Arjuna Harjai is an Indian composer,[1] singer and musician working in Bollywood who is also known for composing advertising music.
Arjuna Harjai | |
|---|---|
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| Background information | |
| Also known as | Arjunna Harjaie, Arjunaa Harjai & Arjun Harjai |
| Born | Delhi |
| Genres |
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| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2009–present |
| Spouse | Divya Harjai |
| Website | http://www.arjunaharjai.com |
His association with director Nikkhil Advani, composing music and songs for film Guddu Engineer and television series P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke received praise from critics.[2][3] For P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke, Harjai composed the original score for 107 episodes and composed six songs, he also lent his voice for all the songs along with co singers Nandini Srikar, Shashaa Tirupati, Jonita Gandhi and Surabhi Dashputra.
His work is noted for Nikkhil Advani's Lucknow Central film starring Farhan Akhtar directed by Ranjit Tiwari for which Arjuna Harjai composed three songs, background score and the soundtracks for trailers and commercials.[4][5][6]
Early life and education
editHarjai started learning Hindustani classical music from his parents at a very young age and was exposed to various music styles. He moved to Mumbai in 2006 to further study under playback singer Suresh Wadkar. He also studied piano as his main instrument since a very young age and went on to study until Grade 8 of western classical and jazz piano from Delhi school of music and in 2008 he passed out from SAE Institute, Mumbai as the highest scorer in Audio Engineering. In 2009 he studied jazz and counterpoint composition under various music exchange programs in Delhi and Mumbai.[7]
Career
editWhile composing advertising jingles for major brands, Harjai continued assisting music composer Lalit Pandit for projects such as Besharam and Dabangg.
Harjai began composing for cinema when Punjabi producer Rajan batra was looking for a new composer with a distinct vision for his feature film Titoo MBA. Harjai went on to compose the entire soundtrack for the film.[8] and has continued with a number of other film soundtracks and songs. By 2022 Harjai has a portfolio of composing over 500 advertising jingles and a dozen feature films. Since 2021 Harjai has been working remotely after he relocated temporarily to United Kingdom on a dependent visa as his wife is pursuing a postgraduate degree. [9] Arjuna Harjai has two YouTube channels, one named 'Arjuna Harjai' that features vlogs (1.2 Mn subscribers), another one called 'Arjuna Harjai 2.0' featuring podcasts with interesting guests which he manages alongside his career as a music composer.[10]
In 2023 he collaborated with Sounds of Isha and various International artists like Machel Montano Marge Blackman and Sandeep Narayan to create the Save Soil and Come Awake anthems for supporting the Save Soil movement by Sadhguru[11]
In 2024, Arjuna Harjai launched a creative project titled "The One Minute Composer,"[12] where he composed and released tracks inspired by random prompts, each within a minute-long format. This series featured songs like "Winter Ayun Waliye," "Mangoge Na," and "Zikar Hai," with the latter being a significant collaboration with Pakistani singer Natasha Noorani. The project quickly gathered substantial attention, with all three songs making it to Spotify's viral 50 charts, further demonstrating Harjai's ability to resonate with global audience.[13]"Zikar Hai" was particularly noted for its emotional depth and the innovative cross-border collaboration, which involved remote production sessions between Harjai in the UK and Noorani in Lahore.[14] Additionally, in 2024, Harjai was recognized as the "Introducing Artist of the Week" by BBC Asian Network, highlighting his growing influence in the international music scene.[15]
International
edit| Year | Title | Artists | Organisation |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Come Awake | Arjuna Harjai Machel Montano | Sounds of Isha [16] |
| 2022 | Soil Song | Arjuna Harjai Machel Montano Marge Blackman | Sounds of Isha [17] |
| 2024 | Zikar Hai | Arjuna Harjai x Natasha Noorani | Aart Sense Records [18] |
Singles
edit| Year | Title | Artists | Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Main Janu Na | Arjuna Harjai x Jonita Gandhi | Sony Music India [19] |
| 2021 | Arjuna's Drone | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Studios UK [20] |
| 2022 | Naa Jao | Arjuna Harjai x Surabhi Dashputra | Aart Sense Studios UK [21] |
| 2023 | Shamil Hoon | Arjuna Harjai x Divya Harjai | Aart Sense Studios UK [22] |
| 2023 | Jhoothe | Arjuna Harjai x Jyotica Tangri | Aart Sense Studios UK [23] |
| 2023 | Kharaab | Arjuna Harjai x Jyotica Tangri | Aart Sense Records [24] |
| 2024 | Winter Ayun Waliye | Arjuna Harjai x Jyotica Tangri x Geet Sagar | Aart Sense Records [25] [26] |
| 2024 | More Sajan | Arjuna Harjai x Surabhi Dashputra | Aart Sense Records [27] |
| 2024 | Kyu Bhag Gayi Tu | Arjuna Harjai x Anubhav Suman | Aart Sense Records [28] |
| 2024 | Bharam | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Records [29] |
