For decades, Ajay Bijli has made movie-going a very successful business. But the cinema czar has embarked on an unlikely second act, one that involves early-morning riyaaz, vocal coaches, recording studios, and the pursuit of a chartbuster.
For someone who has spent 36 years building a business and running a public-listed company, the next milestone is a very different one. “I understand that at 60, I am charting out a new career for myself. Look at Bon Jovi and others; they give me hope,” says Biji, who will be turning 60 next year.
Because if I take up something, I make sure I am sincere about it,” says Bijli, who approached recording with the same rigour, i practise every day at five in the morning. “I have always wanted to be a singer. Back in school, I sang in inter-school competitions. And I ask if he was the cool kid on the campus. He confirms, “Yes, I had long hair, I had a band, and we were doing gigs and festivals. But then life happened; I passed out of college and started working for PVR. It was the pandemic and an uncomfortable realisation about life’s brevity that brought him back to his first love. “During COVID, I really panicked. I had an epiphany. “I contacted a teacher from Berklee College of Music. I was also fortunate to have an equally fantastic Hindi teacher, Santa Singh. When he was to record a song in musician Amit Trivedi’s studio, he practiced the song so relentlessly that, as he recalls, “my face turned blue. But I was sure I wanted to show up prepared. The recording went so well that Trivedi asked if he could include the song in his album, Azad Collab . Later, Trivedi composed music for his first EP, On Another Note . It had three songs, including a wedding number, Dil Kare Haaye Haaye , directed by filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra. It is a new stage, a new audience and, for Bijli, a whole new kind of show. And he means business! And sustainability and revenue streams for singers are through live shows and concerts. I am sure, if I take care, I can last long. He has also joined Instagram and has his own YouTube channel to showcase his music.
Then in Hindu College, I had my band,” he says. “I said life is fickle, and you only live once… I must do something about my music now!” says Bijli, managing director of PVR INOX. “Five years from now, I would like to be remembered as a singer who has a successful business,” he says joyfully.
