Bollyoz Talent Focus - Gautam Naresh: An Upcoming Sufi Singer and a Gifted Painter!
I had the pleasure to meet Gautam Naresh in 2003, when he was aspiring to become an actor… he worked in one of the student productions that I was supervising at Indraprastha College, Delhi University. Gautam’s acting skills were noticeable, but what made me sit up and take notice of him was his mellifluous voice and talent for mimicking Bollywood actors. Over the years as I have seen him transform from an actor to a painter and now as an upcoming sufi musician… Gautam strives hard to prove himself and let his talent speak for himself.
Gautam has been successful in creating a space for himself in the sufi music genre, which of course requires a thorough understanding of music, Urdu poetry and an ability to drown oneself in their music.
Gautam gives credit to his musical training to his mother, he states, “my mother used to sing nirguni bhajans and folk songs, she used to take me along for her performances… and from there I started picking up bits and pieces of music. Let me tell you that I am not a trained musician; it is the blessings of my mother that I could pick up this music. I am thankful to her that she could pass on a bit of her talent to me.”
“I usually perform sufi and folk numbers, I love to write my own songs and perform along with my band. My mother is my inspiration; she is very optimistic and positive thinker… her encouragement and support means a lot to me, probably that is the strongest driving force that makes me keep trying”.
Gautam has composed music for an upcoming Bollywood film; he is also writing lyrics and composing music for few other Bollywood projects, which will be ready by 2016. An interesting aspect of Gautam is his proclivity for composing political songs, he has written and sung the anthem for the Indian political outfit Aam Aadmi Party, which got him quite noticed during the Delhi elections period in late 2014.
When asked about his favourite Bollywood singer, Gautam quickly responds, “I really admire Tochi Raina, he has a great voice and he has the ability to put life in a song.”
Other than as a sufi singer, Gautam has also showcased his talent as a painter. With a post graduation degree in fine arts, he has exhibited his artworks in various art galleries and has made personalized paintings for renowned personalities, such as Moti Sagar of Sagar Pictures and Amrit Sagar a national award winning director. The Oberoi group of hotels has acquired many of Gautam’s paintings. In 2008, Gautam did a series of paintings on the sufi singer Kailash Kher, which were quite talked about.
Finally, when I asked Gautam about what happened to his acting aspirations, his answer was, “as far as acting is concerned I would love to act if I get good and a challenging role, I am still waiting for that.” Well Bollyoz.com’s best wishes are with Gautam, whenever he tries his luck in acting. Nevertheless, at the moment, Gautam is able to mesmerize people with his soulful sufi numbers… and his popularity is growing… he is performing in various parts of India on a regular basis… and is focusing on creating music with a blend of Indian traditional, folk and sufi style. One of Gautam’s dream destinations is Australia, and he would love to perform for the Indians in Australia.
Few of Gautam’s songs are available on various music sites; you can check it out here:
Gautam's Aam Aadmi Party Anthem: