New-age music composer Manan Bhardwaj, who is credited with creating the soundtrack of the upcoming Prabhas-starrer "Radhe Shyam" along with Mithoon, has made his mark in the music industry in a short while. His resume as a composer includes hits such as Armaan Malik's "Veham", Sachet Tandon's "Kandhe ka woh til", and Jubin Nautiyal and Tulsi Kumar's "Pehle pyar ka pehla gham".

However, Manan says there was a phase of struggle that he can never forget. The musician, who is from Haryana, lost his father as a teenager and was soon found himself directionless in terms of a career.

"I lost my father when I was 17, I lost him at the very initial stage of learning music. He was completely aware of my dream and was supporting me. I was used to that. Suddenly, I was left with just a dream and no support system. To top that, I was the only male member in my family and that meant responsibility," he told IANS.

However, his family supported him. "My family supported my dream and I took the charge. I was short of money and applied for loans for my studies in Mumbai, where I persuaded audio engineering. I got rejected many times but finally my loan got approved and I came to Mumbai," he recalls.

"In Mumbai, everything was different. I stayed in a room for a week which was so small that I literally had no space to move my legs or arms. I did my work with honesty and passion, and, importantly, I was patient," he says.

Ask him if it was tough for him to make the transition from independent music to Bollywood, he says: "Talking about tough, if you call doing hard work tough then, for sure, it would look tough. But if you consider hard work part of your life then it's easy for everyone. If you are good at your work and if you are giving 100 per cent to what you are doing, then it's really easy. You just have to do your work with passion, dedication and honesty."

However, working on your own music and working in Bollywood is different, says Manan.

"When you work solo, you will go where your thoughts are taking you and you will do something in your comfort zone. When you work for others, especially for the best in the field, you have different and new edges to touch, it's a whole new story. It's all new. I am working in a new space right now and am enjoying this new side of my life completely," he says.