From making a cover of the iconic Bond theme to featuring alongside Sam Smith and Billie Eilish on the latest documentary Sound of 007, Tushar Lall has come a long way
Tushar Lall in a moment from one of his performances
The opening riffs to James Bond’s theme tune remain an iconic and memorable cinematic moment. Yet, by the admission of its composer Monty Norman, it has a very Indian story to it. Originally composed by Norman for a play based on VS Naipaul’s A House for Mr Biswas, it was adapted to suit Sean Connery’s debut as the British spy in Dr No. The latest documentary on the franchise’s musical legacy, Sound of 007 that released on October 5, found yet another Indian connection in Tushar Lall.
It was the director of the documentary, Matt Whitecross, who reached out to Lall over email earlier this year. “They were looking at an Indian context for Bond music, and that’s when one of my videos showed up,” the 27-year-old musician from Mumbai tells us.
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Lall and his Indian Jam Project had created a cover version of the theme back in 2017 using the raga Madhuvanti. Lall explains, “If you take the Bond theme, and the raga Madhuvanti which comes closest to it, the essence of the raga and the theme fit very well.” Lall explained that unlike other covers such as Coldplay’s Fix you or Pink Floyd, where he had to adapt chords to suit the raga, this was simpler. “With the Bond theme, I didn’t have to touch anything,” he declares.
The Indian Jam Project was founded by Lall in 2016, and has covered tracks such as the Game of Thrones theme and Sherlock. The latter was shared by Sherlock composer Michael Price on social media. Lall admits that it feels surreal to go from making a cover to featuring alongside names such as Monty Norman, Sam Smith and Billie Eilish. “This has got to be one of the most incredible outcomes of making covers of Hollywood scores,” he admits.
Despite the legacy and complex orchestration, the musician reveals the magic of the theme lies in its simplicity. “The James Bond theme is interesting because of its chromaticism. There is heavy orchestration and this incredible theme, but it is majorly made of three notes,” he points out. “To create such a complex score with such simplicity is the sign of a great composition,” he gushes.
As his personal favourites, he lists Sam Smith’s Writings on the wall and Radiohead’s take on the Bond theme for Spectre. “When I heard Radiohead’s Bond theme for the first time, I thought it should have been in the film,” Lall reveals.
For now, he is moving from covers to original creations. Having worked with composer Pritam on the Indian superhero film Brahmastra, Lall says, “I am also working as a music director on the Amazon series, Dancing on the Grave, which comes out in January. If I have come from making adaptations of title tracks to now making a title track, I think life is coming full circle.”
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