Ankit Tiwari: Independent music gives you the space that Bollywood films don’t allow

Composer-singer Ankit Tiwari also reveals whether it’s true that some actors interfere in the music process of their films.

Ankit Tiwari, popular for composing songs for films such as Aashiqui 2 (2013), Ek Villain (2014) and Aiyaary, recently released a single — Mehbooba — that features him alongside actor Amy Jackson.

Ankit Tiwari recently released a single featuring Amy Jackson.

The composer-singer feels that the independent space is something that every artist should explore. “Somehow, it doesn’t get promoted enough. This is a fact. Non-film or pop music [videos] doesn’t feature big heroes or heroines, and the singers themselves feature in it. This is the way we artists get to establish our identity,” says Ankit, who goes on to compare the Western and Indian music scene.

Ankit also feels that the independent arena has given him much more space to experiment than Bollywood. “There are a lot of things that you want to do in a film, and you even get the desired situation, but the director might point out that it isn’t going with his film. Aap bahut jagah bandh jaate ho (you get restricted at various levels).”

There have been stories about how some actors keenly show interest in how the film’s music should be or who should sing the songs, etc. Asked if he has ever faced such a situation, he says, “I don’t know. It has never happened to me. But everyone associated with a film wants that the music should catch on with people fast before its release. If an entire album gets picked up, like in the cases of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016) and Aashiqui 2, then it’s even better,” he signs off.

Interact with the author on twitter/ @RishabhSuri02