Amit Trivedi Recalls How Shilpa Rao Helped Bring Him to Anurag Kashyap’s Dev D
Before he became one of Bollywood’s most distinctive film composers, Amit Trivedi had no plans to write music for movies. His early focus was on independent music and advertising work. But a chance connection, a singer’s persistence and a filmmaker’s unusual vision eventually led him to Dev D—the 2009 film that helped introduce audiences to his daring, genre-blending sound.
In a conversation with film trade analyst Komal Nahta, Trivedi described how his independent songs caught the attention of director Anurag Kashyap. Singer Shilpa Rao, who had worked with Trivedi on the music, played the tracks for Kashyap. The filmmaker was then developing a contemporary interpretation of Devdas, starring Abhay Deol, and wanted a soundtrack that could move beyond conventional Bollywood romance.
From independent music to a meeting with Anurag Kashyap
Kashyap told Trivedi that the film would need roughly 12 to 15 songs and shared ideas and references to explain the world he was building. For the young composer, the assignment was unfamiliar territory. He was also juggling advertising projects, leaving limited time to develop music for a feature film.
“I went home and started working immediately,” Trivedi recalled. He spent six months composing six songs alongside his advertising work. When Rao later asked how the project was progressing, he admitted that he was unsure whether Kashyap still remembered their meeting. Trivedi even wondered aloud if the director had moved on. Rao, however, urged him to follow up rather than assume the opportunity had disappeared.
That persistence proved crucial. Kashyap returned to meet Trivedi at his studio, accompanied by filmmaker Vikas Bahl. The composer was only 26 or 27 at the time, and the prospect of presenting his work to established filmmakers made him intensely nervous. He also had not watched either of the major screen versions of Devdas, so he set about catching up before shaping his understanding of the story.
Finding a new musical language for Dev D
Trivedi watched Dilip Kumar’s 1955 Devdas and Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2002 adaptation starring Shah Rukh Khan. The films gave him a sense of the tragic source material, but Kashyap’s project was not intended to be a straightforward remake. Its modern setting called for a different emotional and musical vocabulary—one that could reflect contemporary youth, heartbreak, excess and alienation.
Trivedi composed according to his own interpretation of the film and worried that the songs might not meet the filmmakers’ expectations. He feared the work could be rejected and that the experience might become the beginning and end of his film-composing career. Instead, Kashyap and Bahl responded enthusiastically, liking the songs he played for them.
The following day, Trivedi was invited to a narration. At first, he did not know what the term meant in the filmmaking process. After hearing the story, he went on to compose two more tracks: “Saali Khushi” and “Pardesi.” The songs did more than accompany the film. Trivedi said Kashyap adjusted parts of the script after hearing them, reimagining elements of the project in response to the music.
For a composer who had entered the room expecting to present songs, seeing the music influence the film’s development was a revelation. It showed how a soundtrack can become part of a movie’s creative foundation, rather than a finishing layer added after the story is settled.
Why Aamir became Amit Trivedi’s film debut
Despite the creative momentum, Dev D did not move directly into production. Trivedi recalled that producer Ronnie Screwvala was not keen to proceed with the film at that point, and the project was put on hold. Kashyap told the composer that he had already done substantial work on it and asked him to wait while the team considered its next steps.
Kashyap then offered Trivedi another opportunity: work on Aamir, a thriller directed by Raj Kumar Gupta and starring Rajeev Khandelwal. The film was released before Dev D, making it Trivedi’s first released feature as a composer—even though his work on Dev D had begun earlier.
The sequence gave Trivedi an unconventional entry into Bollywood. His first film assignment was not his screen debut, and the project that introduced him to Kashyap arrived later than expected. Dev D ultimately reached cinemas eight months after Aamir, giving audiences a chance to hear how the composer’s early experiments had developed into a bold soundtrack for a radically updated story.
A soundtrack that helped reshape the film
Dev D became notable for its restless, eclectic sound, drawing on multiple styles rather than relying on a single polished musical template. That approach suited Kashyap’s reworking of the familiar tale: the film carried the emotional legacy of Devdas while placing its characters in a recognisably modern world. Trivedi’s account offers a glimpse into how that musical identity began—not with a grand plan to enter the film industry, but with independent songs, a meeting arranged through Rao and the courage to keep composing despite uncertainty.
The story also highlights the importance of creative advocacy. Rao’s decision to share the music and her insistence that Trivedi follow up helped keep the connection alive. For emerging artists, it is a reminder that opportunities can depend not only on talent but also on collaborators who recognise its potential and encourage it to reach the right people.
Trivedi’s recollection arrives as interest in Dev D continues, with Abhay Deol recently sharing a behind-the-scenes anecdote about the film’s creative process ahead of its scheduled re-release on April 24, 2026. The renewed attention gives fans another reason to revisit the movie—and to consider how its music, performances and unconventional production journey helped make it a memorable chapter in modern Bollywood cinema.
