“Yeh Jism’ is very close to my heart” – Dr.Arko Pravo Mukherjee

By Nikhil Ramsubramaniam -

August 3, 2012 - 4:11 AM IST

The Bhatts have always managed to create chartbuster music for all their films and each time they manage to discover a bright, shining, new

“Yeh Jism’ is very close to my heart” – Dr.Arko Pravo Mukherjee

talent. For Jism 2 as well, Mahesh Bhatt and Pooja Bhatt have given a break to a rising new composer who incidentally happens to be a doctor by profession. Meet

Dr. Arko Pravo Mukherjee- the man behind gems like 'Abhi Abhi', 'Yeh Jism' and 'Maula'- songs which have become a rage from the Sunny Leone starrer.

Bollywood Hungama's Nikhil Ramsubramaniam met up with Dr. Arko Pravo Mukherjee for a quick chat. Read onâ€¦

Background

"I am originally from Kolkata and am a MBBS doctor by profession. I come from a typical Bengali family where everyone is obsessed with getting degrees and studying

as much as possible. Everybody in my family is hardcore into education. So I also finished my MBBS and was doing surgery but Music has always been more than just a

passion for me. So in 2008, I gave up my medical career and came to Mumbai to become a musician. I was with a record label planning to do a couple of albums but that

never really worked out. The independent music scene is no longer what it used to be in the 90's and that's when I realized that Bollywood is the only way out."

Bagging a big break with Jism 2

"I happened to meet Bhatt saab in November last year through a friend of mine - Prashant Narayanan (who starred in Murder 2). They were still scripting for

Jism 2. I played him a few tunes and he loved it and told me that after the script is over he will get in touch with me. True to his word, they signed me to compose

the music for Jism 2 in January this year."

Working with the Bhatts

"I am so fortunate that my debut film is so big. Its incredible experience working on this film with people like Bhatt saab, Pooja, Dino etc. They are so instinctive when it

comes to music and immediately know when they hear a good tune. They just know exactly what will fit into the film. It's my good fortune that my songs fit Jism 2

perfectly."

Sharing credit with fellow composers

"Sharing credit with other music composers is no big deal. Nowadays, it's not like you will necessarily be the only music director in an album. It's like how it happens in

the West where any album has a lot of featuring artists who collaborate a lot more than what we do here. In fact I love the songs in Jism 2 composed by Mithoon,

and a new band called Rushk. They fit the film perfectly."

Arko's tracks

I've composed 4 tracks for the film- 'Yeh Jism', 'Abhi Abhi (Solo)', 'Maula' and 'Abhi Abhi (Duet)'. 'Yeh Jism' is very close to my heart. It's a lilting,

haunting melody sung beautifully by Ali Azmat. 'Maula' is about questioning God about the cycle of desire which is an omnipresent thing again sung wonderfully by

Ali Azmat. In fact, 'Maula' is the song that got me the film. It's the song I played to Bhatt saab the first time I met him. 'Abhi Abhi' is the romantic track

sung beautifully by K.K. and Shreya.

Singing and composing

"Besides being a composer, I am also a singer. Till the last moment I was supposed to sing 'Maula' but then we decided to keep Ali Azmat as the uniform voice of

Kabir (Randeep Hooda) in the film. But I am singing in my forthcoming projects."

Forthcoming projects

I've 3-4 interesting films on hand. One of them is Suryaveer Singh's Tamanchey starring Nikhil Dwivedi and Richa Chadda. It's a fantastic script. Then there is

Mastaan starring Naseeruddin Shah and his son Vivaan. Mastaan is a hardcore, underworld drama set in the 80s. I am also doing a Bengali album as a

tribute to Kolkata (the place where I have grown up listening to music)

Musical Idols

"Growing up, I listened to a lot of Western music. I love U2, Sting, Bruce Springsteen, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan etc. I am from Kolkata so I have a weakness for Rock

music and Rock bands like Pink Floyd. Among Indian artistes, I love Rahmanâ€¦ who doesn't? I also love Vishal Bhardwaj's music and some songs composed by Pritam

and Amit Trivedi's as well."