Draft:Game Changer (soundtrack)

Game Changer
Soundtrack album by
Released2024
Recorded2021–2024
Studio
GenreFilm soundtrack
LanguageTelugu
LabelSaregama
ProducerThaman S
Thaman S chronology
Sabdham
(2024)
Game Changer
(2024)
Baby John
(2024)
Singles from Game Changer
  1. "Jaragandi"
    Released: 27 March 2024

Game Changer is the soundtrack album composed by Thaman S to the 2024 Telugu-language action drama film of the same name directed by S. Shankar and starring Ram Charan. The film marked Thaman's first collaboration with Shankar, and its soundtrack featured eight songs with lyrics written by Ramajogayya Sastry, Anantha Sriram and Kasarla Shyam. The soundtrack is set to be released under the Saregama label.

Background and development

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When the project was announced under the tentative title RC15,[a] it was initially speculated that Anirudh Ravichander would compose music for the film after he previously associated with Shankar on Indian 2 (2024).[1] Later, on that March, Shankar's norm collaborator A. R. Rahman was also considered to score music for the film.[2] This was also speculated, when Rahman replied to a fan through X (formerly Twitter), anticipating his return to Telugu cinema.[3] On July 2021, it was announced that Thaman S would compose the music for the film.[4]

The film is Thaman's first musical collaboration, along with his second overall collaboration, with Shankar, after making his acting debut in Boys (2003) and third collaboration with Charan after Naayak (2013) and Bruce Lee: The Fighter (2015).[5] Speaking to Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu, Thaman recalled that Rahman had called him on 1 April 2021 (April Fools' Day) that he wanted to compose music for Shankar's film, assuming it to be a prank.[6] However, the producer Dil Raju called Thaman to meet Shankar at his residence on Chennai; Thaman who was re-recording the score for Vakeel Saab (2021) eventually met Shankar who asked him to compose a tune for the film. After finishing the tune, Shankar eventually impressed with it and confirmed his part in the film.[7] Shankar's insistence on Thaman being involved in the project, was attributed to his liking on Thaman's compositions on Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020).[6]

Production

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"Working for Shankar sir’s film is like working in a different world. Just like how technicians change hard disks for different works, I have to change my hard disk (brain) while working for Shankar sir’s film."

S. Thaman[8]

Game Changer's soundtrack featured around eight songs.[7][9] Thaman composed three songs each at specific intervals on March, April and July 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.[7] The latter, being an introductory song which was recorded on 14–15 July 2021 in Hyderabad, with the help of 135 musicians.[10] By April 2022, he had composed around five songs for the film, which he called it as the fastest music composition for any of his films.[6] As he designed the album exclusively for Shankar, Thaman had to change the sonic treatment of his music, making it different from his previous films.[11] On 19 September 2024, Thaman took to X (formerly Twitter) that the recording of the film's background score would commence from 1 October 2024.[12]

Music videos

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The songs were choreographed by Jani Master,[13] Prabhu Deva,[14] Ganesh Acharya,[15] Bosco Martis[16] and Prem Rakshith.[17] A special song which featured the lead pair under Martis' choreography and was filmed at New Zealand cost 15 crore (US$1.8 million).[18][19] The song "Jaragandi" was reportedly made on a budget of ₹15–20 (US$1.8–24 million) becoming one of the most-expensive songs ever produced.[20][21] It featured Charan and Advani, with choreography by Deva, and the song was shot at a specially erected set at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.[21] The introductory song under Acharya's choreography was shot at various locations in and around Visakhapatnam which includes: Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management, Simhachalam Hill Range and RK Beach.[15] According to producer Dil Raju, around 90 crore (US$11 million) had been invested on filming the songs.[22]

Marketing and release

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The audio rights for the film were acquired by Saregama for an undisclosed price.[23] Prior to its release, the song "Jaragandi" was leaked online on 16 September 2023,[24][20] which led to the arrest of two individuals for leaking the footage and prompting the makers to take action against such incidents. On the occasion of Dusshera (23 October 2023), it was announced that the song would be released as a single on Diwali (12 November 2023).[25] However, a day before the release, the makers announced that the song's release would be indefinitely delayed.[26] The delay was attributed to audio documentation issues, as the leaked version of the song received negative response prompting Thaman to change the singers.[27] The leaked version initially had vocals by Anurag Kulkarni and Sunidhi Chauhan, before Daler Mehndi replaced Kulkarni's vocals in the Telugu version.[28] It was released on 27 March 2024, on the occasion of Charan's 39th birthday to mixed reviews criticizing it's composition.[29]

On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi (7 September 2024), the makers released a poster indicating that the second single from the film will be released later this month.[30][31]

Track listing

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Telugu
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Jaragandi"Anantha SriramDaler Mehndi, Sunidhi Chauhan4:20
Tamil
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Jaragandi"VivekDaler Mehndi, Pooja Venkat4:20
Hindi
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Jaragandi"KumaarDaler Mehndi, Sahithi Chaganti4:20

