A lot of people in India wish to pursue music as a career. However, life and its many responsibilities take them in a different direction. The same happened with Ajay Patel whose biggest ambition in life was to become a singer but destiny led him towards a different path. However, when there is a will, there is a way. Despite his professional career keeping him busy, Ajay managed to pursue his passion. ‘Badal Gaya Hai’, his debut single as a singer, released today. The song has been composed by legendary composer Nikhil Kamath who has to his credit films like ‘Bewafa Sanam’, ‘Tum Bin’, Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam’ and ‘Phir Milenge’, among others.
Sharing his thoughts on his debut song, Ajay says, “I have been sincerely learning music for the last several years. There came a time when I wished to express myself as an artist and make my voice heard. I am truly grateful to Nikhil sir for giving me the opportunity to sing ‘Badal Gaya’. It was an absolute honour singing for a legend like him. The song has some beautiful lyrics written by Vimal Kashyap like “kirtayedaar tha kuch din ke liye main toh wahaan, maan baitha tha uske dil ko apna zyaati makaan…”.
Ajay also plays the lead in the video which depicts a woman betraying her husband and having an affair with her music teacher. The theme of the song is ‘bewafaai’ or betrayal. Apart from composing timeless melodies for several blockbuster films, Nikhil has also composed albums like ‘Bewafaai’ and ‘Phir Bewafaai’. He has been a master of this genre and just like his other compositions, ‘Badal Gaya’ boasts of an immersive tune.
Talking about what made him collaborate with the banker-turned-singer, Nikhil says, “For years, Ajay had been learning music from Dr. Aparna Ausarkar Nainar who is a friend of mine. He lives in Borivali but regularly goes to Andheri for his music classes. Despite being busy with his professional duties, Ajay has kept his passion for music alive. His love for music made me want to collaborate with him. When we met, I played some tracks for him. Out of those tracks, he selected ‘Badal Gaya Hai’. He has sung the song very well and acted sincerely in the video as well. He has a very bright future as a singer.”
While Ajay is a trained singer, he had not done a professional studio recording before. To help him understand this process, Nikhil did a couple of workshops and rehearsals prior to the main recording. The music video has been produced by Nikhil Kamath Productions and has been directed by Sumeet Ranjan. ‘Badal Gaya’ is the first song released by Laxmi Music House, a new music label launched and spearheaded by Ajay and his team.
“Launching a music label was a big decision for me as I have just started my career as a singer. However, this was also something I wanted to do for a long time. These days, a lot of people complain about the fact that the quality of music has deteriorated. Through Laxmi Music House, my endeavour is to promote quality, independent music. I have dedicated this company to my beloved mother. We will be releasing songs of different genres regularly”, says Ajay. What makes ‘Badal Gaya’ further special is that the song, along with its poster, has been unveiled by the legendary bhajan singer Anup Jalota. The music video is on Laxmi Music House’s official YouTube channel. The audio track can be played on all leading streaming platforms.