Shifting career paths once you start working in the corporate world isn’t easy. Yet, Arunansh Bhatt made this difficult decision because he knew he had more to give to the world. Music oozed from within him. Hence, he went on his pursuit of happiness by following his dreams. Though he faced a few obstructions through this journey, things played out well. And today, he stands amidst his accomplishments as he shares his story with us!
When It All Started
Born and raised in Lucknow, Arunansh Bhatt comes from a family of musicians and artists. Whilst his father is a Tabla player, his mother is an incredible Kathak dancer. So, evidently, he was surrounded by classical music from a very young age.
However, the art of the creation of music posed as much more intriguing to him than performing. He shares how random tunes would flow through his head. However, he admits that he didn’t have the technical skills to give them physical structure. Therefore, he wouldn’t pay any heed to them.
Arunansh Bhatt mastered the tabla from his dad. And later, in school, drums enraptured his mind. Eventually, this skill came to be of great value when he formed a band in college. In fact, soon after this, he also learned the guitar. All this knowledge of instruments helped him give the random tunes in his mind a proper form. And now these tunes were brought to with chords and strings.
When Engineering Just Didn’t Feel Right
Arunansh Bhatt graduated from Vellore Institute of Technology with an Engineering Degree. Post which he worked in an IT company for about a year. However, quite soon, it dawned upon him that he wanted more. The corporate 9-5 job routine was simply not meant for him. He admits that music was the only thing that kept him out of a depression that year.
He started doing background scores for independent films to sustain his sanity. Within a few months – April 2017 – he released his first independent single ‘Mitwa’. Finally, after a year of trying to stay sane, he took a leap of faith and quit his job in June 2017.
Retrospectively, Arunansh Bhatt confesses that this is the most courageous thing he has done. Whilst the corporate job did have its own set of pros, they were all short-term. Materialism wasn’t something that ever excited him, he says. And that is all that the job was providing him – Money, with no meaning.
Further, he expresses immense gratitude to his parents, who were highly supportive of his decision. Soon after quitting his job, he joined A. R. Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory in Chennai for a music composition course. This stemmed out from his admiration for the well-renowned musician – his talent and hard work.
When He Began Pursuing His Dreams
As luck would have it, on the last day of his course, Arunansh Bhatt received a call from one of his friends from the LV Prasad Film Academy in Chennai. He wanted music for the end credits of his film. One thing led to another, and Arunansh ended up being a part of 5 diploma films.
Soon after, he shifted to Mumbai with big dreamy eyes and a determined mind. However, within a short time, he realized he was on his own. He knew he wanted to assist someone. Since that would be the best way to learn and experience the real world of the music industry. Admittedly he contacted several music composers, scored a few meetings. But all was in vain.
“We might not see the reason at first but, if there’s a failure, that’s because there’s an even better success route waiting for you.”
Arunansh Bhatt
That was until he met Alokananda Dasgupta and worked as an assistant music composer with her. Arunansh’s first project with her was the popular Netflix show – Sacred Games. This was back in 2018, he says, when no one knew about this show. In fact, none of them expected it to become as popular as it did! He reminisces the surreal feeling of seeing multiple hoardings of Sacred Games on his way back home.
When Things Started Playing Out Quite Well
In hindsight, everything does happen for a reason. All the rejections he endured when he first arrived in Mumbai are all worth it. Because besides assisting Alokananda, he also resumed making music for various short films, most of which received immense praise in global film festivals.
He also gained the opportunity to work in yet another Netflix show titled Leila. This was also the first time he visited Yash Raj Studios in Mumbai. His journey continued; in 2019, he signed his first feature film as the music director! It was a Marathi film – Vrutti. In 2020, he worked alongside Alokananda in another popular film, Ak vs Ak starring Anil Kapoor, Anurag Kashyap among others.
In the independent space, Arunansh Bhatt released his second single – Kahaan Hoon Mai, in December 2019. His song was inspired by a video of Varun Grover reciting the poem, ‘Hum Kaagaz Nahi Dikhayenge’. Post release, he received vast applause from people in the industry and commoners alike. In fact, he also got a response from Varun Grover himself, saying that it was beautifully written and composed. In fact, just last year, it got licensed for a major OTT show, so keep your eyes and ears wide open!
A Small Message
He accepts that it is tough to pursue music irrespective of whether you want to be in Bollywood or not. Technical skills and financial planning are almost as important as mastering music itself. Undeniably, one has to learn about the business of music to monetize their talent.
Yet, if it brings you satisfaction and joy, you should take the fall. I stopped ‘working’ in the true sense the day I quit my corporate job, he says. Music comes to him naturally, like it’s inbuilt within his blood. So he left everything else, pursued something he knew would be tough. Yet his determination and hard work brought him to where he stands today.
His message for aspirants pursuing such unconventional career paths is quite simple. ‘Be true to yourself, he says. It is essential to learn the craft you want to pursue else your passion might eventually die out. You see, passion and skill are co-dependent. And most importantly, it won’t be easy. You will have your low days, but it will still be better than your best days in the wrong career.
And as you reflect on this wealthy wisdom Arunansh Bhatt shares, you can listen to his latest original ‘Tanha’ dedicated to his late grandmother.
