Hindi
All eyes on the next big Khan
To be released on 21 December, the film has already been in the eye of many a controversial storm. From who is the original director of the film to Aamir‘s alleged tiff with the media and thus his decision to release the film‘s promo on the Internet.
The promos of Taare Zameen Par look very promising and with Aamir‘s track record it will be a must-watch film. The first phase of publicity and promotions that has rolled out sets an optimistic tone. The Internet community of film lovers is keenly awaiting the film. Trade analyst Amod Mehra is positive that TZP will do well. “It is Aamir‘s debut as director and he won‘t jeopardize it. It is not a light entertainer but a very emotional film. Now with the multiplex culture it does not make much of a difference if masses like it or not. Lagaan was declared a hit though it was a classy film. The bottomline is that a film should entertain as well as educate. Swades flopped as it was a documentary.”
The film industry has begun to stir towards the end of the year. The Bhool Bhulaiya, Heyy Babyy, Jab We Met earnings may mean a better 2008. “Though OSO and Saawariya have got good initials it is too early to declare them hits. One can assess only early next week,” says Mehra. “As for Aaja NAchle I am not too hopeful. And Goal is a sports film and many such films have flopped. More over after the debacle of No Smoking John Abraham may find it difficult to attract audiences.” And as the year draws to a close Anees Bazmee‘s comedy Welcome starring current rage Akshay Kumar and Sudhir Misra‘s Khoya Khoya Chand will release. Hit or miss? It‘s too soon to predict. But on the whole Mehra says that the end of the year looks promising. So after a bright Diwali its now time for Xmas celebrations. We just hope Xmas will be as auspicious for Aamir as Diwali may prove for Shahrukh. |
MUMBAI: Since the past three months Shahrukh Khan was all over. He stormed TV sets, went to cricket stadiums, got plastered on hoardings and backs of buses and even spoke to you on radio. Now it‘s the turn of yet another Khan, the reclusive Aamir Khan. The currently -in-the-news for all the wrong reasons, Aamir will be making his directorial debut with Taare Zameen Par. 
The film revolves around an autistic child and his teacher played by Aamir Khan. TZP which will see an end of year release will play a crucial role at box office collections. For the Hindi film industry Y2K 07 has not been a very exciting year financially. But the last quarter could prove to be a leveler. With over Rs 2.2 billion riding on just four end of year releases – Om Shanti Om, Saawariya, Goal and Aaja Nachle – November could set a spirited mood for Bollywood. 
The actor on his blog writes about his debut as director, clears some controversies and plans on releasing the English- translated lyrics on the TZP website on 5 November. With PVR ‘s Ajay and Sanjeev Bijli as co-producers of the film, TZP may get the cash registers ringing. The advantage for TZP is the release timing. After the OSO Vs Saawariya, Goal Vs Dus Kahaaniyan and Aaja Nachle fever dies down, TZP will hit the marquee. Besides, Aamir‘s annual fare is always much-awaited by his fans. The Lagaan–Rang de Basanti–Fanaa euphoria is not forgotten in a hurry. His sense of film is his biggest draw. And with the actor now making his directorial debut in an emotional film it will not take much to entice audiences to watch TZP.
In a music industry that often rewards speed, spectacle, and instant recall, Navjot Ahuja’s journey feels refreshingly different. His story is not built on noise. It is built on patience, discipline, emotional honesty, and a quiet commitment to becoming better with every passing year. After 14 years of struggle, learning, performing, and writing, Navjot stands today as an artist whose success has not changed his centre. If anything, it has only made his purpose clearer.
For Navjot, music has never been about chasing fame alone. It has always been about expression. It is about writing more truthfully, singing more skillfully, understanding himself more deeply, and becoming a kinder human being in the process. That rare clarity is what gives his journey its beauty.
Where It All Began: A Writer Before a Singer
Indian singer and songwriter Navjot Ahuja’s musical journey began in the most familiar of places: school assemblies. But even then, what was growing inside him was not only the desire to sing. It was the need to write.
