Music composer A-Zal on working in ‘Ms Marvel’

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Two of the Indian-origin music composer’s tracks were featured in the latest Marvel series

(Originally published in The Hindu on July 12, 2022)

Ms Marvel has been turning quite a few heads since its premiere, especially for how it uses Iman Vellani’s Kamala Khan/Ms Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe’s first South Asian superhero. Like the series’ depiction of culture, its diverse music has been a major talking point as well. Indian-origin music composer A-Zal found two of his compositions — Aye Khuda and Dheemi Dheemi — finding their way to the credits of the show.

A-Zal, who notably also worked in Marvel’s Loki, speaks about his association with the studio, working in a heavily competitive industry, and more. Excerpts:

‘Ms Marvel’ is your second collaboration with Marvel after ‘Loki’.

My association with Marvel started even before Loki, and for a project that is yet to be released. We spoke for over six months back then. Big Hollywood production houses like Marvel use code words to describe projects to maintain confidentiality. So I still don’t know what that project was about and when it is happening. Then all of a sudden I got a call from Marvel for Loki, and from there it picked up and lead to Ms Marvel eventually.

‘Aye Khuda’ is a soulful, classical track that speaks of Kamala’s romance with Kamran. What was expected of you?

I was detailed about the character, backdrop and where the song will come in, etc. So, they were looking for a track that has innocence. They wanted it to reflect one’s first love, which is the most innocent of all. At the same time, it shouldn’t feel like a 16-year-old playing a guitar solo. They wanted more soul, something more mature, and hence we gave it a Sufi touch as well.

You have worked on a handful of Bollywood projects before. How different is Hollywood from Bollywood when it comes to music production?

There are no rough edges in Hollywood production. For instance, in many Indian films, composers use VST instruments to score the music. However, in Hollywood……..

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Read the full interview here: A-Zal Interview

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