Killbill Society (soundtrack)
| Killbill Society | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Anupam Roy, Ranajoy Bhattacharjee and Tamalika Golder | ||||
| Released | 2025 | |||
| Recorded | 2024–2025 | |||
| Studio |
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| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 31:21[1] | |||
| Language | Bengali | |||
| Label | SVF Music | |||
| Anupam Roy chronology | ||||
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| Ranajoy Bhattacharjee chronology | ||||
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| Tamalika Golder chronology | ||||
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Killbill Society is the soundtrack album to the 2025 Indian Bengali-language black comedy romantic thriller film of the same name, directed by Srijit Mukherji. A spiritual successor and thematic spin-off of his 2012 cult classic Hemlock Society, the soundtrack is primarily composed by Anupam Roy, with additional compositions by Ranajoy Bhattacharjee and Tamalika Golder, and background score by Indraadip Dasgupta.
The album was released on 29 March 2025, under the SVF Music label. Lyrics were penned by Anupam and Ranajoy for their respective tracks, while Mukherji wrote the rest.
Background and development
The musical identity of Killbill Society was developed as a direct response to the legacy of Hemlock Society (2012).[2] While the genesis of the previous instalment focused on the "art of living" and the prevention of suicide, the 2025 film—inspired by an anecdote involving Angelina Jolie hiring a hitman for herself, revolves around the "commercial transaction of death."[3] Srijit Mukherji adapted this "paid killing" concept, leading to the film's title—a play on the idea of people who "kill" and then "bill."[4] This thematic shift necessitated a soundtrack that was more cynical, experimental, and aggressive than its predecessor.[5]
A central narrative in the album's production was the high-profile reunion of Mukherji and Anupam Roy for the eleventh time after Autograph (2010), Baishe Srabon (2011), Hemlock Society (2012), Chotushkone (2014), Zulfiqar (2016), Uma (2018), Shah Jahan Regency (2019), Vinci Da (2019), Dwitiyo Purush (2020) and Dawshom Awbotaar (2023).[2] Mukherji stated in an interview with The Telegraph that returning to this "universe" felt incomplete without Anupam's lyrical sensibilities.[2] Unlike their previous collaborations, which often saw Anupam as the sole composer, Killbill Society used a multi-composer approach.[2] Mukherji opted for a diverse palette, bringing in Tamalika Golder and Ranajoy Bhattacharjee, who previously worked with Mukherji on the web-series Durgo Rawhoshyo (2023) and the film Tekka (2024) respectively, whereas the former marked her debut in a feature-film.[6]
Musical structure
The soundtrack is characterized by a "layered" approach, where each song uses specific instruments to reflect a character's psychological state.
Acoustic and Melancholic Tracks
Anupam cited the songs "Nei Tumi Aager Moto" and "Shondhe Naamey" serving as the bridge to the respective tracks "Amar Mawte" and "Ekhon Onek Raat" from Hemlock Society.[7] He added the tracks relied heavily on the Piano and the Cello, creating a sense of "urban loneliness." The use of the Acoustic guitar is deliberately sparse and muted compared to Anupam's earlier works, signifying a loss of innocence.[8]
Traditional and Philosophical Tracks
"Shaatjawnmer Porichoy," composed by Ranajoy, used traditional Indian instruments to ground the film's existential themes, especially Shehnai and Esraj provide a haunting, classical backdrop that contrasted with the film's modern setting.[9]
"Refereer Bnaashi": The Classical-Rock Fusion
The centerpiece of the album is "Refereer Bnaashi" (transl. The whistle of the referee), a high-octane duet of Rupam Islam and Sidhu, the two rock icons of Bengal, for the first time in the history of Bengali music.[10] The song is a technical experiment in Classical-Rock Fusion:
Indian classical elements
The track opens with a complex Sarod and Sitar riff based on a dissonant variation of Raga Bhairavi. The "whistle" of the title is represented by high-pitched, staccato notes on a Flute.
Rock Elements
These classical motifs are overlaid with Double-bass drumming and High-gain distorted Electric Guitars.
