Rachana Dubey (BOMBAY TIMES; November 23, 2018)

The 49th edition of the International Film Festival of India is rather special for singer Arijit Singh. Sa, his debut film as a director, was screened at the festival and he conducted a masterclass for aspiring singers and composers. When BT asked the singer to elaborate on his newfound love for filmmaking, he said, “From the time we were kids, my friends and I had these ideas that we wanted to express. It all started as a random thought, but we made our film with great passion and pride. It took us two-and-a-half years to make the film. The first one-and-a-half years were spent randomly shooting things. We started with a DSLR camera. I was clear that we would shoot and create the story on the table but when we saw the edit, we didn’t like it. So, we went back to the drawing board because it dawned upon us that cinema is the visual form of a novel and so we need to study it and approach it with a plan. We realised that this needs proper writing, thought and execution. Also, the process involves many people. You are not alone and you have to involve everyone to work cohesively with you. We did our homework, and this time we went back to the floor, shot the film in seven months with a lot of technical guidance.”

The film will see Arijit’s 10-year-old son, Jul, playing the protagonist, Lalu. Arijit said, “When we started shooting, we didn’t have anyone to play Lalu. We were hunting for an actor who would not get affected by what happens on a film set, such people are usually more focused. Someone told me that I should cast Jul. However, each time I was told to cast him, I thought, ‘Woh gadbad karega’. But eventually, he did a brilliant job. My son surpassed my expectations.” 

Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; January 4, 2018)

Arijit Singh has been in the news of late for Simple Notes, a Bengali film he has directed, composed the music for, co-written with wife Koyel and also edited with Saptarshi Mondal and Bodhaditya Banerjee. It is set in a village in West Bengal in the aftermath of mass migration following the birth of Bangladesh.

A story about life and its cycles of highs and lows, it has a little boy, Lalu, as its protagonist whose birth brings joy and hope but tragic circumstances leave his father alone to raise the family on his own. Lalu is sent away to a friend, a maestro of Indian classical music, and as he hones his prodigious talent, he learns to associate nature with music, using simple notes to overcome obstacles. Along the way, he learns about culture, religion, and the urban-rural divide. Does this mean Arijit is heading in a new direction? “Not at all. The film was an experiment conducted for myself. In direction, this is about it,” he is quick to clarify.

The singer is currently on his first all-India tour with MTV. They will cover 10 cities with the next concert scheduled for January 13 in Pune, followed by Chandigarh and Mumbai, among others. “This show is my biggest ever. The music is ready, the band and technical team are working hard to ensure everything is perfect. If we achieve what we are working towards, it’ll be an amazing experience,” he promises.

Quiz him on his reality show, Raw Star 2, that was to air in 2016, he chooses not to respond but he’s happy to talk about 2017 which was a career high with chartbusters “Enna Sona” from OK Jaanu, Raees’s “Zaalima” and “Roke Na Ruke Naina” from Badrinath Ki Dulhania. His personal favourite is “Safar” from Jab Harry Met Sejal. “I could connect with it on a personal level,” he smiles.

Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; December 26, 2017)

He is shy, almost to the point of being reclusive. But place a mic before him and Arijit Singh has the power to sway countless fans to his tunes. His performance at the recently concluded Enchanted Valley Carnival reiterated that he’s one of the biggest names in the world of Indian music today, but Singh humbly refuses to acknowledge the star status he commands. “The words ‘star’ and ‘celebrity’ are created; they are usually a state of mind rather that an actual thing. The words have gained more importance these days, especially in the [film] industry,” he says.

The Phir Le Aaya Dil, Zaalima and Channa Mereya hitmaker is pleased with the way the year shaped up for him, professionally. But he does have a grouse with the functioning of the music industry. Echoing the thoughts of his contemporaries, Singh says, “Not getting royalty for our songs is a drawback we face as singers in India.” Not one to wage a war, the soft-spoken singer points out that several artistes suffer in the absence of music royalties. “If we start getting royalty for the songs we sing, we can consider our future secure.”

For now, though, Singh has trained his sights on a 10-city India tour, titled Arijit Singh Live In Concert, The MTV India Tour. A Kolkata boy at heart, he kicked off the tour in the city on December 23. “It was the first city for the tour, so there was a lot of pressure. I performed some Bengali songs for the audience,” says the singer, whose itinerary includes performances in Guwahati, Pune, Indore, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Gurgaon, Ahmedabad, Mumbai [March 10] and Hyderabad.

Venturing into independent music is also a distant plan, but currently, the singer says, his “hands are so full that I am not getting time for myself”. So does his chock-a-block schedule allow him downtime with his wife and family? “Why do you have to balance your life? I’ve been pursuing music since childhood. Music is omnipresent in my life; it hasn’t affected anything,” smiles Singh.

