From TCS Cubicles to Pawan Kalyan’s Personal Praise: Music Director Ajay Arasada Opens Up on His Creative Journey!
With memorable melodies and impactful background scores across projects like Aay, the hit web franchise Save the Tigers, Vikatakavi, and Gurthukostunnayi, music composer Ajay Arasada has steadily carved out a distinctive space for himself in contemporary Telugu cinema. Known for his versatility and subtle soundscapes, the Vizag-born technician opened up in a candid conversation about his transitions, candid opinions on modern filmmakers, AI's limits in art, and a special meeting with Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan.
"He Joked About My Coffee-Mug Speaker": The Pawan Kalyan Interaction
One of the major highlights of Ajay's recent career has been composing the background scores for Jana Sena party programmes and state events:
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The Personal Call: "When Pawan Kalyan garu met Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I composed the score for that video package. After watching it, Pawan garu personally called me to appreciate the work. He mentioned that we should collaborate on future political videos as well as feature films under his PK Creative Works banner."
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A 30-Minute One-on-One Conversation: "I expected a formal 5-minute meet, but when I arrived, he was sitting alone. We spoke at length for nearly half an hour about music and upcoming projects. He noticed my portable Bose speaker, which looks like a coffee mug, and playfully joked, 'Did you bring coffee with you?' I was internally thrilled to see him joking with me so warmly."
The Transition: Corporate IT to Film Scoring
Music runs in Ajay’s blood, but his entry into mainstream films was gradual and grounded:
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TCS to Tollywood: Ajay worked as an IT professional at TCS for seven years while balancing composing assignments for independent and smaller film projects.
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Early Mentors & Friends: Citing Devi Sri Prasad as his musical inspiration, Ajay credits his mother and wife for supporting his shift to full-time cinema. His friend and acclaimed music director Sricharan Pakala brought him on board as a keyboard programmer for the pathbreaking spy thriller Goodachari.
Candid Takes: OTT vs. Theatrical Audio, AI & Missing Credits
Ajay did not shy away from sharing straightforward takes on industry realities:
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The OTT Audio Compression Issue: "We compose keeping high-end theatrical acoustic dynamics in mind. However, by the time content transitions to streaming platforms, the audio dynamics get compressed by nearly 50%. A project like Vikatakavi would offer a totally different acoustic impact in a cinema hall compared to OTT."
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AI Cannot Replace an Artiste: "AI output tends to sound homogenous no matter how detailed your prompts are. Some producers generate AI tracks and ask us to replicate them—I jokingly think, 'Then why not make the entire film using AI?' AI is just a tool; it cannot turn anyone into a composer."
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Giving Credit Where It's Due: Addressing issues where co-composers or guest song creators overshadow main score composers, Ajay mentioned: "On Aay, producer Bunny Vasu garu made sure to highlight my name at every press meet to correct misreports. Giving due credit to every assistant, musician, and technician is something I treat as a personal principle."
Ready for the Big Commercial League
Having completed a resilient decade-long stint that navigated the disruptions of the pandemic, Ajay expresses absolute confidence in taking on larger mass entertainers:
"I know I can score for any genre, whether it is a nuanced indie drama or a high-voltage commercial action film. I've earned that confidence over these 10 years, and I am excited for the road ahead."
— Ajay Arasada