Symbolism
The fusion of the "divine" sound of the Shehnai with the "aggressive" sound of heavy metal is intended to represent the clash between destiny (the Referee) and human rebellion (the Killbill agency).[2]
Release
The soundtrack preceded with eight singles: "Nei Tumi Aager Moto–Female" was the first track released on 19 March 2025,[10] followed by "Bhalobeshey Basho Naa" on 25 March 2025,[11] "Shondhe Naamey" on 29 March 2025,[12] "Refereer Bnaashi" on 8 April 2025, "Shaatjawnmer Porichoy" on 20 April 2025, "Likhey Raakhi Prem" on 1 May 2025 and "Nei Tumi Aager Moto–Male" on 3 May 2025. The full album was released on 29 March 2025.[10] The music launch event was held at India's tallest watch tower in Belilious Park, Howrah and the event was marked by performances from the music team in the film including Anupam Roy, Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury, Tamalika Golder, Ranajoy Bhattacharjee and Rapurna Bhattacharyya.[13]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nei Tumi Aager Moto–Female" | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | Somlata Acharyya Chowdhury | 5:12 |
| 2. | "Bhalobeshey Basho Naa" | Srijit Mukherji | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | 4:28 |
| 3. | "Shondhe Naamey" | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | 3:34 |
| 4. | "Refereer Bnaashi" | Srijit Mukherji | Tamalika Golder | Rupam Islam, Sidhu | 4:58 |
| 5. | "Shaatjawnmer Porichoy–Film version" | Srijit Mukherji | Ranajoy Bhattacharjee | Durnibar Saha | 5:27 |
| 6. | "Likhey Raakhi Prem" | Srimoy Bhattacharya | Tamalika Golder | Rapurna Bhattacharyya, Sudip Nandy | 3:35 |
| 7. | "Shaatjawnmer Porichoy (Ft. Abhijeet Bhattacharya)" | Srijit Mukherji | Ranajoy Bhattacharjee | Abhijeet Bhattacharya | 5:27 |
| 8. | "Nei Tumi Aager Moto–Male" | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | Anupam Roy | 5:09 |
| Total length: | 31:21 | ||||
Personnel
| Song | Personnel |
|---|---|
| "Nei Tumi Aager Moto" | Guitar: Ritaprabha Ray |
| "Bhalobeshey Basho Naa" | Guitar: Anupam Roy, Rishabh Ray Bass guitar: Kaustav Biswas Violin: Souptik Mazumder Drums: Sandipan Parial |
| "Shondhe Naamey" | Guitar: Rishabh Ray Saxophone: Gopal Das Bass guitar: Kaustav Biswas Drums: Sandipan Parial |
| "Refereer Bnaashi" | Sarod: Subhrajyoti Sen Sitar: Purbayan Chatterjee Electric Guitar: Pritish, Soumyadeep Das Acoustic guitar: Pritish Bass: Sunny Subhadeep Saha Drums: Alloy Francis |
| "Shaatjawnmer Porichoy" | Shehnai: Yogesh More Tabla: Joydeb Nandy |
| "Likhey Raakhi Prem" | Acoustic guitar: Pritish |
Production
- Lead Composer: Anupam Roy
- Guest Composers: Ranajoy Bhattacharjee, Tamalika Golder
- Background Score: Indraadip Dasgupta
- Lyricists: Anupam Roy, Srijit Mukherji
- Music Arrangement: Nabarun Bose, Shamik Chakraborty
- Mixing & Mastering: Anindit Roy
- Label: SVF Music
References
- ^ "Killbill Society (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". JioSaavn. Retrieved 14 April 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Bhanja, Sandipta (1 April 2025). "পর্ন সাইটে কৌশানীর ঘনিষ্ঠ মুহূর্তের ভিডিও! 'কিলবিল সোসাইটি'র ট্রেলারে অ্যাঞ্জেলিনা জোলির ছায়া". Sangbad Pratidin (in Bengali). Retrieved 2 April 2025.
- ^ "Srijit Mukherji's 'Killbill Society' draws inspiration from Angelina Jolie's life". The Telegraph. 20 March 2025. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "Srijit Mukherji Reveals How Angelina Jolie's Suicide Attempt Inspired Killbill Society". Filmfare. 10 April 2025. Retrieved 10 April 2025.
- ^ "এটা হেনলকের ই দুনিয়ার 12 বছর পরের ঘটনা, কিন্তু কিলবিলের আনন্দকে দেখলে রোম খাড়া হয়ে যাবে." Indian Express (in Bengali). 15 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Rana, Sayani (20 February 2025). "অনুপম-রূপম-সোমলতা-শিলাজিৎ-অভিজিৎ-সোমলতারা টিমে! কিলবিল সোসাইটি যেন গানের জগতের রিউনিয়ন, বড় আপডেট দিলেন সৃজিত". Hindustan Times (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 20 February 2025. Retrieved 26 March 2025.
- ^ Roy, Piya (16 March 2025). "Does Parambrata play an agent of death in Killbill Society? A video provides the clues". t2 Online. Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ Rana, Sayani (7 April 2025). "'কড়া পরিচালকটা রেপুটেশন হিসেবে ব্যবহার করি, প্যাকআপ হয়ে গেলেই…', কিলবিল মুক্তির আগে দাবি সৃজিতের". Hindustan Times (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 7 April 2025. Retrieved 8 April 2025.
- ^ Bhattacharya, Torsha (6 April 2025). "Srijit Mukherji: আমি ফরমায়েশি ছবি করি না, করব না: সৃজিত". ABP Ananda (in Bengali). Retrieved 7 April 2025.
- ^ a b c Majumder, Rahul (20 February 2025). "একই গানে প্রথমবার রূপম-সিধু! সৃজিতের পরিকল্পনায় 'ইতিহাস' তৈরির অজানা গল্প শোনালেন দুই রক শিল্পী". Aajkal (in Bengali). Retrieved 24 March 2025.
- ^ "The second song of Killbill Society dropped today". Times of India. 25 March 2025. Archived from the original on 25 March 2025. Retrieved 25 March 2025.
- ^ Roy, Piya (29 March 2025). "Birthday boy Anupam Roy's Shondhe naamey from Killbill Society is a delightful love song". t2 Online. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
- ^ Niyogi, Agnivo (29 March 2025). "Music album of Srijit Mukherji's 'Killbill Society' launched at India's tallest watchtower; pictures inside". The Telegraph. Retrieved 31 March 2025.