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Bollywood singer turns actor

Known for popular songs like ‘Khoon Choos Le’ and ‘Nadaaniyaan’, Arjun Kanungo will soon be working with Salman Khan
Last Updated 21 February 2020, 11:11 IST

Arjun Kanungo is a trained Indian classical singer, plays the piano and guitar, has his own recording studio, more than 5 lakh followers on Instagram and a number of Bollywood projects and singles releasing this year. But his biggest news of 2020 is his debut as an actor in Salman Khan’s upcoming film.

Arjun Kanungo met Salman Khan during the shooting of ‘Race 3’. The singer had sung a song for the movie but didn’t make the cut. Something about Arjun attracted Salman and told the singer that he should act in movies. It was an opportunity that Arjun did not want to miss.

“You can’t say no to Salman Khan! I’d have to be really stupid to do that. He’s the bhai. Why would I say no,” says Arjun.

The singer recalls how he was offered the role: “When I met Salman bhai in September, he told me that he really likes the way I work in my music videos and that I have the potential to act in movies. He told me about a role in his upcoming film and it was his encouragement and support that gave me the opportunity.”

He’s now making a debut as an actor in Salman Khan’s upcoming film ‘Radhe’ which will hit the screens on Eid.

As they are almost wrapping up the shoot, Arjun is thrilled to have this experience.

“As much as I want to, I can’t talk about my character just yet. I’m bound by contract,” he says.

NOT REALLY A DEBUT ACTOR
With his singles, Arjun acts in his music videos. He’s also a trained method actor from Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in New York City.

He says, “I finished the course in 2015 and thanks to my music videos, I’ve been in touch with acting. Nevertheless, I do attend workshops and since the movie offer, I’ve attended a few classes to keep in touch with the arts.”

GOING BACK IN TIME
Arjun was 18 years old when he explored his entrepreneurial side by opening up a recording studio called Promethean Audio in Mumbai. He soon expanded into acoustic design and construction with his second venture Promethean Design.

What hiked his career graph was when he sang ‘Khoon Choos Le’ for the movie ‘Go Goa Gone’. His voice became so popular that he was called by everyone to lend his voice.

As a vocalist, he toured around Dubai, Sri Lanka, Australia and India with Asha Bhosle, and this is just apart from his solo performances.

THE COLLAB KING
Arjun doesn’t shy away from collaborating with other artistes. “I don’t care who I’m working with as long as the song is good. It’s always a fun and creative process,” he says.

His latest collaboration with Prakriti Kakar is called ‘Tum Na Ho’. He was earlier seen collaborating with Jonita Gandhi for the song ‘Dil Kho Ke’ which saw many recreations on the video-sharing social networking platform TikTok.

RELIVE THE MOMENT
Arjun is often complimented for the style of video he chooses to make, bringing back the old-school style. When asked if this is one of his strategies, he says, “I look at every video as an opportunity to tell a new story, especially in today’s day and age. Many of the videos today are superficial videos where the artiste just wants to look good and has no connection to the song or what it means. I don’t want my videos to be that.”

The song feels that no other video is consumed as much as a music video.

“I believe that these videos are creating culture on different levels. So you should take this as an opportunity to show the culture in a positive way. Or maybe show your audience what you think and how you perceive thing — to create an impact on the larger cultural conversation,” he explains.

MORE FROM ARJUN
While he can’t talk too much about his upcoming projects, he has a number of projects (including songs) this year.

However, he says, “I can tell you that I have 15 songs releasing this year. A couple of them are for Anurag Kashyap’s upcoming films and a few others I’ve worked with Amit Trivedi for. I’m hoping to hit at least 50 songs this year. I sang only about 13 last year but nothing can be done now. I’m hoping to accomplish my goal this year.”

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(Published 21 February 2020, 11:11 IST)

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