Indian music composer C. Girinandh, founder of the popular music band OXYGEN, has composed music for Netflix’s The Greatest Rivalry – India Vs Pakistan. The show takes a deep dive into the 90s era when matches between India and Pakistan would stroke the nationalistic frenzy between the nations. With so many cricketing competitions now, the aura of an India-Pakistan match is somewhat debatable. However, making music that would elevate the storytelling and complement the athletic spirit of the show that highlights cricket, a sport celebrated like a festival in both countries, was both challenging and a mighty task.
Girinandh’s approach to composing music for The Greatest Rivalry – India Vs Pakistan involved maintaining a neutral tone while evoking emotions and recreating iconic moments from historic India-Pakistan matches. He had the opportunity to explore and incorporate multiple genres into this docu-series. Drawing inspiration from the historic rivalry between India and Pakistan, Girinandh had followed most of the games, and those epic moments were enough to create a musical landscape for the series. The directors, Chandradev Bhagat and Payal, were also clear about their vision, which helped guide his composition.
The song for the series is a collaboration with rapper Devoid and MKB, a sonic expression of the bond, relationships, sportsmanship, aggression, attitude, and players’ mentality and strategy on the field. The band incorporated various world music elements into the series, using a hybrid approach that merges electronic and live instruments. The most challenging aspect of composing music for The Greatest Rivalry was conveying contrasting emotions seamlessly, one after the other, while maintaining a neutral approach and striking a balance.
