Former VJ and actor-director-musician Luke Kenny tells us that as long as he is in control of the creative process, he is perfectly happy — no matter which medium he is working in
Former VJ and actor-director-musician Luke Kenny tells us that as long as he is in control of the creative process, he is perfectly happy — no matter which medium he is working in
For kids of the ’90s, growing up and becoming a VJ was probably one of the most happening things to aspire to. And of all the VJs who ruled the small screen, Luke Kenny was the most worshipped of them all. Some of it had to do with his chiselled face and quick wit and the rest was the music he was associated with. After VJing, Luke proved he was a master of all trades, with his stints in music, producing shows and acting in films like Bombay Boys, Rock On!
The sequel to the latter is now in the works, and we asked Luke what he knows about the script. “The movie picks up eight years later and talks about new musicians,” he tells us.
Luke has excelled at playing the musician — and why shouldn’t he After all, he has been around for a while on the independent music scene and has seen its changes from within. “The scene has definitely changed, and for the better. There is much more freedom and new avenues now. More youngsters are choosing music as their career, and there are 10 times more music schools in the country today,” Luke says.
Luke takes his role of encouraging young musicians very seriously, of which he tells us, “I keeping going to college music festivals and other music festivals and never miss an opportunity to listen to new musicians. They need a lot of encouragement to want to seriously pursue music and not just as a hobby.”
He adds, “Whenever I go out to perform, I try to include new and young musicians in my band all the time. I do not have a permanent set of musicians in my band. Whenever I am recording or composing, I collaborate with upcoming musicians who generally do not get an opportunity.”
Music wasn’t the only thing on Luke’s mind in recent times. He had directed his film Rise of the Zombie, something he always had “at the back of (his) mind”. “The zombie idea came from wanting to do something that was never tried before in the industry. The closest India came to zombies were the Ramsey Brothers’ films,” Luke points out.
So is it direction or music that he finds comfort in “I have always enjoyed a certain kind of control of creativity in my hands,” says Luke. “As long as I am in control of the creative process, I am happy and comfortable whatever it is.”
