Arko Pravo Mukherjee detaches himself from work once it’s over, says that’s important

Experience in a field teaches one a lot. One of the things Arko Pravo Mukherjee has learnt after six years of composing is to detach himself from the music he makes. And he does so to avoid getting bothered by negative remarks.

“Artists need to have a certain detachment from their work. Because once their work is out in public, it can be either loved or hated. It will be very subjective, and as an artist you don’t have any control on that. Then, especially in case of criticism, you get worried about those remarks,” he says.

Mukherjee, however, clarifies that he is not asking artists to steer clear of critics. “I don’t mean to say that don’t read what people are saying about your song. I am saying that artists should not be dependent on it. It is a part of your career, and it’ll happen. So the best thing is to detach yourself, so you don’t get affected by the reactions.”

The 34-year-old, who has composed hits such as Nazm Nazm (Bareilly Ki Barfi, 2017), Allah Waariyan (Yaariyan, 2014) and Aaj Phir Tumpe Pyaar Aaya Hai (Hate Story 2, 2014), believes that success, too, can be burdensome.

“There’s a lot of pressure once you start getting appreciated for the kind of work you do. For example, after my song, Tere Sang Yaara (Rustom, 2016), with (singer) Atif [Aslam], there was pressure on both of us to recreate something similar when we worked together again for O Saathi (Baaghi 2).

“And then you also have to realise that you have been chosen by a producer to compose the music or a song for their film. They could have easily chosen someone else, for example, a Pritam, or Vishal-Shekhar, or any other music composer in the industry. But they chose you, and there’s a lot of money riding on the projects. So that’s also a kind of pressure you have to deal with,” he says

But Mukherjee doesn’t detest that pressure. He likes it! “Because it helps me work harder and become a better person and a musician,” the artist signs off.

Interact with the author on Twitter/@sammysamarth