Abhishek Nailwal interview: There’s something about the mountains that inspires us. I have always been amazed by the talent and hard work of the people from the hills. Earlier this year, I was fascinated with Made in India: A Titan Story. Such a well-made series with impeccable performances, an intriguing storyline, and wonderful musical composition.
The man behind the music score in Made in India is Abhishek Nailwal. He is a mountain and army lad. From growing up in the Kumaon hills and Army cantonments to carving a name for himself in the industry, he has had a roller coaster journey.
In an exclusive conversation with Filmibeat Assistant Editor Abhishek Ranjit, Abhishek Nailwal got candid about scoring the music for Made in India: A Titan Story. He also bared his heart out as he spoke about the Mukhbir album that listeners still enjoy and write about the same on social media.
Abhishek wants the new generation to discover Kumaoni folk songs, and he is working towards the same. From teaming up with Sukhwinder Singh for Shamshera’s title track to composing and writing Mashoor and Sahi Hai for Fukrey 3, Abhishek is showcasing his talent and how! He has just one mission to achieve- bring the music of the hills he grew up hearing to a new generation.
Here are excerpts from the interview-
1. You are a Kumaoni who grew up in an Armed Forces family. How did those two worlds shape you and your music?
I am as proud to be a Kumaoni, a Pahadi, as I am blessed to have grown up in an Armed Forces family, and the two have shaped me in equal measure. Dad kept getting posted across the country, so my childhood became a pan India tour. Every new cantonment meant a new language at the gate, a new festival on the street, a new way of saying hello. Yet wherever the Army took us, the hills came along. My mother made sure of that. She taught us the language, the songs and the stories, so that no matter which state we were living in, the Pahadi pan stayed intact in the house.
Music never felt like a decision. It felt like a subconscious extension of myself from as far back as I can remember. Ghar mein puraane filmi geet aur ghazals chalte the, and then you switched on MTV and there was Michael Jackson and Guns N’ Roses. Begum Akhtar in one room, Thriller in the other. That mix is what built my ear. And underneath all of it there is a pull towards my land’s folk tales and melodies that I cannot fully explain. It seeps into anything I do (smiles).
2. Singer or composer, which one do you identify with more?
I am at this beautiful phase where I refuse to choose. I love doing both, and they feed each other. When I sing, I understand what a melody feels like inside the body, where it breathes and where it strains. When I compose, I think about where a song is going and what it is quietly carrying. The singer keeps the composer honest, and the composer gives the singer something worth singing. And by the way, I write lyrics too sometimes (laughs).
3. The soundtrack of Made in India: A Titan Story has been getting noticed, and people still talk about the Mukhbir album. How does that feel?
Honestly, it felt wonderful to see the Made in India soundtrack get noticed and make an impact, both within the trade and far outside it. Then there is the Mukhbir album, which came out in 2022 and still finds its way into my inbox. Someone discovers it on a late night drive and writes to me about it. As a composer you make the music, you let it go, and you move on to the next thing. When it comes back to you years later through a stranger’s message, that is the real reward. These are humbling moments, and I carry a lot of gratitude for every one of them.
4. You moved from Delhi to Mumbai to make music. What has the journey been like?
I am as excited to be in Mumbai today as I was the day I got off the train with my bags. The journey has been unreal and fulfilling. Think about everything a person carries in their heart when they come to this city. Working with people you had only seen on screens and heard on the radio. Recording in studios where the greats of the industry once stood at the mic. Learning from the very people you grew up looking up to. And the energy of a city that truly never sleeps. For me, all of it actually happened. It feels like Mumbai has embraced me as much as I have loved being here.
5. What has failure taught you?
There is a saying I live by: either you succeed or you learn. That is exactly how I take failure. Every time something does not work out, it teaches you something about yourself, about the situation, or about the people you are working with. Over the years I have started trusting my instincts more and following them. Your heart truly guides you if your intentions are sane. Sometimes failure is also a quiet way of being told that you are not ready yet, and that you need to work harder, or smarter, to get there. Either way, you walk out knowing more than you walked in with.
6. You and Vaibhav Modi have worked together on Mukhbir and Fisaddi. What makes that partnership work?
With Vaibhav, there has been a sense of camaraderie and brotherhood from day one. We trust each other and, more importantly, we listen to each other, and that makes the work flow beautifully. As long as the heart leads the conversation and not the ego, sab badhiya hi hota hai (smiles). It also helps enormously that Vaibhav is immensely talented (laughs).
7. You are now presenting Kumaoni folk songs. What do you hope listeners take away from them?
I have always wanted to perform and present Kumaoni folk songs. It has been sitting in me for years. Bas sahi samay aur kismat abhi align hui hai. I hope anyone who listens can feel the essence of the hills, the cold air, the long walks, the emotions this music has always carried.
A folk song has already travelled such a long way across time and distance before it reaches you. Generations have sung it on their way to the fields, at weddings, at funerals, and each of them has left something of their love, their longing and their earthiness inside it. I hope that feeling travels and reaches people. The beauty is that the heart does not always need to know what the words mean in order to connect. Beyond that, like all art, this too is open to interpretation. “The heart does not always need to know what the words mean to connect.”
8. When you score a scene, how do you decide what it needs musically?
The scene tells you, most of the time. If a scene or a film is crafted well, the emotion is already playing out on screen before a single note arrives. Our job is to accentuate it, not to compete with it. The music follows the feeling, never the other way round. Sometimes the style of the film or the rhythm of the edit also points you in a direction. The first thing I do is listen to what is already there. Only then do I add anything to it.
9. You perform live regularly. What does the stage give you that the studio does not?
The stage is forever love. The raw energy of being out there, connecting with people, being completely vulnerable in front of them, that mix of adrenaline and anxiety is amazing. In the studio, you can take a hundred takes. On stage you get one, and everyone in the room gets it with you. That connection with an audience, one human being to another, is beautiful, and honestly, it is addictive. The studio is where I build the music. The stage is where I find out what it means to people.
10. Is independent music under your own name on the cards, and will it change how you approach your work?
Yes, definitely. It is slated for next year. Honestly, the only plan is to be myself and bring out the music exactly the way I hear it, with nobody’s brief in the room except my own. Filhaal utna hi thought hai. Change kya hoga, woh toh waqt batayega (smiles).
11. What are your upcoming projects?
There’s a lot on the table right now, and I’m excited about all of it. I’m composing the background score for a feature film, and I’m also working on a song for a mythological film. There’s a series in conversation too. I’ll be able to say more about all of these closer to their release.
Closest to my heart is my Kumaoni folk EP, which I’m wrapping up now. These are songs from the hills I grew up hearing, and I want to bring them to a new generation. After that, I’ll be putting out independent music under my own name next year. Alongside all this, I keep performing live whenever I can, because the stage is where I find out what a song actually means to people.
12. What kind of genres are you interested in?
Honestly, I’ve never been able to stick to one. There is so much to listen and learn from, i think for me genres change according to the way i feel.. So I’m drawn to anything that carries emotion. As a composer, I love stories rooted in something real like Mukhbir, a 1965-era spy thriller, and Made in India: A Titan Story, a true-story docudrama. At the same time, I really enjoy comedies… catching humor and highlighting it is so much fun… even the songs take a fun outlook, like “Mashoor” and “Sahi Hai” for Fukrey 3.
But the sound I keep coming back to is folk, चाहे जहां ka bhi ho… of course, Pahadi and Kumaoni music has a special place in my heart. It seeps into everything I make, even when I’m not trying. I’d love to do more films and series where that rootedness has a place.