Ashutosh Phatak
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Ashutosh Phatak is a composer, producer, multi-instrumentalist and entrepreneur based in
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. He is one of the founding partners of live music chain blueFROG, co-founder of The True School of Music, and The Quarter. He is the founder of singShala music learning app formerly known as Learn to Sing. Ashu has composed music for over 4000 television commercials, soundtracks for over 10 feature films, and released over 15 contemporary music albums.


Biography


Early life and career beginnings

Ashu, who did his schooling at the Cathedral & John Connon School, formed an informal band with his school friends, where he handled singing responsibilities. After earning a degree in Economics with a minor in Western Classical Music Theory from the
University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...
, he returned to
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
and did a short stint in his family business. Simultaneously, Ashu composed music for TV serials and commercials, and re-congregated his previous band to form Orphean Revival (1993–95). In 1995, Ashu was responsible for one of the first original score to be created for an Indian fashion show. He composed a score for designer
Abu Jani
and Sandeep Khosla, and this was again performed at the Femina Miss India contest later in the year.


Career


Composer

Ashu and Dhruv formed Smoke, a music production company that created music for commercials, TV serials and films. This creative partnership lead to composing the music for films like Tamanna (1997),
Bombay Boys ''Bombay Boys'' is a 1998 Indian crime comedy film written and directed by the Indian director Kaizad Gustad. It follows the adventures of three young men in modern-day Mumbai (or Bombay). The boys are of Indian origin, but were all raised in t ...
(1998), Snip! (2000),
White Noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used with this or similar meanings in many scientific and technical disciplines, i ...
(2005), Broken Thread (2007), MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar (2007), The Whisperers (2009) and
Help Help may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Help (2010 film), ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film * Help (2021 theatrical film), ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film * Help (2021 TV ...
(2010). As a solo composer, Ashu has also created the background scores for films such as Fire in the Blood (2013) which was premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
in 2013 where it was nominated for the Grand Jury prize and
Zubaan ''Zubaan'' () is a 2015 Indian musical drama film written and directed by Mozez Singh, starring Vicky Kaushal, Sarah Jane Dias and Raaghav Chanana, with music composed by Ashutosh Phatak. The film is the coming of age story of a young boy D ...
(2015) which premiered at the
Busan Film Festival The Busan International Film Festival (BIFF; ), formerly the Pusan International Film Festival (PIFF), held annually in Haeundae District, Busan, South Korea, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. The first festival, held from ...
in 2015, was released mid-2016. He recently completed music for ' The Ashram', a film that released in early 2018.


Musician

Ashu has been a part of over 15 contemporary music albums. He and Dhruv released Smoke Signals (2008), an album that has been in the making for 8 years, and one that features the duo's hit songs from their films. 2008 also saw the release of Ashu's debut solo album Sigh of an Angel where he collaborated with Australian artist Aurora Jane, acclaimed jazz guitarist Sanjay Divecha, Dhruv, drummer Lindsay D'mello and singers Vivienne Pocha and Carolisa Monteiro. Ashu handled keyboards, vocals and guitar responsibilities. This was followed by The Psychic Plumber and Other Lies (2011), a multimedia project between Ashu and popular contemporary artist Sarnath Banerjee. Inspired by the products and advertising of the 70s and 80s, this collaboration culminated in a combination of text and drawings, sound and music, to recreate life in pre-liberalisation
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
. The Petri Dish Project, an ambient psychedelic rock album with an acoustic as well as an electronic vibe, saw Ashu regroup with Lindsay D'Mello, and collaborate with a host of other musicians such as
Monica Dogra Monica Dogra is an American musician and actress. She has acted in six feature films, as well as released five studio albums with the band Shaa’ir and Func. She is a member on the judging panel of India's first English music talent show, ''Th ...
,
Suman Sridhar Suman Sridhar is a singer, songwriter, and actor. Sridhar works in music, performance art, theatre and film. Suman is trained in Bharat Natyam classical dance and Indian Classical music and studied Western Classical Music, Women's & Gender Stu ...
,
Anushka Manchanda Anushka Manchanda aka Kiss Nuka (born 11 February 1984) is an Indian singer, music producer, composer, actress, and former VJ. She came to prominence as a member of the Indipop girl group Viva!. In 2018, she adopted the artistic name Kiss N ...
,
Saba Azad Saba Azad (born Saba Singh Grewal, 1 November 1985) is an Indian actress, theatre director and musician. She is one half of Mumbai-based electro funk duo Madboy/Mink. She made her Bollywood debut as one of the leads Raaga in the indie film ''Di ...
, and JD Thirumalai.


