A classical veena interlude in a Bollywood blockbuster is taking the internet by storm. The track ‘Phir Se’, sung by Arijit Singh in the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar, features a zingy instrumental hook that is now being recreated endlessly on Instagram Reels.
The man behind that captivating interlude is 24-year-old Ramana Balachandran from Tiruvannamalai – a fast-rising Carnatic vainika already popular in Chennai’s kutcherri circuit.
How a classical musician landed in Bollywood
“It happened quite serendipitously,” Ramana recalls. Music director Shashwat Sachdev had been following his work on Instagram. They connected through a common friend.
The Dhurandhar team gave him creative freedom. “I was randomly playing some stuff, and we chanced upon the interlude. We had no idea it would blow up so much,” he says.
For the recording, the microphone was placed 2.5 feet above the veena. That unconventional setup gave the instrument a completely different sound – one that felt new even to Ramana.
A musical childhood in Bengaluru and beyond
Ramana grew up in Bengaluru in a music-filled home. His father loved vocal music, his mother played the veena. As a toddler, he enrolled in mridangam classes.
The turning point came at age nine. While his mother was playing the Thyagaraja kriti ‘Saadhinchane’, Ramana pointed out a wrong phrase – even though he couldn’t play it himself. That comment made his mother sit up and take notice. Soon, he was put in veena classes under B. Nagalakshmi.
Life in Tiruvannamalai changes everything
His father left corporate life and moved the family to Tiruvannamalai for a slower, more spiritual existence. Ramana was home-schooled, living a stone’s throw from the town’s famous temple.
“Here, we see so many people who have renounced luxurious lives and are doing quality work without a fuss. That deeply inspired me,” he says.
Staying rooted even after viral fame
Despite offers from multiple music directors after Dhurandhar, Ramana remains clear about his priorities. “My priority is not films. I am first and foremost a Carnatic vainika. There is an ocean of work here to delve into.”
He is now on a mission to make classical music more accessible and to propagate the richness of the veena. His recent explorations focus on the Shanmukhapriya ragam.
“Musicians have to educate the public. Simple things like telling a line or two about the track you are presenting make people feel engaged. I have a responsibility to showcase Carnatic music’s beauty while being open to other forms,” he says.