Ask him which of his numbers are a favourite with his family, and he laughs, “My family isn’t allowed to play my songs. There is so much more music to listen to and learn from. So I feel my family should not limit their music listening to one artiste. They only listen to my songs when they are traveling.”

Dhaval Roy (DNA; November 6, 2017)

A discography like Arijit Singh’s would give any singer the bragging rights. The winner of numerous awards, including Zee Cine Awards and IIFA, who walked away with nine out of 10 nominations for Tum Hi Ho in Aashiqui 2, is lauded as the voice of the generation, applauded by his contemporaries and established composers alike. However, the Kabira hitmaker doesn’t think much of the brouhaha. He simply says, “I don’t take these things seriously, so I have no reaction to it at all.” The singer is all set to give a live performance after a year at GenM, a music concert for the MPower Centre that works towards mental health causes. About what made Arijit come out of the live performance sabbatical, he says, “The cause of mental health had its own power to get me involved in the project. I thought I could connect to a lot of people about the cause through it.”

Why it matters to him
Arijit says that though he has always been happy in spite of difficult circumstances because of his positive indisposition, he has been around people who suffer from depression. “That made me understand the importance of mental health. Then, I read more about it. To me, it’s not so much about me handling stress or frustrations but about how I can inspire people to overcome it,” he says. The Raabta (Agent Vinod) crooner ensures to stay in touch with those friends without being preachy. For Arijit, it’s not just performing music, but he also tries to do something greater to satisfy himself. He adds, “Having said that, I don’t actively look for shows associated with social causes. I have enough happening on that front. Unfortunately, people in India are not very supportive when you want to do something for a cause and they don’t understand what you are trying to do. So, while my creative work does not always have to do with a cause, having something in that space pushes me more to take up a show.”

It’s a tough industry
The singer, who has sung Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Channa Mereya, had last year said that singers have a shelf life of five to six years and he could well be out of work this year. Does he still believe that? “Of course, I do,” he says, “Everyone has a place in the industry but there isn’t enough independent music happening. If there was, you wouldn’t have to run behind anyone for work, just focus on your music and release an album when you want to. But, in Bollywood, you need to have a lot of work and be seen. You need to work and practise a lot if you want to survive beyond five years in Bollywood. It’s not an industry where you can just crack a deal. It’s very rigid and if your career is good, then you are lucky but if it’s not good, then you should just push your limits further to achieve your goals and practise to be the best.”

No Plan B
Even though he is mindful of the industry being fickle, Arijit doesn’t have a backup plan. “Music was never my plan to begin with. And when I did become a singer, it wasn’t a do or die situation for me. I was anyway working as a musician in the industry. I was just happy to be doing music. I was trying new songs and practicing constantly and things just moved on. I’m happy that it happened the way it has and gave me so much scope to sing. I’m lucky to have sung such beautiful songs. And that’s good enough. I don’t want anything more,” he says.

Nervous every time
In spite of being one of the most revered singers, Arijit confesses that he gets nervous every time he steps on the stage to perform. “I’m still nervous because there’s the pressure of production. As far as singing is concerned, I’m never scared because I sing for myself and people are most welcome to be my guests. But, the whole production, music arrangement, technicians, and musicians being perfect always bothers me — everything has to fall into place.” Arijit had biggies like Jagga Jasoos (Ullu Ka Pattha, Galti Se Mistake, and Phir Wahi), Jab Harry Met Sejal (Beech Beech Mein, Hawayein, and Safar), and more. Though he’s focussed on the show right now, he has songs in unreleased films Ranchi Diaries (Thoda Aur), Rukh (Hai Baaki), and Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana (Main Hoon Saath Tere).

Bollywood's No. 1 voice, Arijit Singh says he likes to keep a low profile
Soumya Vajpayee Tiwari (MID-DAY; November 29, 2016)

Despite being Bollywood's No. 1 voice, Arijit Singh says, singers usually have a shelf life of around 5-6 years. If that norm continues, there is possibilty that even he might not be able to stay for long.

"I don't think I have a long way to go. This might be my last year," says the 29-year-old, alluding to the short shelf life of Bollywood's artistes. "Normally, fresh voices replace (current favourites) every five to seven years in Bollywood."

Before the 'Phir Le Aya Dil' singer can be prodded further, Singh offers a solution. "I might be able to change that," he says, adding, "If I work really hard on specific genres, I might be able to stay longer. That way, I can emerge as the only singer who can croon songs of those genres. Maybe that's how I will survive."

