The release of the energetic title track of "Toofan" (titled after the film) several days ago, amped up its reception across social media platforms almost immediately. Notably, Tahsan Shuvo, the man behind many title tracks for Bengali films, was also the one who penned the lyrics of the song.

In conversation with The Daily Star, the Bangladeshi expatriate living in Turkey (Türkiye) told the story behind getting affiliated with the much-anticipated film, his career as a lyricist, and more.

"I moved to Istanbul, Turkey, in 2012, for educational purposes after receiving a Turkish Government Scholarship. Since then I have been residing here," said Shuvo. "That was also when I discovered my talent as a lyricist so I sought out opportunities to collaborate with musicians. In 2013, I met Uday Rahman, from a competition arranged by Radio Foorti, and he expressed his interest in a collaboration."

Tahsan Shuvo

The track "Bicchinnota", was their first collaboration, marking Shuvo's debut as a lyricist. Furthermore, they joined forces for another song "Money Bag Vorti Prem", from Uday's band Frontline Poems. 

After that Shuvo had to go through multiple rejections from several composers. However, his persistence earned him an opportunity to work with renowned music composer Naved Parvez. 

Shuvo wrote the title track for the film "Musafir" as a result."This opportunity to contribute four chorus lines for the 'Musafir' title track, definitely marked a turning point in my career," asserted Shuvo.

Eid project "Noyontara"

Read more

‘Toofan's’ title track stirs up a storm among fans

He wrote many lyrics for tele-fictions, jingles for commercials, and additional lyrics for several music videos. He also wrote the script for the web project, "Aghaat", which won the London Independent Film Awards in 2021. "Since then, there has been no turning back. Each experience, encounter, and collaboration has propelled me forward on my creative journey, shaping me into the artiste I am today."

As his inspiration for writing, Shuvo mentioned that the spiritual depth of Rumi's poetry resonates deeply within him, it helped elevate his creative endeavours with a sense of transcendence and introspection.

After completing a bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, he went on to pursue a master's degree in Textile Engineering (record holder as a Bangladeshi student) from Istanbul Technical University, which holds the prestigious title of being the world's third oldest university.

Following his graduation, he began his professional career as a Research and Development engineer at a Turkish company and is currently continuing as Business Development engineer.

Shuvo has never personally met any directors whose films he has worked on, except for Mohammad Mostafa Kamal Raz. One of the tracks from Raz's directorial film "Jodi Ekdin", titled "Bondhu Amar" was written by him. He has also written the title track of Raihan Rafi's "Poran".

"Toofan" marks the second collaboration (film) of Shuvo with Naved Parvez and Raihan Rafi. He shared that writing the title track for "Toofan" was quite an unexpected work opportunity, "One night, he (Naved Parvez) called me and narrated the story of the film and the character of Shakib Khan for nearly an hour. Later, when I was given a tune, I delved into the writing process accordingly."

"Initially, writing the rap portion wasn't part of my plan, as it was meant to be a collaborative effort with Rapsta Dadu. However, he provided me with the beat for the rap at 3 am, and I adapted accordingly. Selecting energetic words was crucial according to our culture, especially for Rapsta Dadu's part," he said.

He also mentioned his appreciation for the main vocalist of the title song, Arif Rahman Joy. "He is undoubtedly a gem in our music industry, and Samyabrata Dripta did an outstanding job in the chorus with his unique voice modulation. Also, working on a Raihan Rafi directorial project is always enjoyable, as he gives us the freedom to think creatively while crafting a song."

In terms of his ongoing musical ventures, Shuvo is currently working on the title track for "Cash" and a romantic track for "Encounter". One of his upcoming ventures is the lyrics for the tele-fiction "Noyontara", directed by Mostofa Kamal Raz. It will be released this Eid.