Legendary Mahendra Kapoor’s grandson Sidhant ( Ruhan) Kapoor‘s international album ‘Gateway To India’ gets phenomenal responses from music-lovers ! by Chaitanya Padukone

Both eminent debonair actor-singer Ruhan Kapoor  (who is my good friend for past over 30 years ) and his talented smart singer-composer son Sidhant Kapoor have been passionately carrying on their legendary singer-father Mahendra Kapoor’s illustrious legacy, not just in India but even at international levels. This year (2024) it happens to be the 90th birth anniversary of ‘late’ iconic singer Mahendra Kapoor-jee, who known for his soft-spoken, modest friendly nature and of course for his iconic evergreen patriotic songs Especially from  Manoj Kumar-directed films ‘Upkaar’ and ‘Purab Aur Paschim’ and hundreds of haunting romantic solo and duet songs and even devotional songs.

The ‘third generation’ rock-star Sidhant is part of yet another prestigious international project, where he collaborated with legendary Hollywood composer and orchestrator John Ashton Thomas on an album ‘Gateway to India’.

The legendary John Ashton Thomas’  super-impressive career spans over 160 major Hollywood films, including award-winning scores for films like Black Panther, Captain Marvel, and How to Train Your Dragon 3.

It is so delightful to watch Sidhant take his acclaimed grandfather’s musical legacy ahead and represent India globally through his music. Sidhant’s music had recently featured in the popular OTT series ‘Ms.Marvel’, britain’s longest-running soap opera ‘Coronation Street’ and award-winning OTT series ‘The Good Place’. His music was also featured in Oscar-nominated director Iciar Bollain’s Spanish film.

Despite the long distance of over 4,400 miles and the challenges posed by pandemic Covid-19, Sidhant and John persevered, utilizing latest technology to overcome obstacles. Through numerous video conferences and a shared passion-dedication, they crafted and created six distinct fusion tracks with global appeal.

Tragically, during their creative partnership, John Ashton Thomas suddenly expired,  leaving behind an enduring legacy. Undeterred, Sidhant continued, ensuring that Thomas's final compositions were brought to fruition. Recording at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London and Yashraj Studios in Mumbai with a full acoustic orchestra, Sidhant honored John’s memory. The resulting international album, titled ‘Gateway to India,’ showcases a fusion of Indian music on a grand scale, seamlessly blending traditional Indian instruments with the richness of a Western orchestra.

 Andrew Sunnucks, the visionary behind Audionetwork, dedicated himself wholeheartedly to the project. He assembled top musicians and a formidable team to ensure the album's excellence. British Emmy award-winning Gavin Greenaway conducted the orchestra with finesse, while Grammy-winning sound engineer Ren Swan added the final touches.

Sidhant's endevour not only advances the prominence of Indian music on the global arena but also immortalises the last creations of a Hollywood musical genius-legend.

An emotional  Sidhant Kapoor says, “ This project is extremely close to my heart. Collaborating on ‘Gateway to India’ with the iconic composer John Ashton Thomas has been an unparalleled honour! We composed 6 tracks together for this album after which we unfortunately lost John! I am so glad that we went on to record these last compositions of his in the best way possible! I am humbled to see the encouraging response of music lovers from across the globe.”

Actor-singer Ruhan Kapoor says with filial (parental) pride, “ Am so thrilled about the outstanding success of my composer son Sidhant's album "Gateway to India"! His talent, dedication, blessings of his grandfather & the almighty together helped him achieve this extraordinary feat. I sincerely hope that he will continue to reach new heights and achieve even greater success in his musical career moving forward”.

Did You Know? : :The popular evergreen duet-song ‘ Aadha Hai Chandrama, Raat Aadhi’ from  V. Shantaram’s  musical super-hit movie ‘Navrang’ (1959) ‘ was among the  initial playback debut songs recorded by Mahendra Kapoor-jee, for  genius composer  C.Ramchandra

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