You may know her as Helena from the blockbuster ‘Jawan’, but Sanjeeta Bhattacharya is much more than just an actress. She’s a powerhouse of talent, excelling in singing and songwriting as well. Now, she’s excited to make an emphatic return to the indie music scene with her latest single, ‘Ratiyaan’. The song is out on all platforms.
Through ‘Ratiyaan’, Sanjeeta has paid tribute to her Indian Classical roots. Infusing elements of Indian classical music with contemporary pop and afrobeats-inspired rhythms, she has created a unique fusion of sounds. Produced by Karan Pandav, this track has also been written and composed by her in three languages – Hindi, Urdu, and Punjabi, thus reflecting the linguistic diversity of her upbringing in Delhi. “Ratiyaan speaks of a love that you are too nervous to express but it consumes you and leaves you sleepless, longing for their presence,” she said.
Interestingly, her previous songs have leaned towards a mellow vibe, but with ‘Ratiyaan’, her debut Hindi track, she’s taken a peppy turn, thus inviting the listeners to dance along. So, what inspired this shift in genre, we ask? “A lot of that has to do with my newfound fascination for afrobeats. I wanted to create music that I have fun playing and dancing to while performing live. It’s great wearing your heart on your sleeve and seeing the audience’s reaction to your emotional side but to have them sway with you is a different experience. ‘Ratiyaan’ and my other upcoming releases blend my Indian classical roots with contemporary influences,” said the graduate of Berklee College of Music, who she has been a part of festivals such as Panama Jazz Festival, Hornbill Festival and NH7 Weekender.
The young singer, who is also known for her performance that paid tribute to A R Rahman at Berklee College of Music in 2014, wanted to create something that reflects where she hails from and where she has reached in her life. “Ratiyaan’ is a journey through my musical heritage and contemporary influences, a blend that I hope will connect with listeners on many levels,” she said. In fact, Rahman even praised her indie folk song, ‘Watercolour’.
Known for making music that blends R&B, Indie folk, and Latin influences with multi-lingual lyrics, Sanjeeta aims to create songs that tell stories of personal experiences. Now, with her latest track, ‘Ratiyaan’, she introduces a fresh era of music and hopes the audience will enjoy it. “I’ve had a lot of fun making Ratiyaan. I hope it reaches an even wider audience as the sound is no longer as niche as my other music and I hope it gets featured in a film. I can visualise so much for it,” said the singer, who has received praises for her song ‘Pensarte’ from non-other than her ‘Jawan’ co-star Shah Rukh Khan.
Interestingly, after listening to ‘Pensarte’, ‘Jawan’ director Atlee Kumar was so impressed that he decided to give Sanjeeta a break as a singer and songwriter in the film. In ‘Jawan’, Sanjeeta has written the lyrics of ‘Mis Chicas’. In fact, she has sung it, too, and the track has been composed by renowned music director Anirudh.