SINGLE All The Way

Making his way into listeners’ hearts with melodies such as Pani da rang, Saadi gali and O heeriye, Ayushmann Khurrana is back with yet another soulful number Mitti di khushboo. Released by T-Series, this second non-film track sung by Khurrana has been composed by his long time friend Rochakk Kohli. Now with a burgeoning music playlist and more songs in his kitty, Khurrana is expanding his reach to the live music scene. Speaking with Sound Box, the actor turned singer talks about forming a band, focusing on releasing singles and his passion for Punjabi music as well as Bollywood.

Excerpts:

What is the concept behind the track Mitti di khushboo?

The track is a nostalgic trip, a romantic number highlighting love, heartbreak and togetherness. I am sure that anyone who has been in love will connect with these songs and reminisce those times. Like my earlier songs, even this track was conceptualised when I was in college and is once again composed by Rochakk. He has reworked the composition, making it a very soothing and colourful number.

Since the number reminisces old times and homecoming, we have tried to stay true to the premise by employing the flashback theme. Breaking the general style of depicting a flashback in black-and-white, we went reverse and used it to show the present.The colour experimentation has given an interesting touch to the whole video. Huma Qureshi is also part of this video and I am glad she has agreed to be part of this project. The video has been beautifully directed by Amit Roy and is set in Punjab.

She plays my childhood love interest in the music videos. I saw her performance in the Luv Shuv Tey Chicken Khurana and was quite impressed with her portrayal of a Punjabi kudi. As the music video is set in Punjab, I wanted her to play the opposite lead and I am grateful she accepted to be part of this project.

I have experimented through my acting but when it comes to singing, I like to stick to Punjabi. I am comfortable with the language and it is easy for me to express. I like to keep my songs simple and melodious. Also, there are various songs that are being made in different styles such as EDM, so it feels nice to sing a song that is peaceful.

Though the song is a Punjabi romantic track, we have tried to blend in the hip-hop flavour. Also, if you compare the earlier tracks, they gave prominence to guitar riffs. We have tried to avoid guitar tunes in these tracks.

I have a three-film deal with Yash Raj Music and it is an open agreement. Yash Raj still manages my projects but I am free to work with other labels. For this track, T-Series is managing the distribution and marketing, and the song will be released in digital and physical formats. T-Series has great knowledge of music and I am glad that they are looking into the marketing of this song.

I have been performing at a few corporate shows. I am also setting up my own band called Ayushmann After School. Once the band is completely set up, I will focus on performing at more concerts and tours. Currently, I am working on more songs that don’t belong to my college days and will release them as and when they are ready. There won’t be any album as I am focusing on releasing singles. I will be performing in Ahmedabad on October 11 at a corporate event. Next month, I will do a city tour in Pakistan.

The shoot for Hawaizaada is almost done and I have sung two songs for that film. While one is the original composition, the other track is a rendition of Mirza Ghalib’s Dil hi toh hai. I can’t say much about the original composition. Apart from that, I will be working on Yash Raj’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha, the music for which has been composed by Anu Malik. This will be followed by Shoojit Sircar’s Agra Ka Daabra (Hamara Bajaj), the music of which has been composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. I will also be part of Sircar’s film 1911. Box Office India