MUMBAI: MTV’s new Unplugged Season 2 has brought about new challenges not only for music industry’s top artists but also for show producer Ranjit Barot. For him, the acid test was how to present well known artistes with their different styles as they play their popular hits and personal favourites.

“As a producer, the challenge was to take the creation of artists and re-interpret them without swaying away their soul. So the question was: how we can push the envelope musically?  My job was to present the artists in the space they wanted to be in. There are many sides to every song. Each musician will come up with a different interpretation. We are trying to take liberties in an intelligent way. The show is not only about popular but good music,” shares Barot.

The 10- episode show will have artistes like AR Rahman, Lucky Ali, Sunidhi Chauhan, rock band Agnee, Ash King,  Shafqat Ali and Indus Creed among others who will render their hits to a live studio audience acoustically and raw.

To differentiate the show and present the artists in a different light, Barot implemented ‘slight shifts in balance’ in the songs and presentation - with artists bypassing their obvious popular numbers and presenting their lesser known but musically ‘stronger’ tracks instead. The artists and the in-house band under Barot would also explore World Music in the series.

“We say music needs to be better and bigger but we need an audience to start the dialogue. Unplugged is usually watched by English speaking audience which has limited its reach. We have ‘Indianized’ the format to extend its viewership.  There is a dichotomy in the country regarding filmy and non-filmy music-Rahman makes music for films, but he’s not into films per se. What he loves is creating music. The reason some songs have a long life is because they have been made from heart and not mind,” Barot points out.

India is a culturally rich country and has absorbed diverse kinds of music. “The MTV Unplugged is an initiative to bring us back with the ‘good stuff’. The show will also give people a chance to get up close and personal with the artists,” Barot adds.

The show will kick off with Rahman's episode on 3 November at 8 pm.