UP boy on musical high

From Mau to Bollywood, composer Vipin Patwa has come a long way

Composer Vipin Patwa is a busy man these days with several A-grade movies in his hand. While his latest compositions in the recently released Bollywood Diaries has been receiving positive reviews, Vipin is presently composing songs for Sudhir Mishra’s Aur Devdas, Anees Bazmi’s Aankhen 2 starring Amitabh Bachhan, Sayed Afzal’s Ye Lal Rang starring Randeep Hooda, besides Akshara Hassan and Vivan Shah starrer Lali Ki Shadi Mein Laddu Diwana and upcoming movies of Hriday Shetty and Ajay Bahl.

“I have composed two songs for Aankhen 2 and believe people would love it,” he tells HT City in a telephonic chat. Vipin has also composed songs with singers Sonu Nigam and Arijit Singh

Coming from a middle class business family of Dohrighat in Mau district in UP, Vipin says his has been a long journey full of struggle. “Even as an 11 year old, I wanted to pursue music. Initially everyone in the family was opposed to the idea of me doing music. They wanted me to join family business,” he says. He remembers how he purchased a harmonium from Ghazipur, hid it in a sack at his home for five days. Finally when he couldn’t resist himself and late in the night pressed his fingers on the keys of the harmonium, “sab jag gaye” (everyone in the family woke up). What followed was a brief consternation in the family for some days. In the next few years, he lied at home and many times performed in local bands (which play songs in marriages and other functions), inviting ridicule of becoming “a nachania, padania” (words used for performers in some rural parts of the country in a derogatory sense) both from the family members and local people. “But once my family realized I was determined, they relented on one condition, that I would get into music only after studies,” says Vipin, who stayed in Dohrighat till Class XII.

Vipin took initial training from Pandit Satyanarayan Das in Dohrighat, learnt ghazal compositions from Dr Sabari Lal Pandey in Gorakhpur and later studied music at Delhi University before shifting to Mumbai. At a time when Bollywood is increasingly working with multi-music composers, who work in groups or pairs, Vipin wishes to go alone. “It is rare to find a perfect partner for composing music. I have also tried but failed and so for now I have decided to ‘ekla chalo re’ (walk alone).”

Vipin credits Mumbai for living up to the reputation of being the city of dreams for him. “There is something in the air of the city. It makes people move forward, work hard and work to be the best,” he says while hoping economic problems of people in Mau get solved. “People can’t appreciate music in the wake of poverty and other social problems,” he signs off.