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Young music composer Ankit Gupta , popularly known as Ankiie, opened up about his musical journey, influences, and work on Welcome To The Jungle . Recalling how he entered the world of music, Ankit said, "It was a family friend who introduced me to a recording studio and encouraged me to start learning recording and music production. I started my professional journey in music when I was just 17 years old in Punjab. I worked as a guitarist and co-composer for several music producers. Gradually, opportunities kept coming my way."

Talking about his training, he added, "I learned guitar, underwent vocal training, and studied keyboards and piano. At that time, there were no proper schools for music production in Punjab, so most of my learning came through self-study, experimentation, and constant practice. I genuinely believe that learning music is extremely important because it gives you conceptual clarity and improves your ability to compose."

Sharing his musical influences, Ankit said, "Initially, my biggest influence was Punjabi regional music. Honey Singh was at the peak of his popularity. Later, I explored Bollywood music and eventually started understanding English music. Listening to Michael Jackson's cassettes and tapes broadened my musical perspective and helped me develop my vocals."

Ankit, who has worked with several music producers in Punjab, gradually expanded his work into the Hindi film industry. One of his biggest projects has been Welcome To The Jungle.

Speaking about the opportunity, he said, "One of my biggest milestones has been composing and producing music for Welcome To The Jungle, where I blended Afrobeats and Tribal House music with Bollywood influences. The project happened because Anand Raj Anand and Firoz Nadiadwala discovered my music and felt the film required a completely different sound."

He added, "Ahmed Khan and Akshay Kumar also supported my work and appreciated the direction I took." Asked about the challenges of working on a franchise known for its popular music, Ankit said, "The biggest challenge was creating something fresh and different while ensuring that the music still had strong emotional and entertainment value. Today's audience has access to endless content and tends to judge songs within the first few seconds, making it difficult to create music that has a lasting impact."