Anubhav Sinha On Getting Bob Dylan

Besides  incidental snatches  of  local music ,  Anubhav Sinha’s Article 15  has only one song .And that’s the Bob Dylan classic ‘Blowin’ In The Wind’ which plays in the background. The  song originally released  in  1963 has acquired  a cult status over the generations,  equivalent  to the  holy grail.

Anubhav says he was  determined to get  the rights  to use the song  , no matter how. “Bob  Dylan’s Blowin In  The Wind was written  into the script  of  Article  15. It  was  the  only song I  wanted  in my film. It encapsulates  the spirit  of  exploration and salvation that my hero Ayushmann Khurrana  goes through.I love  the song’s lyrics specially , ‘How many  roads must a  man walk down before  you call him  a man?’  These words epitomized  my  film.”

 Anubhav didn’t know how  to get  the  rights for  the song, and how. “I didn’t know  where  to start  the process. I knew  it would be  a long-drawn process, and expensive,  and at  the end of I may not be  able to  afford it. I got in touch with a friend in  the US who get in touch with another friend who  knew Bob Dylan’s manager Jeff Rosen.”

Rosen  has been  Dylan’s manager for  30 years. 

“Finally I  spoke to Rosen and  told him what we required. To my surprise he  was  very  supportive. He  told us to use  the song and pay whatever  token amount we  could afford.”

So how much did Anubhav have to pay for Bob Dylan’s ‘Blowin’ In  The Wind.’?

The  filmmaker isn’t telling on record. But  what he does reveal  is:  “It could’ve been  a lot lot more  than  we could afford.  I don’t know what I’d have done then. But I wouldn’t have  made the  film without  Dylan’s song. What we  paid is a big dent to our budget. But worth  every penny.”