Amartya Bobo Rahut: Collaborating with AR Rahman will be a dream come true

With cinemas shut due to the pandemic, singer-songwriter Amartya Bobo Rahut is enjoying the independent music space. In an exclusive interview with ETimes, he opened up about his love for music, dream collaboration, his take on the trend of remakes in Bollywood, and more. Excerpts…
How and when did you decide to make a career in music?
I have been a music buff since I was a kid.But in school, when I saw my seniors, who were in a band play on stage, I thought to myself that this was what I wanted to do--play the guitar and sing in a band. The next day itself I somehow managed to get my father to buy me a guitar, and that was the end of my academic career (laughs).
Tell us about the moment when you decided that you want to do this for the rest of your life…
I had been playing the guitar for quite a few local Kolkata bands, like Cactus, Paras Pathor, Shiva, The 5th Dimension etc. During that phase itself, I had realised that I wanted to shift to Mumbai, so that my music could reach a larger audience.
Looking back today, how would you describe your journey so far?
Well, it has been great. There has been a lot of praise and quite a few rejections along the way, but it's been fun. Waking up every day and being able to create music and make some money for it--nothing can be better than that.
You have done songs for films and are now exploring the independent music space...
To be honest, the films that I have scored songs and background music for have been mostly for my director friends from advertising. Amongst which the ones I really enjoyed and am proud of are Bipin Nadkarnis's National Award-winning ‘Uttarayan’ and ‘Darbaan’ and Milind Dhaimade's ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’ and Atul Sabharwal's ‘Aurangzeb’.
But in the independent scene, it's much more fun, since I can present a song exactly the way I want to. It's certainly more challenging to promote it, but the music is more honest since one is not bound by a script and a narrative.
I was really happy with the way OM, the fusion band with my friends Amit Trivedi, Ramnarayan, Shriram Iyer had shaped up. And another indie band that I was the composer of ‘Yaadon Ke Idiot Box’ album with Shilpa Rao and Neelesh Misra, really proud of that album as well.
Were you a music buff right from your childhood days? Who did you grow up idolising?
I was; I could remember the lyrics and melody of complete albums, much before I picked up a musical instrument. I grew up idolising The Beatles and AR Rahman. I would love to collaborate with Mr Rahman; it would be a dream come true.
Has the pandemic changed the process of making music?
I feel it has. With cinemas being shut, film music consumption has obviously reduced. And with OTT platforms, songs are not that relevant. It's like you are watching 'Narcos' and the last thing you want to see is five songs in it. So the space for independent music has opened up where people sitting at home because of the pandemic can focus and enjoy the music that they actually want to hear.
With all the reports of music mafia and favouritism doing the rounds, how do you look at it as an outsider?
There is all that, but if one is good and serves up the numbers and the sort of music that the labels want, then I don't think that person would be sidelined.
You worked with Sushant Singh Rajput in ‘Drive’. Would you like to share some memories?
I was fortunate to have had a brief meeting with Sushant on the sets of my song, ‘Prem Pujari’. He was extremely warm, kind and courteous.
Talks of mental health issues have taken centre stage after Sushant’s demise...
Talking to friends and family is a must, I feel. In this business, there are so many ups and downs and uncertainties, it's bound to happen.
What are your thoughts on the current trend of remaking old classics in Bollywood?
It is business, I guess. I just feel that there should be more emphasis on the original creators of the songs while promoting remixes, so that the current generation is aware of who the actual composer is and not mistakenly assume that the new guy who has added three-four additional melody lines to the classic is the creator of the song.
What’s next?
Well, my new independent single ‘Kaisi Ho?’ is out now. I am planning to release five more singles this year by God's grace.