JOIN USWas about to quit when I got a break
Music has always been a part of my growing up years. By the time I reached college I had almost made up my mind that I wanted to be a singer and I also sincerely worked towards it. But looks like destiny had better plans for me.
I lived in Mangaluru for a better part of my life. While in college, I used to assist my uncle in running his hotel business. Alongside this, I also had a band called ‘Quality Beats’. We performed across several cities and I primarily sang in Hindi. Towards the end of my college days, I had offers to sing in Tulu films which I gladly took up. Music was a hobby for me but the passion for music grew within.
While singing was going great guns, I moved to Bengaluru when I got an offer to act in a film directed by H N Ramprasad called ‘Mouna Horaata.’ I was cast as the lead. After this, I acted in another movie called ‘Nishkarsha’ where I donned the role of a villain. Meanwhile, I worked as an assistant to V Manohar. A serial by T S Nagabharana called ‘Thirugubaana,’ in which I acted, did really well. I realised that every time I ventured out to sing I was being pushed into acting.
Looking back, music, I must say, brought me my earnings. My struggle was of a different kind. It was not like I was from a poor background, setting out to earn a livelihood. I was from a well-to-do family and I had everything I wanted. So coming here and looking for work, knocking on different doors made me wonder whether spending time here, waiting for work, was worth it.
I had already spent 10 years in the film industry, doing small roles, and was planning to quit to return to my family business, when Upendra gave me an offer that was hard to resist. He was a good friend and was launching himself as an actor-director through his film ‘A’. He asked me if I could compose the music for the film. I thought that this offer was different from what I had been getting and gladly agreed.
I composed a song called, ‘Sumsumne Nagthale’ for ‘A’ and it became a super duper hit. That was my first big break in the Kannada film industry.
I had tasted success after a 10-year struggle in the industry. The song brought me recognition. It was only after this song that I had people coming to me asking me to work for them. This is when I again began to take my career in the film industry seriously.
Today, I still look at every new project as my first one and I am still nervous before the release of a film for which I have made music. This habit comes from the countless sleepless nights that I have had during my initial years.
I remember that during my earlier days of composing music I could never sleep. Today, thanks to technology, we don’t have to work at one stretch; we can record in phases. I realise that it is only when you struggle that you know the real truth of life and learn to value success.