Vivek Maddala's original score for Pooja Sir is released via Plaza Mayor Company Ltd. When two boys are kidnapped in a border town in Nepal, Detective Inspector Pooja is sent from Kathmandu to solve the case. But when she arrives, the brewing political unrest and violent protests throw her off course, and she is forced to seek help from Mamata, a local Madhesi policewoman. By putting aside systemic discrimination and pushing through everyday misogyny, the women solve the case - but at what personal cost? Inspired by real events which took place in Southern Nepal during the 2015 race protests...

Pooja, Sir is a political thriller inspired by real events which took place in Southern Nepal in 2015. While the film engages universal themes like class struggle and gender inequality, its characters and dialog are geographically specific.

What's interesting about the score is that from the first track you immediately know where in the world geographically you are thanks to the choice of instruments. Even if your geography is poor, you know roughly were the music is directing you.

The score contains enough variety to keep soundtrack fans intrigued for its duration. It has plenty of dream-like trippy pieces as well as a number of adrenaline fuelled tracks.

Discussing the score, composer Vivek Maddala says: "When first approaching the film’s music score, I recognized that a key role for the music should be to help global audiences (and Western ones in particular) relate to the film, since its locale, culture, and language may be unfamiliar to them. Working closely with director Deepak Rauniyar, I crafted a palette of musical colours that alludes to South Asian traditions but is, nonetheless, geographically broad. I wanted the music to partner with the story without interfering - to draw the audience into the situations the characters are experiencing without necessarily calling attention to the fact that the music was performing this task. When listening to the score, you hear tactile instruments, like plucked and bowed strings and percussion, which assist in grounding the story. You also hear electronic textures, sculpted to 'play against picture,' subverting audience expectations, producing surprising moments of aural and visual poetry."

While this won't appeal to everyone, I personally found this to be an engaging and diverse collection of intimate little pieces. The eerie, suspenseful ending to the final track 'Was Justice Served?' certainly left me wanting to hear more.

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Darren Rea