In a proud moment for Indian cinema, Band of Maharajas , directed by Girish Malik , has been declared eligible for Oscars consideration in two prestigious categories. In a candid interview with ETimes, Arjun Pratap Bajwa discussed his career evolution in the entertainment industry, his involvement with the Band of Maharajas and his passion for music. He also talked about his friendship with Sonu Sood , challenges artists face in Punjab today, his aspirations to work on epic projects like Gladiator, while admiring filmmakers such as Rajkumar Hirani .

What does Oscar mean to you?

Oscar represents a significant achievement for me. Even being in contention, although I haven't been nominated yet, is an incredible feeling. Just being featured on the Oscars' official website is something I could never have imagined in my wildest dreams. It's not just about the recognition; it's the epitome of the awards that anyone in the entertainment industry could dream of. Overall, it's a fantastic feeling.

You're primarily a musician, and you're part of the band Maharaja. Can you tell me about your music and how you met Girish Malik, and how the whole collaboration came about?

I'm actually a musician, and I was part of the band Maharaja. As for how it all started, I was working as an assistant director after completing college. In 2015, I moved to Mumbai and started doing ramp modeling. The city's environment is quite encouraging, and I thought, "Why not try my hand at acting as well?" So, I started working in the film industry. My first experience was working with Prabhu Deva sir as an assistant director on a film, which starred Akshay Kumar in the lead role, Singh Is Bling. It was during that time that I met Girish Malik and Puneet ji, who shared their story with me. They told me about a project featuring three boys, and they wanted me to play one of the lead roles.

Did you meet Girish on the set of Singh Is Bling?

I actually met him at someone's house, and that's when he mentioned the project. He said he really liked me and thought I would fit the role perfectly. I was very excited when I learned that it was a musical film, and that's how our journey began.

Who introduced you to this project?

Sonu Sood and I used to work out in the same gym, and we both are from Punjab, so we had that Punjab connection. He would ask me every day, "What are you doing?" and we would have brief conversations about what was going on in our lives. He is incredibly helpful, as the whole world knows. One day, I mentioned that I was looking for a job as an assistant director. I had heard that working as an AD and being on set can really help you understand the environment of a movie set.

That's when he told me, "In two days, there's a film my friend is making with Prabhu Deva, and the shoot is about to start. I'm going to ask him to take you on as an AD." He called Prabhu sir in front of me and said, "Tomorrow this boy is going to come see you." The next day, I went to Prabhu Deva's house for lunch. He was very hospitable and told me, "From tomorrow onwards, we are starting the shoot, so you come and join us on set."

While you were doing all this, how was music working for you?

I really got into music after completing this film. I had some friends in the Punjabi music industry, and I thought I would like to go to the studio and try recording a song. That's how the whole process started. When my family heard the first demo that I recorded in the studio, they were amazed and said, "Damn, you're good at this! You can pursue this."

In Bombay, there are times when you're very busy with work, and then there are months when you're just free, chasing work and people. I never really liked that. I always wanted to be my own boss and do my own things at my own pace. Music was something where I could put my vision to life, do what I love, and make the kind of music I wanted people to hear. It came naturally to me, and that's when I started pursuing my music career. I've released five songs so far, and I'm planning to release many more.



So, Punjab and music - I'm really curious to understand what the whole connection is between Punjabis and the music world. Do you come from a background with music in your family?

Not really. My family is deeply rooted in politics. My mother, on the other hand, was a very good singer, although she never really pursued it. Ever since I was a child, I would hear her singing various songs, including an old one called "Rahe Na Rahe Hum." I was really fascinated by her voice, and I think that, as a child, she imbibed in me a sense of being on a musical path in some way. So, I got that from her. There aren't any musicians in my family; politics has always been what my family is involved in. Since I was a child, I have been involved in it as well.

Tell me about your legacy.

If you ask about my political legacy, my grandfather was a minister in Punjab during the '80s. My uncle, who is my dad's elder brother, Pratap Singh Bajwa, is currently the leader of the opposition in Punjab and is a very senior leader. My father, Fateh Singh Bajwa, is the BJP vice president; we switched parties from Congress to join the BJP because I feel the BJP is the future. My uncle's wife has also been an MLA, and my brother is the Punjab president of the Jat Mahasabha. I am a member of the Zilla Parishad in Punjab, and I've always been involved in politics in one way or another because it runs in our family. Being connected to the people is something that feels familiar to me.

How did you get involved in the film, and what do you think about the subject, which is very interesting to me?

As I mentioned, when I was working with Prabhu Sir as an AD, I met Girish Sir and Puneet Ji at someone's house. They expressed that they liked me for a particular role and encouraged me to come audition for it. The film was musically inclined, which excited me the moment I heard about it. My character had to play three instruments in the film: a dhol, a trumpet, and a frame drum. There were various workshops over five to six months of intensive training, and by the end, I had become proficient in playing all these instruments.

Working on this project taught me a lot of new things, and the whole story was so exciting. It conveyed the message that while borders divide us, music unites us. You go to Pakistan or any other country, and music is more or less the same. So, why do these borders divide us and separate people? The whole story and its message, along with Girish Sir's vision, resonated with me. He always seems to manifest his ideas into films, and when we were making this film, I felt that energy strongly.

What is that one aspect of this film that you think will appeal to people, especially since the Oscars are about the world? What is that one thing about this particular film that you believe connects with the Oscars and could give it a chance to win?

I believe the music in this film is a significant factor. It features a lot of international artists and incorporates various global sounds. Firstly, that is important. Secondly, it’s a very raw film. The theme of borders dividing us while music unites us is something I feel would resonate with the Academy.