Entrepreneur


= blueFROG

= In 2008, Ashu and Dhruv, along with fellow partners Simran Mulchandani, Srila Chatterjee and Mahesh Mathai launched blueFROG, a live music venue in
Lower Parel Lower Parel (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, əɾəɭ Help:IPA/Hindi and Urdu, əɾeːl station code: PL) railway station is a railway station on the Western Line of the Mumbai Suburban Railway, India. The next station south is Mahal ...
,
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
. The brand that single-handedly changed the face of the live independent music scene in
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
with clubs in
Pune Pune ( ; , ISO 15919, ISO: ), previously spelled in English as Poona (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name until 1978), is a city in the state of Maharashtra in the Deccan Plateau, Deccan plateau in Western ...
and
Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...
. The
Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...
outlet shut for a few months in 2012 before reopening in a new avatar. blueFROG
Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...
shut down in August 2016.


= The True School of Music

= In 2013, Ashu, along with noted sound engineer Nitin Chandy and other partners from related fields, united to form The True School of Music. India's first comprehensive institute of contemporary music. True School's core purpose is to educate aspiring musicians, music producers, sound engineers, DJ's, music teachers and music business professionals to make music their long-term sustainable career and to empower them to bring positive change, innovation and global competitiveness to the Indian music industry. Ashu also teaches the Music in Advertising module to students doing the professional level course. Ashu is Pro-Vice Chancellor - Institutional Impact at Vijaybhoomi University.


= The Quarter

= Phatak joined musician Ranjit Barot, businessman Nakul Toshniwal, and restaurateur Nico Goghavala to form The Quarter, within the newly restored Royal.


= singShala

= Ashu's latest venture takes him into the digital space with his new vocal learning app singShala. singShala is an upcoming vocal education and guided content creation app that enables users to learn how to sing through a teacher guided singing interface. With real time feedback and AI powered practical vocal lessons, singShala enables vocal education for all, by making it accessible, affordable, and convenient. singShala recognises the joy of singing and wants to inspire a world where everyone feels empowered to sing without any barriers. This app will allow you to learn to sing at your own pace, in your own space with curated curriculum by industry experts, primarily focussed on singing. The app uses patented technology to provide real-time, unbiased feedback - anytime, anywhere. Learning happens through unconventional methods, music trivia, interactive lessons. The app also includes daily challenges and artist led contests to help build a habit.


Filmography

As composer: *'' Tamanna'' (1997) *''
Bombay Boys ''Bombay Boys'' is a 1998 Indian crime comedy film written and directed by the Indian director Kaizad Gustad. It follows the adventures of three young men in modern-day Mumbai (or Bombay). The boys are of Indian origin, but were all raised in t ...
'' (1998) *''Snip!'' (2000) *''
White Noise In signal processing, white noise is a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. The term is used with this or similar meanings in many scientific and technical disciplines, i ...
'' (2005) *''Broken Thread'' (2007) *'' MP3: Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar'' (2007) *''
HELP Help may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * Help (2010 film), ''Help'' (2010 film), a Bollywood horror film * Help (2021 theatrical film), ''Help'' (2021 theatrical film), a British psychological thriller film * Help (2021 TV ...
'' (2010) *'' Fire in the Blood'' (2013) *
Zubaan ''Zubaan'' () is a 2015 Indian musical drama film written and directed by Mozez Singh, starring Vicky Kaushal, Sarah Jane Dias and Raaghav Chanana, with music composed by Ashutosh Phatak. The film is the coming of age story of a young boy D ...
(2015) * Rejctx (2020) * Unpaused (2020) * Feels like Ishq (2021) * The Empire (2021) *
Mumbai Diaries 26/11 ''Mumbai Diaries'' is an Indian Hindi-language medical thriller television series. It is set in the emergency room of a government hospital, focusing on the challenges faced by medical staff and first responders during times of crises. It was ...
(2021) *Yeh Haalath feat. Zara Khan (2021) *Mumbai Diaries Season 2 (2023) As Music Director: * ''Snip!'' (2000) * Mulit (2003) *
Zubaan ''Zubaan'' () is a 2015 Indian musical drama film written and directed by Mozez Singh, starring Vicky Kaushal, Sarah Jane Dias and Raaghav Chanana, with music composed by Ashutosh Phatak. The film is the coming of age story of a young boy D ...
(2015) As Music Supervisor: * From Durban to Tomorrow (2020) As Music Arranger: * King of Bollywood (2004) As sound editor: *''In Theory'' (2012)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Phatak Indian male singer-songwriters Indian singer-songwriters Year of birth missing (living people) Singers from Mumbai Living people Cathedral and John Connon School alumni Businesspeople from Mumbai Marathi-language singers English-language singers from India Marathi people Musicians from Maharashtra Indian Hindus