'

‘Underworld: Evolution'

‘Tom Daley 1.6 Seconds'

‘Nightwatch Demons Are Forever'