HYDERABAD: Keeping one’s identity intact in an industry where a new singer is unearthed every other day is no mean feat. Abhijeet Sawant’s claim to fame has surely been Indian Idol over a decade ago, but the artiste has kept his options open from time to time, be it his stint in Comedy Circus or as an actor in Lottery or being part of the youth wing of Shiv Sena. “I’m happy people recognise my voice instantly. But, frankly, I feel I’ve been doing too many things at once. Music is my only focus now,” he says.
The singer is now inching his way back to mainstream cinema as he croons for a couple of songs composed by Pritam in John Abraham-Varun Dhawan starrer Dishoom (The revisited version of ‘Sau Tarah Ke’ and ‘Ishqa’). “I’d started my journey too with Pritam da, a decade ago, and also sang alongside him in several shows in the recent years. It was a happy moment to have him call me for the recording,” the 34-year-old musician mentions.
Abhijeet Sawant has had several albums to his credit, his last being Farida , about 3 years ago. He admits film music continues to be a major draw among the country’s masses. Abhijeet makes an interesting parallel during the conversation, “Independent music and film music are like test cricket and T20. Both have their own charm, though there’s a real need to re-look at indie-music and produce quality like that of Bombay Viking and Lucky Ali. Singles and digital platforms are doing their bit to revive this, but we have some time to go there.”
He is happy that about 70 per cent of the singers (be it Antara Mitra, Nakash Aziz, Neeti Mohan whom he cites) come to the music industry via reality shows. “I’ve had it a bit easy, to be frank. Talents can be unearthed through television, but that can’t be the only reason a composer should choose you for a song. Every aspiring playback singer’s struggle is unique. The beauty is that there’s no set path to make a mark here,” Abhijeet adds.
A game of football with a group of friends serves as his stress-buster. “I find outdoor games, true stress-busters. Beyond that, music still completes my world. I keep strumming my guitar whenever I find time, singing whatever strikes my mind.”
