Reacting to Sarkar’s passing, Dia Mirza said, “Pradeep da created poetry in motion. A master of his craft, he paid extraordinary attention to detail. Parineeta will always be an experience that I will hold close to my heart.”
Parineeta’s composer Shantanu Moitra recalls his early years under the guidance of Pradeep Sarkar. He says, “When I was a young ad executive working in contract advertising, it was Pradeep Sarkar who gave me my first break for an ad jingle. He gave me the courage to quit and start on my own as a composer and he gave me enough and more work so that I could sustain myself. He kept encouraging me to do play on bigger canvases. Ab Ke Sawan (Shubha Mudgal’s hit number) whose video he did was my attempt at a bigger canvas in the cocooned world of Delhi.”
Sarkar was instrumental in getting Shantanu his first feature film, too. The composer reveals, “And then ofcourse he gave me my first film Parineeta which changed my dynamics forever. He had the ability to identify talent in the darkest corners of the room. And his visuals were paintings. I recall, as I would record the songs in Parineeta he would sit in the studio and draw his story boards. What passion, what artistry and what a God’s gift.”
Shantanu holds back his emotions as he signs off, “I will miss you Pradeep, I am because of you.”