Long before he saw himself as a performer, he had already discovered the emotional release that writing offered him. For Navjot, words became the first true channel for feeling. Songwriting came before singing because writing was the only way he could let emotions flow through him fully. That inner pull shaped his artistic identity early on.
Like many young musicians, he sharpened his craft by creating renditions of popular songs.
Those experiments became his training ground. But the turning point came in 2012, when he wrote his first original song. That moment did not just mark the beginning of songwriting. It marked the beginning of self-definition.
A Calling He Did Not Chase, But Accepted
What makes the latest Indian singer-songwriter Navjot’s story especially compelling is the way he describes his relationship with music. He does not frame it as a career he aggressively pursued. In his own understanding, music was not something he chose. It was something that chose him.
There was a time when he imagined a very different future for himself. He wanted to become a successful engineer, like many young people shaped by ambition and conventional expectations. But life had a different script waiting for him. During his college years, around 2021, music entered his life professionally and began taking a firmer shape.
That shift was not driven by image-building or industry ambition. It came from acceptance. Navjot embraced the fact that music had claimed him in a way no other path could. That sense of surrender continues to define the artist he is today.
An Artist Guided by Instinct, Not Influence
Unlike many singers who speak openly about idols, icons, and musical role models, Navjot’s creative world is built differently. He does not believe his music comes from imitation or inherited influence. He listens inward.
He has never considered himself shaped by ideals in the traditional sense. In fact, he admits that he does not particularly enjoy listening to songs, especially his own. His decisions as a songwriter and singer come from instinct. He writes what feels right. He trusts what his inner voice tells him. He positions his music according to what he honestly believes in, not what trends demand.
That creative independence gives his work a distinct emotional sincerity. His songs do not feel calculated. They feel alive.
The Long Years of Invisible Struggle
Every artist carries a chapter of struggle, and Navjot’s was long, demanding, and deeply formative. One of the biggest challenges he faced was building continuity as the best new indian singer songwriter in an era where musical collaboration is increasingly fluid.
For emerging singers, especially those trying to build with a band, consistency can be difficult. Instrumentalists today have more opportunities than ever to freelance and perform with multiple artists. While that growth is positive and well deserved, it can make things harder for singers who are still trying to establish a steady team and sound around their work.
For Navjot, one of the most difficult phases came during 2021 and 2022, when he was doing club shows almost every day. It was a period of relentless performance, but not always personal fulfillment. He was largely singing covers because clubs were not open to original songs that audiences did not yet know.
For a new Indian singer and songwriter, that can be a painful compromise. To perform constantly and still not have the freedom to share your own voice requires not just resilience, but restraint.
“Khat” and the Grace of Staying Unchanged
After 14 years of effort, Navjot’s new love song Khat became a defining milestone. Professionally, he acknowledges that the song changed how society viewed him as a musician. It strengthened his place in the public eye and altered his standing in meaningful ways.
Yet personally, he remains unchanged.
That is perhaps the most striking part of his story. Navjot says his routine is still the same. His calm is still the same. His writing process is still the same. He does not want success or failure to interfere with the purity of his art. For him, emotional detachment from public outcomes is essential because the moment an artist becomes too attached to validation, the writing begins to shift.
His joy comes not from numbers, but from the attempt. If he has tried to improve his skill today, if he has written his heart out more honestly than before, then he is at peace.
Growth, Not Glory, Remains the Real Goal
Even now, Navjot is not consumed by labels such as singles artist, performer, or digital success story. His focus remains deeply personal. He wants to sing better. He wants to play instruments better. He wants to understand himself more. And he wants to become a kinder person.
That is what makes Navjot Ahuja’s journey so moving. It is not simply the story of a musician finding recognition. It is the story of an artist who continues to grow inward, even as the world begins to look outward at him. In an age obsessed with applause, Navjot reminds us that the most meaningful success often begins in silence, honesty, and the courage to remain true to oneself.