| 2024 | Mangoge Na | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Records [30] |
| 2024 | Kinaare | Arjuna Harjai x Shreya Jain | Aart Sense Records [31] |
| 2024 | Challeya Ve | Arjuna Harjai | Aart Sense Records [32] |
| 2024 | Rehn De | Arjuna Harjai x Surabhi Dashputra | Aart Sense Records [33] |
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Hair Is Falling | Score |
| 2012 | Manzoor Nahi | Song composed to support the victim of the 2012 Delhi gang rape[34] |
| 2013 | Calapor | Songs and score, also sang two songs[35] |
| 2014 | Titoo MBA | Songs and Score |
| 2014 | CHUDAIL | Music by[36] |
| 2016 | Do Lafzon Ki Kahani | Composed 1 song "Ankhiyaan"[37][7] |
| 2016 | Guddu Engineer | Songs and score |
| 2016 | P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Songs, opening theme and score[38] |
| 2017 | MAHI NRI | Music by[39] |
| 2017 | Jindua | Composed two songs, "Laaiyan Ve" and "Takdi Ravan". |
| 2017 | Lucknow Central | 3 songs, score and promos.[40] |
| 2019 | Judgemental Hai Kya | Kis Raste Hai Jana |
| 2019 | Motichoor Chaknachoor | Choti Choti Gal |
| 2020 | Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare | Neat Ve & Bimari |
Awards and critical reception
edit| Awards | For | Director | Details | Music director | Lyricist | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5th Mumbai Shorts International Film Festival[1] | Guddu Engineer | Nikkhil Advani | Best Music Award - Keh Nahi Paunga | as Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2016 |
| Creative ABBY Awards GOLD[41] | 'P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Nikkhil Advani | Original Background Score - Rab Ki Baatein | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Creative ABBY Awards BRONZE | P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Nikkhil Advani | Original Background Score - Raahiyan Ve | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
Songs
edit| Film | Song | Singer | Lyricist | Year of Release |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manzoor Nahi[34] | Single | Surabhi Dashputra & Arjuna Harjai | Surabhi Dashputra | 2012 |
| Calapor | Musical | Lakshmi Madhusudan & Aishwarya Nigam | Sanjeev Chaturvedi | 2013 |
| Calapor | Tarana | Surabhi Dashputra | Surabhi Dashputra | 2013 |
| Calapor | I Love You Ma | Arjuna Harjai & Surabhi Dashputra | Surabhi Dashputra | 2013 |
| Calapor | Bindaas | Various | Surabhi Dashputra | 2013 |
| Titoo MBA | Kyu Hua Reprise | Neeti Mohan | Kumaar | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | O Ranjhna | Surabhi Dashputra | Surabhi Dashputra | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | Plan Bana Le | Aishwarya Nigam & Surabhi Dashputra | Kumaar | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | Atyachaari | Surabhi Dashputra & Arjuna Harjai | Surabhi Dashputra | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | Kyu Hua | Arijit Singh & Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2014 |
| Titoo MBA | O Soniye | Arijit Singh & Vibha Saraf | Surabhi Dashputra | 2014 |
| Chudail | Das Rahe Hain | Jonita Gandhi | Surabhi Dashputra | 2015 |
| Chudail | Raat Ye Kehti Hai | Sunidhi Chauhan | Surabhi Dashputra | 2015 |
| Hero (2015 Hindi film) | Yadaan Teriyaan Reprise | Shipra Goyal & Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2015[42] |
| Do Lafzon Ki Kahani (film) | Ankhiyaan | Kanika Kapoor | Kumaar | 2016[43] |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Rab Ki Baatein | Arjunna Harjaie | Kumaar | 2016 |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Raahiya | Surabhi Dashputra & Shashaa Tirupati | Kumaar | 2016 |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Dhaage | Arjuna Harjai & Nandini Srikar | Kumaar | 2016 |
| P.O.W.- Bandi Yuddh Ke | Akhari Mod Pe | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| P.O.W. - Bandi Yuddh Ke | Ishq Hawa Hai | Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Mera Mahi NRI | Kailash Kher | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Tere Bina | Master Saleem & Shipra Goyal | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | One More Thumka | Jonita Gandhi & Anubhav Suman | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Blonde Nachdi | Hardy Sandhu & Jonita Gandhi | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Bathroom (Rap) | Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Balle Balle | Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Tabbar | Lehmber Hussainpuri & Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Mahi NRI | Tere Bina (Reprise) | Hardy Sandhu | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Jindua | Takdi Ravan | Jonita Gandhi, Akhil & Arjunna Harjaie | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Jindua | Laaiyan Ve | Arjuna Harjai & Surabhi Dashputra | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Lucknow Central | Teen Kabooter | Divya Kumar, Mohit Chauhan, Raftaar | Kumaar, Raftaar | 2017 |
| Lucknow Central | Rangdaari | Arijit Singh & Arjuna Harjai | Kumaar | 2017 |
| Lucknow Central | Kaavaan Kaavaan | Divya Kumar | Kumaar | 2017 |
References
edit- ^ a b "::: Mumbai Shorts Int. Film Festival :::". miniboxoffice.com. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ Team, Tellychakkar. "Love over numbers: P.O.W- a hard hitting experiment on TV". tellychakkar.com. Archived from the original on 26 May 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Arjuna Harjai hopes to hit the right chord with his music - Times of India". The Times of India. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
