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Global rhythm
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Young and ambitious, Sandeep Chowtha is set to reach new heights in the music industry.
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Wind beneath his wings... Sandeep Chowtha.
THE celestial strains of a remixed version of Suprabhatam fill the air, while I sit in anticipation, wondering about the renowned music director of "Satya", "Asoka" and "Company". Very much like the brat pack, I thought — pompous, rich and with an attitude.
Far from my misconstrued imagination, Sandeep Chowtha is strangely down to earth, madly ambitious and incredibly talented. At 32, he has two Filmfare awards, immense acclaim for his music and is on the verge of entering into a global tie-up with Sony Music. Tunes like "Mast Mast", "Kambakth Ishq", and "Khallas" still reverberate with gusto. Hits like this cannot just be a fluke; it is the painstaking effort of one who truly loves what he does.
"I am as good as a watchman" he says, Working most nights from eight to ten the next morning, he survives with as little as three hours of sleep. Born into an affluent business family, the transition to music was both a struggle and the spontaneous outcome of a childhood dream. He had to sever several ties to pursue his long-term love affair with music. Ostracised by his parents, the rags to riches story started with a meagre ten thousand rupees. In less than ten years he is officially worth a million, a house on the beach and an enviable S class Mercedes — on his own steam. The claim to fame was not easy, admits Chowtha, who says it took more than six years for anyone in the industry to sign him on.
After the release of "Satya", there has been no looking back, for he is today recognised as one of the leading music directors in the industry and is constantly bombarded by offers. He prefers to sign one movie at a time so that he can give his best and provide the highest standard of quality. Self-taught, his work is the outcome of years of experimenting, which, according to him, is greater than any formal education he could ever have received.
Talking about the music scene in India, Chowtha exclaims, "It's the masses that spell money, it's the rural and most interior sectors that determine how big a musical hit is. If 90 per cent of that population loves your album, then you've made it. It's half the reason why English pop never took off too well here."
He is most enthusiastic while talking about music. "I'd like to believe that I'm versatile to be able to make different people from different market segments happy and satisfied while listening to my music. I always wanted to make the man on the road or a prissy missy listen to a popular tune of my mine and break into a happy smile and feel elevated". Having experienced the difficulties of entering into an industry where the competition is cut throat, he aims to serve as the platform that promotes young talent. In almost all of his background scores, he has introduced several new voices and is the godfather of many, like Sunidhi Chauhan, Sowmya and Channel V's pop group Viva.
It's his constant endeavour to be on the look out for dedicated young singers and catapult those with fewer privileges to the heights of stardom. After the huge success of most of his background scores, Chowtha still felt something lacking, an intense craving for an album persisted. After toying with the idea, he involved several people who shared the same love, dedication and vision for music, into his dream venture. He claims, "The experience has been a magical journey for the crew of this forthcoming album and I truly hope it will be for all those who listen to it."
A maiden venture with Sony Music, the album is all set to rock the music world, it promises to be an anthem for all people who appreciate and love music. It is a medley of unconventional sounds and ancient rhythms incorporated with some of the latest technology. This new generation genius picks strains of sounds from everyday life to anywhere his imagination permits and fuses them with chords, percussive elements and other harmonised strains. It is an eclectic mix of the old and new with strains from interior villages of India and traditional raags fusing with ultra modern Nuevo beat. The album is a representation of traditional sounds from each of the four States and is creatively stylised with the latest technology and falls somewhere in the genre of fusion. "It has a soul, it has a voice and it will most definitely speak for itself."
With all the right ingredients to be the next chartbuster, the much-awaited release is a true celebration of mod. "The rhythm of life moves in harmony with a higher consciousness. The purpose of music is to take you there." The universal mantra that Chowtha swears by.
UPASANA ASRANI
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