Singh has honed such survival skills over the years. Despite emerging as a strong contender in 2005's popular reality singing show, Fame Gurukul, his tryst with fame was preceded by a string of obstacles. He struggled to break into the industry as a playback singer, and had to assist composers Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Pritam for six years before he bagged his first song from 'Murder 2', 'Phir Mohabbat' (2011).

Ever since, Singh, who will be part of the starry line-up at multi-genre music festival Enchanted Valley Carnival on December 17 and 18, has charted his own path to success. He is one of the most sought-after voices in the industry today.

Even though he is an idol for aspiring singers, Arijit says he has a long way to go. "I want to be more informed about music technology in the coming years," he says.

Despite being one of Bollywood's most celebrated singers, Singh often keeps an arm's distance from the media. And, why's that? "I enjoy a quiet life, without much interruption. Over the past three years, I have seen my fan base grow, and I think it's essential for them to know that I've always been someone who refrains from interactions because I enjoy a silent life. With the growth of social media, this, too, becomes difficult," he says.

Tanvi Trivedi (BOMBAY TIMES; August 14, 2016)

Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; April 8, 2016)

Debarati Sen (BOMBAY TIMES; March 17, 2016)

Soulful melodies might have brought Arijit Singh his fame, but the 28-year-old is now finding comfort in the director's chair
Biaas Sanyal (MUMBAI MIRROR; July 5, 2015)

Arijit Singh's body of work in the last five years has been vast and varied. The voice behind songs like Kabira and Phir Le Aaya Dil, he has had an entire generation feeling adequately lovelorn and hopelessly wistful. To know more about his thriving music career and his new adventure in filmmaking, we joined him on a drive from Andheri to Mahalakshmi.

After spending a decade programming, composing and producing songs, first as an assistant to Pritam Chakraborty and then independently, Singh feels that the Hindi music industry isn't really evolving. "I can't hear good stuff these days, and I don't mean just good compositions. There is so much focus on melody-making that no one is trying to sound different with each album."

Singh confesses that he dislikes the arrangement in some of his own songs. "The popular stance today in the music industry is: if I have a great melody, I don't need anything else. I couldn't disagree more. Melody is important but so is instrumentation, arrangement and production. This is a problem I've been facing for a number of years."

One wonders if this is the reason why Singh is gravitating towards filmmaking. But he tells us that the two are not even remotely related. So how did his directorial debut, Bhalobashar Rojnamcha (A Chronicle of Love) come about? "I have always had a writing bug. A few years ago, I started experimenting with cameras and bought a couple of rigs. So I decided to shoot a short film and see where it went." The process was infectious and this lead to another bout of writing and shooting. Soon, Singh and his co-writer (who happens to be his wife) had ended up filming seven short stories set in Murshidabad, Singh's hometown. "So then we thought, let's combine all of this, write a couple of patches to connect the seven pieces and make a feature length film. If you see it today, you won't understand they were different films once."

The film is still in the VFX and colour-grading stage. "We've sent a work-in-progress version to a few film festivals abroad. The response we get might help us to release the film in India." Singh also turned producer on the project and brought together a bunch of his friends as crew. "Except for a few theatre actors, my film does not boast of any professionals. We shot on location and doubled up as make-up and costume artists." It seems he is anchoring the editing process too. "I composed the soundtrack before beginning to edit the film because I realised that music transforms shots that are not technically great. Doing that helped," he says. It is not surprising that Singh's film has ten songs, all composed and sung by him.

The film, the singer is sure, looks more like a documentary than a feature. "It's an indie project," he says. "The only 'commercial factor' is in the songs." The 28-year-old's first film may be in Bengali, but he is keen to work with new languages as well. "One of my scripts is in Santhali."

So what does he think of work done by other indie film-makers? "While I loved the Mumbai-ness of The Lunchbox, the Iranian aesthetic of the recent film Labour of Love does not seem honest. Being Bengali, I didn't relate to it." But cynicism is a quality that just doesn't sit well with the half-Punjabi, half-Bengali musician. "You should definitely watch it though," he says. "It's shot exquisitely."

Singh does not have any immediate plans for his next directorial venture. Ever enthusiastic about new sounds, his mind seems to be more occupied with what he wants to do next with music. "What I really want to do is a project that combines old school Indian vocal styles with the big band sound of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Andre Previn," says the singer who feels that the soundtrack of Bombay Velvet has set a benchmark for Indian composers.

In spite of having some 15 finished scripts in his kitty, the singing sensation has his feet firmly planted on the ground. "I'm a singer, not a filmmaker," he says as he gets off the car. "But I do want to die as a filmmaker."