- ^ "'Monsoon Wedding' song 'Kawa Kawa' recreated for Farhan Akhtar's 'Lucknow Central'". mid-day.com. 27 July 2017. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Arjuna Harjaie composes a song using trash cans - Times of India". The Times of India. 2 September 2017. Archived from the original on 20 September 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Releases of the Week". The Telegraph (India). Archived from the original on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ a b "Arjuna Harjai: My parents played an important role in my career - Times of India". The Times of India. 29 January 2017. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Just Pass!! (Titoo MBA – Music Review)". wordpress.com. 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "AART SENSE STUDIOS Ltd persons with significant control - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Archived from the original on 28 September 2022. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
- ^ "'The beauty of 'Choti Choti Gal' lies in the spontaneity of the lyric', says Music Composer Arjuna Harjai". radioandmusic.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2022. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
- ^ "Sounds of the soil". Mid-day. 7 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023.
- ^ "Arjuna Harjai on Being the One Minute Composer and 'Winter Ayun Waliye'". Rolling Stone India. 6 April 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Man Makes Song From Random Words Given By Wife, Internet Loves It". NDTV. 22 February 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "Arjuna Harjai's 'Zikar Hai' Brings Natasha Noorani for a Song of Longing". Rolling Stone India. 24 June 2024. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
- ^ "BBC Asian Network Introducing Artist of the Week". YouTube. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
- ^ "Come Awake". 4 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Soil Song". 3 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Zikar Hai(Sixth from The One Minute Composer Series)". Spotify. 21 June 2024.
- ^ "Arjuna Harjai and Jonita Gandhi's 'Main Janu Na' casts a spell of love; song out now". Archived from the original on 14 May 2021. Retrieved 16 March 2021.
- ^ "Arjuna's Drone". 5 September 2021. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "NAA JAO". 21 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Shamil Hoon". 3 January 2023. Archived from the original on 18 March 2023. Retrieved 18 March 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Jhoothe". 28 August 2023. Archived from the original on 31 August 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2023 – via open.spotify.com.
- ^ "Kharaab". Spotify. 10 October 2023.
- ^ "Winter Ayun Waliye (First song from the series The One Minute Composer)". Spotify. 31 January 2024.
- ^ "NDTV (Man makes viral song with random words given by his wife)".
- ^ "More Sajan (Second song from the series The One Minute Composer)". Spotify. 15 February 2024.
- ^ "Kyu Bhag Gayi Tu". Spotify. 5 March 2024.
- ^ "Bharam ( Third from The One Minute Composer Series)". Spotify. 22 March 2024.
- ^ "Mangoge Na(Fourth from The One Minute Composer Series)". Spotify. 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Kinaare(Fifth from The One Minute Composer Series)". Spotify. 5 April 2024.
- ^ "Challeya Ve". Spotify. 24 May 2024.
- ^ "Rehn De(Seventh from The One Minute Composer Series)". Spotify. 2 August 2024.
- ^ a b "YouTube". Archived from the original on 27 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2017 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Calapor (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - EP by Arjuna Harjai". iTunes Store. 28 July 2014. Archived from the original on 16 April 2014. Retrieved 19 December 2013.
- ^ "Arjuna Harjai composes and sings a song with Sunidhi Chauhan". The Indian Express. 4 December 2014. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Music Review Do Lafzon Ki Kahani - Oye! Times". oyetimes.com. 24 May 2016. Archived from the original on 18 May 2018. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Star Plus brings 'Prisoners of War' to India, renowned director to direct". indiantelevision.com. 2 March 2016. Archived from the original on 1 May 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Mahi N.R.I. (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Arjunna Harjaie on Apple Music". apple.com. 9 February 2017. Archived from the original on 22 February 2017. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
- ^ "Sukhwinder Singh's "Kaavaan Kaavaan" to now feature in Farhan Akhtar-starrer Lucknow Central - Mumbai Mirror -". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 19 May 2018. Retrieved 18 May 2018.
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- ^ Hungama, Bollywood. "Do Lafzon Ki Kahani Songs - Do Lafzon Ki Kahani 2016 Music - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. Retrieved 7 September 2017.
External links
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