Music, academics and more: Heart-to-heart with Emon Shaha
Prolific music composer Emon Shaha began his career in the film industry in 1998 with the Gazi Mazharul Anwar directorial "Poradhin". Till date, he has composed songs and background scores for more than 400 films.
Son of legendary music director Satya Saha, Emon is a seven-time National Film Award winner.
He is trained in Hindustani Classical Sangeet by Guru Satindra Nath Halder.
Emon completed a two-year diploma course from K M Music Conservatory, now known as K M College of Music and Technology, in Chennai. Founded by renowned musician A R Rahman, it is one of the most prestigious music institutions in the world. Emon described the experience of studying there as life-changing.
"The college has had a profound impact on my musicality, thoughts, philosophies and way of life. I owe them a lot," smiles the composer.
Currently, Emon lives in Orlando, where he recently completed his Bachelor of Science in Music Production from Full Sail University in Florida, with distinction.
"I am grateful for everything. The journey was tough, but enjoyable," he adds. He received the Advanced Achievement Award from the institute.
Emon is immensely passionate about music and wants to pursue his higher studies in Music Therapy.
"In western countries, music therapy is a popular form of treatment for those who are combatting depression," explains the composer.
He also wants to study background scoring more extensively. His background score in the film "Agni", was an eye-opener for the film fraternity. "Original background scores play a vital role in films and any other projects," he says. "There was a time when only stock music was used." However, Emon is glad that things are gradually changing in the industry.
Some of Emon's most notable projects include "Shoshurbari Zindabad", "Khairun Sundori" and "Kokhono Megh Kokhono Brishti".
"These films were the turning points of my career. There was no looking back for me after they were released," he states. "From 2002 to 2008, I was recording almost every day, and I worked on 30 to 40 films every year."
He also added that "Molla Barir Bou" "Ghetuputro Komola", "Gohin Baluchor" and the track "Ohey Shyam" from "Poramon 2" were some of his most successful projects.
In various joint venture films, noted singers like Kumar Sanu, Kavita Krishnamurti, Udit Narayan, Anuradha Paudwal, Vinod Rathod, Sadhna Sargam, Sonu Nigam, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Shaan sang his compositions.
Emon belongs to a family of National Film Award winners. His father, Satya Saha, has multiple National Film Awards to his credit, while his mother Ramala Saha, a film producer, won the National Film Award for "Puroshkar" (1983).
His brother Sumon Saha worked in "Oshikkhito" and "Chhutir Ghonta" as a child artiste. He won the National Film Award for his role in "Oshikkhito" (1978).
"Being a part of such a prestigious family is a blessing," he shares. "However, I know that people have high expectations from me and facing comparisons gets frustrating at times. My father is one of my biggest inspirations. I have definitely learnt a lot from him and other veteran musicians in the industry, but I have always tried to create my own identity and be honest in my work."
Some of his upcoming projects are "Tungi Parar Mia Bhai", "August 1975", "Rohingya", "Chironjib Mujib, Agami", "Unmad", "Shyamakalpo", "Chhayabrikkho," "Bishwo Shundori", "Shoshurbari Zindabad 2", "Ashirbad" "MR-9" and a single track for Kona's album, written by Gazi Mazharul Anwar. Emon plans to work in Hollywood as well.
For the last four years, he has been spending Durga Puja in the USA, although he visits Bangladesh quite frequently every year. "During Durga Puja I love spending time with my family," he shares. "My elder brother Sumon bought a house in Miami, and we will be visiting him."
He shares his early memories of Puja in Chattogram, Fatehabad, Hathazari. "We have a century-old tradition of celebrating Durga Puja at our hometown," he asserts.
"We were involved in everything from building the idol to all the programmes throughout the festival. We lived in a big joint family, and from the first till the last day of Puja, we enjoyed to the fullest."
He also said that they had the Bisarjan near their house, and the celebrations continued till the next day.
"We would catch fish from our pond and share with everyone on Dashami. We also had Rong Khela, where we played with colours," he adds.
Emon plans to visit Bangladesh in December.
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