Music or Noise

Neeraj Kami on Sound of Steel

Neeraj Kami is a filmmaker from Mumbai whose work is inspired by the relationship between sound and image. His short film Sound of Steel takes its material from the city’s railway tracks, construction sites, bridges, roads and aluminium workshops, and centres on a figure made from aluminium foil.

The idea began with Matmos (music duo known for turning everyday sounds and unconventional textures into music), while the film itself developed through Kami’s everyday experience of moving through Mumbai. We spoke to him about the city, the sounds that influenced the film and how the project came together.

Why Sound?

Music has always been part of my everyday life. I naturally look for hidden and emerging artists, as well as sounds and genres outside the mainstream. Sometimes a piece of music gives me an almost euphoric feeling, and an idea begins to form from there. I always tend to notice its texture, energy, movement and emotion first. Those qualities often influence the way I think visually, shaping the pace, mood and composition of an image.

What about the city made you want to make Sound of Steel?

I wanted to film places that were already part of my everyday life: photo walks, workout spots, beaches, construction sites, railway tracks, Dhobi Ghat, bridges, roads and aluminium workshops. I wasn’t trying to create a version of Mumbai from scratch. The idea was to pay attention to the places I already knew. At one point, I was standing at the doorway of a moving local, listening to music and watching the tracks, passing structures and people. For a moment, everything seemed to move together in my mind. I realised that parts of the city that were considered noisy could actually be experienced as music. That became the feeling then became the idea behind the film.

What was it about Matmos that inspired you?

I was drawn to the way they used everyday sounds, layered textures and rhythm to create something musical without making those sounds feel ordinary. Listening to them made me think about how sound could become an image, a movement or even a body. That was where Sound of Steel began.

Did the idea change once you began filming?

I didn’t begin with a fixed narrative or a central character. At first, I was simply documenting the steel and other metals I kept encountering in these environments.

After a while, I started to see that the places were connected by more than just the material. They all had a certain weight and movement to them, and I began thinking about what that might look like as a person. The character wasn’t planned from the start. It came out of the footage.

What was the vision behind the figure at the centre of the film?

The film was shot on a Sony A7 II with a 28–70mm lens and made without a production budget. I used aluminium foil to create the metallic appearance instead of relying on professional makeup or prosthetics. The foil was practical, but I believe it also suited the film. It was cheap, available and seemed close to the kinds of materials I was filming. I liked that it did not look too polished. It kept the character connected to the world around it.

What did you want people to understand?

I didn’t want to explain the film before the audience had a chance to experience it. I wanted people to bring their own memories and associations to it, rather than being given one fixed interpretation. A lot of content is made to follow a trend or an algorithm. I wanted this to come from a more personal place and retain some uncertainty.