Singer Abhay Jodhpurkar’s National Award win for ‘Navasachi Gauri Mazi’ from ‘Gharat Ganpati’ marks a significant milestone in a career shaped by persistence, self-doubt and the challenges of breaking into the Hindi film music industry. In an interview with Variety India, the singer opened up about how his journey to lending his voice to Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Mere Naam Tu’ from ‘Zero’ was far from straightforward. He recalled how several of his recordings were replaced by established singers, how A.R. Rahman repeatedly tried to give him opportunities, and how composers Ajay-Atul stood their ground when his voice came under scrutiny.
Abhay Jodhpurkar says A.R. Rahman tried to launch him in several projects
Abhay Jodhpurkar’s association with A.R. Rahman began with ‘Godfather’ in 2012. However, despite the composer’s efforts to introduce him to larger projects, several opportunities did not translate into songs that eventually made it to the screen.“Right after being launched by A.R. Rahman Sir with ‘Godfather’ in 2012, he has been trying to launch me in a lot of projects,” Jodhpurkar told Variety India.He recalled that his recordings for several films were eventually replaced by more established voices. “From ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ to ‘Kochadaiiyaan’ to a lot of films that I had done a few scratches for, ended up with me being replaced by Arijit Singh or Sonu ji or other big names,” he said.Although he had already sung more than 100 songs in the South Indian film industry, establishing himself in Hindi cinema proved difficult.“I was still a beginner down south and had done over 100 songs… Sir tried to launch me, but then, it somehow was not working out,” he recalled.The repeated setbacks began affecting his confidence. “It has somehow never worked out. And I was also losing my morale. I was like, maybe it’s something in me that I need to work on or I was having self-doubt,” he said.
How Abhay Jodhpurkar became Shah Rukh Khan’s voice in ‘Mere Naam Tu’
A turning point came after Jodhpurkar moved to Bombay and met composer duo Ajay-Atul. They were familiar with his work, including ‘Moongil Thottam’ and his cover of ‘Jeev Rangla’ from ‘Jogwa’, and invited him to record some of their material. One of those recordings became ‘Mere Naam Tu’, the romantic track from Shah Rukh Khan’s 2018 film ‘Zero’.“What was supposed to be just a trial, just a prep” eventually turned into a defining opportunity for the singer. The song was shot over 14 days, and the team was happy with how his voice complemented the actor.“Because after the recording, the song went on to be shot for 14 days and Shah Rukh Khan sir felt that the voice suited him. Aanand L. Rai Sir, Irshad Kamil Sir, were all very happy with it,” Jodhpurkar said.However, the positive response from the creative team did not immediately eliminate concerns about having a relatively unfamiliar singer front a major Hindi film song.
‘There’s a huge risk’: Singer recalls pressure to replace him on ‘Mere Naam Tu’
Jodhpurkar explained that ‘Mere Naam Tu’ was one of the biggest songs in ‘Zero’, making his selection a commercial risk in the eyes of some industry stakeholders. As an unfamiliar name in Hindi cinema, he faced the possibility of being replaced by a singer with an established audience.“It was the biggest song of the film. And you’re betting it with a singer who is completely unknown to the Hindi industry,” he said. “So of course, there’s a huge risk. And there’s a lot of debate around that and pressure from the labels to ‘let’s have a big singer sing it.’”This time, however, the people backing the song refused to give in to that pressure.“They stood up and they were like, ‘No, everyone has liked it and we won’t let it be replaced because he’s done a good job and we feel like it should be retained,’” he recalled.Jodhpurkar believes that decision changed the course of his career. “Had they not taken that stand for me, I would have probably not been here now,” he said, adding, “It takes a lot of guts to do that.”
Abhay Jodhpurkar criticises industry gatekeeping and commercial decision-making
His experience with ‘Mere Naam Tu’ has shaped his views on the larger Hindi film music industry. Jodhpurkar believes that even when composers support a singer, commercial considerations can lead decision-makers to favour voices that are already popular.He cited his experience with Pritam, who, according to the singer, had recommended him for several projects.“Pritam Da has pitched me to so many projects and he has insisted that we should really clean up his version but somehow they feel like ‘this won’t work, we need more energy, we need accents, we need a sick voice’… popular voices,” he said.For Jodhpurkar, the underlying problem is the lack of creative authority afforded to composers and artists when commercial decisions are made by producers and other stakeholders.“People who lack creativity or who don’t understand musicality are taking calls for the thing because they are the producers,” he said. “So I think that is the biggest challenge when the composer or the artist are not respected for their talent and are just treated like slaves just because they are being employed by them.”
Abhay Jodhpurkar’s National Award win for ‘Navasachi Gauri Mazi’
Abhay Jodhpurkar clinched the Best Male Playback Singer honor at the 72nd National Film Awards for his soulful rendition of the song “Navasachi Gauri Mazi” from the Marathi family drama film ‘Gharat Ganpati’.