Notes

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  1. ^ Ram Charan's 15th film as a leading actor

References

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  1. ^ "Anirudh Ravichander to compose music for Ram Charan-Shankar film?". The Times of India. 25 February 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
  2. ^ Balachandran, Logesh (10 March 2021). "AR Rahman to team up with Shankar for his period drama with Ram Charan?". India Today. Archived from the original on 11 March 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  3. ^ "AR Rahman to compose for Ram Charan-Shankar film?". Cinema Express. 10 March 2021. Archived from the original on 14 April 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Music director Thaman joins Shankar-RamCharan's #RC15". The Times of India. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  5. ^ "Thaman S reunites with Boys director Shankar for Ram Charan starrer #RC15". The Times of India. 19 July 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 August 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  6. ^ a b c Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (2 April 2022). "Composer Thaman S discusses his musical evolution, composing for Shankar's next film, and more". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 15 April 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  7. ^ a b c M, Suman (12 September 2021). "Thaman Thought Rahman Will Compose Music for RC15". Gulte. Archived from the original on 28 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  8. ^ Ram, Shree (7 October 2022). "Have To Change My Hard Disk For Shankar's Film: Thaman". Gulte. Archived from the original on 1 December 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  9. ^ "Game Changer: Thaman shares new updates on the film's music and release plans". The Times of India. 24 July 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  10. ^ "Composer Thaman is excited to be on board for 'brother' Ram Charan's RC15". The Indian Express. 19 July 2021. Archived from the original on 20 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  11. ^ "Thaman – I can't reveal much about RC15". 123telugu.com. 2 February 2023. Archived from the original on 2 February 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  12. ^ "Thaman shares update on Ram Charan starrer 'Game Changer' music, details inside". The Times of India. 19 September 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  13. ^ "#RC15: Choreographer Jani brought on-board Shankar and Ram Charan's film". The Times of India. 19 July 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  14. ^ Arya, Bhawna (19 March 2023). "RC 15 Team, Prabhu Deva Welcome Ram Charan on Film's Sets With Naatu Naatu Dance; Watch Video". News18. Archived from the original on 25 May 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  15. ^ a b "Bollywood dance director Ganesh Acharya to choreograph an introductory song on Ram Charan in Vizag for #RC15". The Times of India. 15 February 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 18 February 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  16. ^ P, Ram (27 November 2022). "Bosco Martis Birthday Celebrations On The Sets Of RC15". Cinejosh. Archived from the original on 20 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  17. ^ Sharma, Bhavana (4 March 2023). "RC15: With Country's Top Five Choreographers, Do You Know How Much Dil Raju Spent Only For Songs In Ram Charan Starrer". International Business Times India. Archived from the original on 12 April 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  18. ^ "RC15: Is director Shankar picturing a song worth Rs 15 crores on Ram Charan?". The Times of India. 17 November 2022. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  19. ^ "Ram Charan And Kiara Advani's RC15 To Have 'Special Song' With Rs 15 Crore Budget". News18. 17 November 2022. Archived from the original on 19 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  20. ^ a b "Game Changer Song Made on Whopping Budget Leaked, Makers Furious". Deccan Chronicle. 16 September 2023. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  21. ^ a b "Did you know Game Changer's first single was made with a budget of Rs 20 crore?". The Times of India. 28 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2 November 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  22. ^ Nasreen, Raisa (7 August 2023). "90 Crore! Ram Charan, Kiara Advani's Game Changer To Feature Most Expensive Songs As Makers Invest A Whopping Amount". Times Now. Archived from the original on 7 August 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  23. ^ "Saregama Secures The Audio Rights Of Ram Charan-starrer Game Changer". News18. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 8 November 2023. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
  24. ^ "Ram Charan's song from Shankar's 'Game Changer' leaked: Reports". India Today. 16 September 2023. Archived from the original on 6 November 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  25. ^ "'Game Changer': First track 'Jaragandi' from Ram Charan-Kiara Advani starrer to be out on this date". The Times of India. 24 October 2023. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Ram Charan's 'Game Changer' 1st song 'Jaragandi' postponed. Here's why". India Today. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 18 January 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  27. ^ "The first single Jargandi from Ram Charan's 'Game Changer' has been postponed!". The Times of India. 11 November 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 14 November 2023. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  28. ^ "Thaman unsatisfied with Game Changer 1st single". TrackTollywood. 11 November 2023. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
  29. ^ Mohammad, Avad (28 March 2024). "Ram Charan's birthday - From mixed response for Jaragandi to key updates on his next films, the global star had an eventual day". OTTPlay. Archived from the original on 12 April 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  30. ^ Adivi, Sashidhar (8 September 2024). "Game Changer's Second Single To Strike In September: Filmmakers Release Ram Charan's New Poster". Times Now. Archived from the original on 8 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  31. ^ "Second single from Ram Charan's Game Changer gets a release window". Cinema Express. 8 September 2024. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024. Retrieved 20 September 2024.