Ludhiana youth composes, sings for Hollywood movie
CHANDIGARH: Come September and a young man from Punjab could well be on his way to literally singing the American Dream. A song, composed, written and sung by Punjabborn Rahul Lakhanpal will feature in a Hollywood movie scheduled to be released next month.
“My song ‘Chicago Land’ has been selected for the Hollywood movie “The Tiger Hunter” which is scheduled to release worldwide on September 22. The song aptly represents the theme of the movie -an Indian boy chasing the love of his life in Chicago of the 1970s. The song’s genre is influenced by legendary Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame inductees and Chicago Blues artists such as Buddy Guy and Muddy Waters,” Rahul told IANS.
Born in Jagraon, a small town around 40 km from Punjab’s Ludhiana industrial hub, Rahul started learning music at the age of 10. He trained in Punjabi folk music, Indian classical and Sufi music.
“My parents and teachers always taught me to chase my dreams without losing my focus on studies. I pursued a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar, and Master of Science degree in Texas. In Texas, while studying and focusing on my career, I silently nurtured my dream to sing.
“I was the lead vocalist of a band called ‘Dhwani’ where I met my friend, and later my musical partner, Vineet Bailur. Along with my band, I performed across many universities in the US and received numerous accolades. It was a big boost to my confidence,” Rahul said.
Rahul, who is the composer and lyricist of the song “Chicago Land” along with Vineet, is also its vocalist.
Having participated in “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, 2008 USA Edition”, and ending up in the Top 5 category, Rahul says that his music style is Sufi rock, Bollywood, Bollywood rock, and urban Punjabi.
“My all-time favourite artists are Nusrat Fateh Khan, Kailash Kher, Ustad Salamat Ali Khan, Mohammad Rafi, my guru Sukhdev Sahil, and poets Gulzar and Bulleh Shah. I am deeply moved and inspired by live Sufi rock music,” he added.
While studying in the field of science and architecture, Rahul’s journey took a musical turn in the US with performances at various places. It was at one such performance in Los Angeles in 2012 that he met Hollywood producer Nazia “Naz” Khan, who has worked on films such as “Ocean’s 13”, “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button”, “World War Z”, “The Revenant”, “Moonlight”, and many more.