Tapas Relia crafts a dynamic sonic world for Madhuri Dixit starrer Mrs Deshpande

Mumbai, 17^th December 2025: Acclaimed music composer and background scorer Tapas Relia is all set to captivate audiences with his latest work on Mrs Deshpande, the upcoming Madhuri Dixit–led web series directed by Nagesh Kukunoor, releasing on 19th December on Disney+ Hotstar. Having composed the title track and background score for the show, Relia brings his distinctive musical sensibility to a story driven by emotional depth and dynamic character arcs. This project marks yet another collaboration between Relia and Kukunoor, a partnership that has evolved over more than a decade of creative association.

Speaking about the musical brief for Mrs Deshpande, Relia said, “I’ve been working with Nagesh Kukunoor for several years now, and over the last 10 to 15 years we have developed a very strong working culture. For the title track, he played me a few international and English song references. What emerged from our discussions was that he wanted a track where the beginning doesn’t reveal where the ending is. The song had to be extremely dynamic, with a lot of changes—much like the show itself, which has many interesting twists and turns.” He further added that the music was shaped by the character rather than the actor, stating, “A good and experienced composer never uses actors as references. It is always the character that directs the sound palette, themes and melodies. Mrs Deshpande is a character with a very dynamic arc, and that reflects in the music.”

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Relia’s versatility is rooted in his extensive background in advertising, where he composed hundreds of memorable jingles and campaigns, including the iconic “Kya Aap Close-Up Karte Hain.” Reflecting on how those years shaped him, he shared, “My early years in advertising definitely help me in my work today. The first thing is speed—advertising trains you to work extremely fast. The second is versatility, because you’re constantly working across genres. And most importantly, it trained me to accurately interpret what a director or a story expects from the music. That understanding has become my core strength.”

From animated classics like Hanuman to films such as Dhanak, OTT series like City of Dreams and Rudra: The Edge of Darkness, and now Mrs Deshpande, Tapas Relia continues to create music that resonates instinctively with audiences. Summing up his creative philosophy, he said, “The more you overthink or strategize art, the less it connects with people. I’m driven by instinct—by what I see on screen and what I read on paper. Most of the memorable work I’ve done has come instinctively, not through exhaustive thought.” As he also expands his footprint in independent music through his experimental project Sur and Synth, Relia remains one of the most quietly influential musical voices shaping contemporary Indian storytelling.