From Jorhat to Mumbai and from Majuli to Dhaaga, singer and music composer from Assam, Nilotpal Bora, has come a long way.
The 32-year-old Bora, along with Rohit Sharma, was recently nominated for the Filmfare OTT Awards in the Best Original Soundtrack category for his work in the TVF web series Aspirants. Though Achint Thakkar took home the award for Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story, Bora has made his mark in the tinsel town. Bora and Sharma composed the songs for Aspirants. Bora composed two songs for the series.
“Getting nominated for the award itself is such a high moment. I never dreamt of getting nominated for the Filmfare Awards… hence, the feeling is extremely special,” says Bora.
Dhaaga, the popular song from the Aspirants TVF series, has struck a chord with listeners. The song is centered around the three lead characters of the series – Abhilash, Sandeep Bhaiya, and Dhairya – all UPSC aspirants. The song defines the turning points in their lives.
Bora shares that he first composed and sang the Dhaaga song for TVF’s other series Yeh Meri Family back in 2018. “TVF reused the song in Aspirants and it became a chartbuster within a short time frame. The song has been appreciated for its melody,” adds Bora.
It was the superhit Majuli song by Bora that caught TVF’s attention way back in 2017. “TVF liked my music. They said it’s raw and unique. They offered me to work with them. I got onboard, and presently, I am working on my fifth project with TVF. It’s a lovely association,” he says.
The young musician shares that back in college, his only dream was to release one solo album. “While I was studying at the Assam Engineering Institute in Guwahati, I had decided that I would make a career in music. At that point, I just wanted to release one album,” he says.
Bora further shares that he never had any formal training in singing. “I took tabla lessons in my childhood. Most of my family members are into academics, and they love Indian classical music. My grandfather was into music, and big names from the industry like Zubeen Garg and Manas Robin were his students,” Bora says.
Bora moved to Mumbai in 2013 after releasing his first album. “When I first moved to Mumbai, I had no money. I rented a small room and started my journey as a music producer and background scorer. Luckily, I never had to struggle. I was fortunate enough to get the opportunity to work with people who valued my music.”
“I never had any expectations… that’s why I guess I never got disappointed. I work on each project – whether it’s a short film or a full-length feature film – with the same passion and enthusiasm. I believe that’s why work never stopped coming to me,” Bora shares.
Talking about his future projects, he says, “I am working on Jaadugar by Sameer Saxena. It’s a Netflix original film starring Jitendra Kumar, Arushi Sharma, and Javed Jaffrey.”
Dubbing himself a ‘non-ambitious’ person, Bora says, “I like to travel and chill with family and friends. I don’t like a hectic life. I have never worked on any project just for the sake of the relationship or to network. Neither do I follow trends, nor am I competitive. I work only for the love of music. I live for music.”
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, AR Rahman, and Amit Trivedi top his list of favourite musicians. On the other hand, he believes none in present times can replace singers like Shreya Ghosal and Sunidhi Chauhan. “I love listening to Arijit Singh and Shalmali Kholgade too,” he adds.
When asked about his favourite album in recent times, Bora says, “Have you listened to the Bandish Bandits album? It blew my mind… I couldn’t sleep for two days. There are so many things to learn… I am in my 30s and have realized that one lifetime is not enough to learn the things that went into the making of the Bandish Bandits album.”
Bandish Bandits is an Indian romantic drama web series on Amazon Prime Video, and the music was composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy.
When asked about the mantra for becoming a successful musician, he smiles and says, “One must be true to himself. One should focus on improving his music instead of being competitive and indulging in petty politics. Keep your heart and mind clean.”
The article was first published on December 12, 2021.