You mentioned that almost a decade has passed. How do you look back on these 10 years of your life in Bombay? Are you happy with the way things have turned out? Of course, you come from a privileged background, so things are fine for you, but is this what you truly want? Are you getting what you want, or are you not? How did you cope with all of that? It’s been a journey, and not many people know much about you apart from the links to others that people talk about, which is personal. How do you view your journey?

My journey in Bombay was completely different from the path I am on now. Every moment, things change; you never know where life is going to take you. In Bombay, I was happy modeling, and then a film unexpectedly came my way. After that, I began my musical journey. Currently, I see myself moving in the direction I always wanted. I wanted to pursue music, and I feel like I am on the right track in doing so, bringing the sounds I want people to hear. My latest release is a track called "Parda," which I released on January 6. It features a techno house beat with Punjabi vocals, along with some old Qawwali vocals. That’s the kind of music I enjoy, and I’ve always believed that one day I would have the opportunity to make people listen to fresh and different sounds. Touch wood, we’ve received a great response to it so far.

We spoke about the music that Diljit is making and how it's making headlines because of his rise to fame. At the same time, there is so much fear of artists being attacked. Many people I know have moved away and no longer live there. You’ve been involved in politics and understand the entire scenario. As an artist, people like Diljit and others have to operate under security cover, as do many actors and singers. I even met Gippy, who spoke about this. How do you look at that, Arjun?

It's very unfortunate for any artist from any part of the world to experience this. In Punjab, it seems that those targeting artists are just looking to gain some sort of limelight. The issues of joblessness and drug abuse are leading the youth in the wrong direction. I believe the government should take some responsibility for this because there seems to be a lack of law and order in Punjab. If there were a strong leader and a robust government ruling the state, I think incidents like this would not occur as frequently or to such an extent.

I think you have leaders like Diljit and people should focus on him, but also there are others who can be ambassadors to help eliminate drugs. People should take some action. Artists should do something about it.

We've been running a drug-free campaign for a long time. In fact, our family runs an NGO in our constituency in Gurdaspur, called Satpachan NGO. We're spreading awareness about a drug-free Punjab and everything, but ultimately, it's the officials and the government who have to take action on it. We can only spread the word, but they have to act upon it, and those behind it need to be put behind bars, which isn't happening. It's a very sad situation for Punjab because it's only going backwards. There's no growth, industries have left Punjab, artists don't want to live there because of the fear, robberies happen every day, and people are being asked for ransom. It's a very sad situation, and it's very unfortunate that this is happening. I just feel that there needs to be a strong government in Punjab that can take over and make a change.

How do you view Diljit, especially since his career has suddenly become mainstream?

I think it’s the result of years of hard work, along with maintaining a positive mindset, which is very important. It's essential to manifest positive things in the universe, and then things just come to you. For me, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that the first film I would shoot for would be in Oscars contention. Never in my wildest dreams! I’ve always been a positive person, just like Girish sir used to say; I was always very optimistic. I feel that if you're positive and treat people well, nice things will happen to you.

Looking forward, how do you view your journey?

I have a lot of exciting music coming up that I'm looking forward to releasing. I'm currently working on three to four new singles, and I'm also collaborating with a friend who's a rapper from Jordan but has Palestinian roots. We're working on a Punjabi song together, where he'll have a verse in French and Arabic, and I'll be singing in Punjabi. Additionally, I'm working on an EP called Sector Moon, which has a lot of new music that I'm excited about. There are some fun collaborations in the pipeline that people will get to see and hear soon. As for whether I'm happy with how things have progressed for me in the last year, the answer is yes - I'm very happy and grateful.

Are you ambitious, or do you tend to take life as it comes? You seem like the kind of person who takes life as it comes.

I take life as it comes, but that doesn't mean I don't have a roadmap in my head or that I'm not ambitious. I am ambitious, and I'm always striving for more; I'm eager to achieve more. However, I'm not desperate about it. I'm relaxed in that sense - when the right time comes, things will happen. I'm working towards my goals; it's not like I'm just sitting at home praying for something to fall into my lap. I'm actively working toward what I want to achieve, and when the timing is right, it will happen.

Have you made friends here apart from the Sara story I keep hearing about? What is the Sara story? I keep Googling it, and when someone searches your name, it comes up with "rumoured boyfriend." What’s the story?

It's just a story. Even I don't know about it. She's a good friend. And there's nothing like that. It's just baseless rumours. There's no story there. Bhumi Pednekar is also a very good friend of mine. So there’s nothing like that.

What is happening to our celebrities here in Bombay?

It's very unfortunate that something like this happened. It's actually very shocking. I'm as happy as everyone else that he's ( Saif Ali Khan ) safe. But yes, it's very, very sad that something like this occurred.

Salman has been targeted for a lot of reasons.

That's what I said. I feel like it's just people trying to get into the limelight.

Does it scare you?

I mean, not really. I feel that whatever is going to happen in life will happen. It doesn't scare me. There's no point in living in fear at all. But again, it's something that shouldn't be happening, and the government should take strict action on it. That's how I feel. These people should be dealt with harshly, which I feel the system is somehow failing to do. I don't know. It shouldn't be happening, and people should have some fear of the law.

Is there anybody you want to work with? Any wish list?

Not really, but I would like to be a part of a film that resembles something like Gladiator because I love that film. So, something like Gladiator. I wouldn’t say I have a specific wish list of actors to work with, not really. Because there is no big star cast in the films that have been nominated for the Oscars or are currently in contention.

Maybe Raju Hirani. I’ve never met him. I would love to meet him, maybe, and yeah, if he has something in store for me, why not? Or something along the lines of Gladiator - that’s a war film. That’s something I would love to be a part of. If it's in my destiny, I would be.

Do you believe in destiny?

Yeah. Everything is written, I feel. Jab jo hone ho jayega. Fingers crossed.