Dhruv Ghanekar: In Bollywood, music is essentially a marketing tool to sell the film
Composer Dhruv Ghanekar talks about the importance of being original as a musician, Bollywood music and the difference between independent and commercial music
Riding high on the success after the release of his second album, Voyage 2, composer and producer Dhruv Ghanekar believes that the aspiration of a musician should be “to be original”. Specialising in fusion music, he explains, “I think it is important to have your own voice. It’s a sword that needs to be continuously sharpened.” That’s why, in the midst of the opportunities in OTT music, the guitarist still makes a conscious effort to write his own music and finds freedom in it.
Ghanekar, having worked on several commercial projects, has strong views about the Bollywood industry. He says, “The conversation is never about, ‘Let’s make an amazing piece of music’. It’s more about, ‘Let’s make a hit song’." He shares how the responsibility of the composer is to write a hit song and they should use all the means to do the same: I don’t look at it as a negative thing but such is the nature of the industry. Often, independent music is blindsided by commercial work, particularly in Mumbai, as musicians need to make a living.
To the 50-year-old, there are two big differences between commercial music and independent music: the timeline and the freedom. While parametres like themes, genres and character arcs narrow down creative freedom; deadlines and schedules in commercial work are the biggest advantage. He notes, with respect to individual music, “We [creative artists] are very bad at being disciplined about deadlines.”
While the Mumbai-based musician does not believe in the aspect of social responsibility with music, he believes musicians should push their own boundaries and grow as an artiste with each new project. He explains that while Voyage 1 was “more introspective", Voyage 2 is more of a “let’s party” kind of a vibe that was a conscious and deliberate effort. He further shares, “Voyage 2 is a reflection of what my influences are. I don't like to label my music with a genre, especially with the rise of globalisation. Categorising my music as indie or fusion only serves the purpose of explaining the music to the audience."
He feels his music is a mix of many things, representing India in a different light. “Indian music is not just one music. It’s hard to have one representation. Our music is so rich, wide and so deep that it needs a thousand faces. And because it has a thousand faces, it needs a thousand representations," he claims proudly.
Composing is a “crazy talent” according to Ghanekar. He feels, “Either you have it or you don’t." Ghanekar offers some advice to budding musicians: Dig a deep well, that is, learn and listen to a lot of music and continue learning for the rest of your life. Become a humble student of music.
Interview by Samiksha Kasyap