This is a great day and age for content where there are no boundaries anymore: Neil Nitin Mukesh

The centenary celebration of legendary singer Mukesh was made even more memorable when Neil Nitin Mukesh announced his debut in a music video. A trilogy of songs, ‘Tu Meri Aashiqui’ Part 1 – The Escape has received heartwarming response from the audience. We had a brief chat with him on the occasion of the launch, here is what he said.

‘Intense’ is the word that comes to mind when you watch the song. What attracted you towards ‘Tu Meri Aashiqui’?

As an actor I have always been very curious about story telling with the scripts that resonate with myself. When I heard the song, I felt it’s a clutter breaker, not just for music but also for the script & story telling through songs as a concept. Adhyayan has aced direction with this one and Shreya is looking gorgeous in her role. Rashid Khan and Ankit Tiwari are the hidden gems of this music film, that we prefer to call it. It has a melody that stays with you and haunts you once you have heard it.

‘Tu Meri Aashiqui’ is the first from the 3 parts story. How did this idea come about?

Yes, it’s the first song from the 3-parts music film. This was an idea that I came up along with the producers S K Ahluwalia & A Jhunjhunwala. When I first heard the song ‘Tu Meri Aashiqui’ and Adhyayan & I sat down to discuss the concept, it was very clear to me that the audience would want more than just a one song story. Also, in our music industry, we haven’t seen trilogy of songs coming out with music video with a coherent script to it. we decided to give it a go and here we are.

Watch the song here:

This is the centenary year of Mukesh Ji. How does the release of this song make the centenary year special for you?

First of all, I feel blessed to have the lineage from such a great musician, Mukesh Ji, my grandfather. This is his centenary year, and I was keen to make it special. I had been getting many offers in the past to star in music videos from record labels, however, this I thought was the most appropriate time. This is my first music video and I feel privileged, at the same time, to be the face for Ankit Tiwari’s voice. His voice is going to shine out as we go further in this music film. I am very thankful for the producers who have backed me in this project.

We are in the era of artists’ economy. What would you like to do as an artist in future, considering you are one of the rare combinations in legit actor-musician domain?

I am an artist and I feel that art needs to be expressed, whether in the form of music, acting, dance, etc. We flow like water, and you can’t give it a definite shape or form. Right from the beginning of my career to now, I have worked to seek artistic excellence. I haven’t ever been desperate to be out there and get noticed. Let the work speak for itself and let the creativity find its opening. I am a trained actor, might not be as trained a singer as my grandfather Mukesh Ji or my father Nitin Mukesh Ji, but I do sing and compose, play piano at times. So, all this is also coming together for me in some form with this trilogy. This is a great day and age for content where there are no boundaries anymore. Today, everyone can do everything, it is just about trying and working hard.

How unconventional was it for you to take this project on its own?

Right from my first movie, I have followed the quest of answering questions for myself. When I did Johnny Gaddar, killing five people in the movie, in a time when everyone wanted to debut in romantic roles, I did it to answer many questions to myself about me being an actor. I did not want people to have any doubts on my acting capabilities, only because I was coming from a family of playback singers. Having said that, music has been intrinsic to my growing up and life in general. With this video, I got a chance to give back in some form to the world where I grew up in. This 3-parts music film is yet again unconventional in its treatment and execution. As I said earlier, it is a clutter breaker in many forms and that’s what appealed to me the most.

The video ends creating a lot of curiosity with the audience. What happens next and when is the next video coming out?

If I have to say in one line then, “Abhi Sabki Waat Laga Dunga, abhi to kahaan baaki hai, abhi to meri shuruaat hai, aage aage dekhiye kya hota hai” (laughs). Jokes aside and on a serious note, it was a great privilege to be a part of this song. We are very happy to see the response we are getting for this song; people are loving it. This track has concentrated on storytelling, connecting with the emotions of people. We haven’t deliberately tried to be different, but have tried to synch the visuals, story, timelines with each other. More to follow!

Well, we are surely going to follow what’s to come from Neil Nitin Mukesh and the trilogy, but for now, mesmerised by ‘Tu Meri Aashiqui’ The Escape! Keep streaming!