On my pinboard- Amit Mishra

Amit Mishra is a singer, songwriter, voice-actor and live performer. He made a mark in Bollywood with the popular song ‘Bulleya’ from ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’.  He has also won hearts with his numbers like ‘Manma Emotion Jaage’ from ‘Dilwale’, ‘Sau Tarah Ke’ from ‘Dishoom’ and the latest ‘Seedha Saadha’ from ‘Commando 2’.

He started his career by composing music for television series and advertisements. He debuted as a music composer in Ashwini Dheer’s film ‘Athithi Tum Kab Jaoge’ in 2010. Amit was also part of the ‘MTV Unplugged Season 6’.

Cinema
‘The Secret Life of Pets’
‘I don’t usually get time to watch as many movies as I would like. But my recent favourite is ‘The Secret Life of Pets’. Though I watch all kinds of movies, comedy is my favourite genre. The animated characters in the ‘The Secret Life of Pets’ are hilarious and make me laugh. The rabbit named ‘Snowball’, played by Kevin Hart, was very witty. The delivery of dialogues was on point and whenever I want to have a good laugh, this is what I watch. But I also like thriller, action, romantic comedy and horror movies.”

Inspiration
Amitabh Bachchan
“I have always been inspired by Bollywood actors. Though I have learnt about cinema in school, it’s only when I moved to Mumbai that I truly understood the lives of celebritie.

Amitabh Bachchan has been one such inspiration who motivates me to work hard. I remember reading about how he was unwell and was advised bed rest. But he returned to the shooting location soon and it was great to see him back on his feet. He is hard working, meets a lot of people every day, has a busy schedule and still entertains his fans with his personality. It’s amazing!”
 
Travel
Perth
“I’m not too fussy when it comes to travel — I  am completely alright with waking up one morning and just taking off. But I would call Perth as my happy place. I’ve been there a couple of times for my performance and the place is absolutely beautiful. I’ve never experienced a more beautiful morning like that anywhere else — it is gorgeous when you look at the city through the aeroplane window! I also love Lucknow as I am born and brought up there. But ever since I moved to Mumbai, I’ve discovered a new found love for the  city too. It’s special to me because the people are nice in Mumbai. It is a city where people are working hard to create a smaller world for themselves. That is reassuring and always gives me a new ray of hope.”

Cuisine
‘Matar paneer’
“I find comfort in homemade Indian food, especially ‘paneer’. Whenever I go home or my family visits me, I look forward to the ‘paneer paratha and matar paneer’ combination that my mom makes me for me. I prefer the curry to be on the drier side and also expect the ‘paneer’ to absorb the flavours added to it. My mom knows exactly how to prepare it. Since I am not able to have that on a daily basis, I make do with ‘dal tadka’, ‘jeera rice’ or ‘chappati’. I also relish sweets like ‘gajar ka halwa’, ‘gulab
jamun’ and ‘lassi’.”

Musician
Pritam Chakraborty
“It’s been a great honour to work with someone like Pritam and to learn from him every day. I listened to various musicians while growing up and they have all influenced me in many different ways. But what I love about Pritam is that he is open, cool and composed while working. Maybe that’s why all of his productions come out well. Even when something doesn’t seem to be working out, he makes you understand the situation and teaches you how to be patient. He explains the poetry in the song and makes you fall in love with the lyrics so that you can sing it better. It’s always fun to work with him and I look forward to many more projects with him.”

(As told to Anila Kurian)