‘FILM MUSIC IS NOT A PRIORITY FOR ME’

The industry’s politics and musicians not drawing enough from their experiences doesn’t sit well with singer Arjun Kanungo

Samarth Goyal

For Arjun Kanungo, Bollywood has never been a priority. In fact, the singer prefers acting jobs to music when it comes to working in the Hindi film industry. “If the music director doesn’t see the value of my voice, then I don’t see any point of [singing for films]. That’s why it has never been a priority for me,” says Arjun.

Known for hits such as Baaki Baatein Peene Baad (2015), Gallan Tipsiyaan (2017) and this year’s Tu Na Mera, Arjun explains that the vibe and the working culture in Bollywood somehow doesn’t sit well with him. “It’s very politicised, and you’ve to be part of certain camps. It has also got to do with social background, and the people you’ve been hanging out with for donkey years. I’ve never been in that space,” adds the singer, who collaborated with the Pakistani singer Momina Mustehsan for Aaya Na Tu.

The ‘vibe’, Arjun feels, has to do with not drawing from personal experience for one’s music, which is important. “There’s a big difference in having a lyricist come to you and writing some lines, and then you writing the lyrics based on your own personal experiences,” he says, adding that four or five of his songs have come from his own experiences. “They reflect the kind of mood I was in during that time. So, when there’s a love song, I was madly in love with someone. With this, I’m just enjoying life and so I came up with an out-and-out party banger,” adds the 29-year-old, who just released his single Hona Chahida.

Not agreeing with the vibe, however, doesn’t mean he won’t sing for Bollywood. “Recently, I’ve started getting more work in films. I guess filmmakers have realised that my voice is slightly different from others, and they now know what kind of songs they want me to sing. I have songs for an entire movie album that is supposed to come out next year. There are a few other projects, apart from the acting jobs in Bollywood for me,” Arjun concludes.