MUMBAI: Of the many travelogues documented and broadcast on Indian television over the past few years, ‘Way Back Home’ “marks the first time a travel series will have original music inspired by the Himalayas, featured in the series,” says series director and music producer, Rohan Thakur.
The series ‘Way Back Home’, which will be aired on MTV Indies at 9pm starting from 26 November, will have 13 episodes and feature seven songs, through which Thakur tries to encompass the experience in the various valleys viz. Kullu, Kangra, Chamba, Kinnaur, Spiti, Lahaul and Ladakh.
Thakur’s journey started in January 2013 along with the serie’s co-director and writer, Bharati Bahrani. It began in Manali, Himachal Pradesh where Thakur is originally from. Both were then drawn to the music and civilisation of Solang Nala, which is at the end of Kullu Valley and then made their way to Malana, in Parvati Valley.
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Thakur and Bahrani carried only two DSLR cameras, one GoPro and an iPhone while shooting the series. He said that they did rough recordings on their phones and laptops before working on the post production. Thakur mixed the songs, adding different instruments and arrangements, and explored different sounds both electronic and acoustic for the series.
“Once the final product was ready, I asked my friend Asad Abid of Shoelace Films to market it. And, over the past few months, Abid was trying to find the best way to achieve that goal. He approached Pepsi MTV Indies, and they jumped at it and were very willing to broadcast it on their channel,” said Thakur on the association of ‘Way Back Home’ with Pepsi MTV Indies.
The episodes document their chronicles from the southern region of Kangra, where they were exposed to signature sounds and melodies of places like Bir, Triund, and the Bathu Temples, which Thakur has included in the series’ music. For a special festival episode, the duo drove all the way to Kinnaur. With Kinnaur being their final exploration in Himachal Pradesh, the duo headed back to Manali across the mighty Rohtang Pass into Lahaul, Thakur’s true native place. The penultimate and finale episodes encapsulate their adventures in Leh and Ladakh where they ended their journey in May 2013.
Before becoming a music composer and a singer/songwriter, Thakur was previously a sound engineer for a music project specialising in composing for corporate events and commercials. And before that, he graduated in Tourism from Australia. “I wanted to put all three of these experiences and have an all new experience, which resulted in ‘Way Back Home,” said Thakur.
‘Way Back Home’ will air every Wednesday on Pepsi MTV Indies, starting from 26 November.
