Pritam – ‘You never know about tomorrow’

‘You never know about tomorrow’
Saubhadro Chatterji / New Delhi November 1, 2009, 0:11 IST

He’s one of Bollywood’s busiest music composers. But Pritam is careful not to take money and fame seriously.
A pair of twin flats on the seventh floor of a housing society in Oshiwara, Mumbai, is music director Pritam Chakraborty’s office, residence and hi-tech studio all rolled into one. As I wait to meet him in the guest room, actor Akshay Kumar (wearing red trousers) comes by with director Priyadarshan. “Not every star comes for music sittings,” says Pritam, “but this is Akshay’s home production, Khatta Meetha, so he is more serious.”

Pritam has been in the Bollywood music business just eight years, but is already Mumbai’s busiest music director. The two cabinets in the room where we are sitting are almost filled with trophies. So I ask, when will another cabinet be required? Pritam is modest: “Yes, there are some trophies. But actually I have not received any major award so far. I am yet to get a Filmfare Award. I got two Zee Cine Awards but those were for two songs, not for the entire album.”

Becoming a music director was never part of his plan, or even a dream, Pritam says. Music was a hobby and Pritam thought it would remain just that, jamming with Bengali bands being the only high point of that interest. He was briefly part of a popular Bengali rock band called Chandrabindoo. In fact, Pritam enrolled himself in a master’s course in a science subject, simultaneously sitting for job-related exams. “One day I bought a thin brochure. It was about various entrance exams. There, the Film and Television Institute of India [FTII] exam was also mentioned. It sounded interesting,” recalls Pritam, lighting a cigarette.

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