NBA, The game found a new voice

Overview

An iconic global sport meets the raw, living pulse of India.

Our work with NBA was a sonic exploration of basketball as it exists beyond courts and arenas—woven into streets, playgrounds, back alleys, and everyday life. Created in collaboration with Publicis Groupe ME, with the aim to capture the spirit of the game as it moves through Indian culture.

Our role was to craft a distinctive musical identity—one that could translate basketball’s energy into a sound language deeply rooted in India.

The Challenge

Basketball has a globally recognisable energy—pace, bounce, tension, release.The challenge was to reinterpret that energy through an Indian cultural lens without diluting the sport’s intensity or resorting to predictable fusion tropes and genres.

The music needed to:

• Feel organic, raw, and grounded
• Reflect the chaos and flow of street play
• Carry spiritual depth, not just adrenaline
• Sit naturally alongside striking visuals, without overpowering them

This wasn’t about background music—music had to carry the energy of the film.

Creative Direction

• Hindustani Classical as the emotional core, not as ornamentation
• Experimental soundscape to mirror the urban grit
• Dynamic movement instead of a fixed melody, allowing the music to breathe with the edit.

The composition intentionally avoids a conventional “drop” or anthem moment. Instead, it builds  through cycles, echoing the continuous motion of play.

Sonic Palette & Instrumentation

The score was performed by a full Indian classical ensemble, chosen for both texture and symbolism:

• Sitar & Esraj – melodic movement, tension, release
• Sarangi – raw human emotion and street soul
• Mridangam & Tabla – rhythmic foundation, echoing dribbles and footwork
• Indian & Western Strings – cinematic scale and emotional lift

Live performances were layered with subtle experimental processing, creating a soundscape that feels ancient and modern at the same time.

Execution

• Close collaboration with the director and agency from early drafts.
• Music structured to adapt organically to visual rhythm and pacing
• Emphasis on live instrumentation to preserve authenticity
• Final mix designed to feel immersive across digital and large-format screens

Rather than scoring “to picture” in a literal sense, the music was shaped to coexist with the visuals through trials and experimentation.

Result

The final film emerged as a living stage—where culture and competition collide.

The music doesn’t just accompany the film; it embodies the game as it exists in India: chaotic, spiritual, physical, and deeply personal. It positions basketball not as an imported sport, but as a rhythm already embedded in the streets.

Takeaway

Rhythm of the Game demonstrates how music can act as cultural translation—not by blending genres superficially, but by finding shared rhythm at their core.