Ambarish was born in the village of Malavalli, Mandya a small town in Karnataka.His grandfather was the famous violinist T. Choudayya {the famous Choudayya memorial hall and Choudayya Rd.in Bangalore are named after him.}. He was the 6th of 7 children and the youngest among the brothers. Born as Amarnath he was the apple of his mother's eye and consequently spoilt to death! His father, Mysore Huche Gowda, was a gentle , soft-spoken and generous man in whose eyes his kids could do no wrong! Ambrish's childhood was very much under his famous, musician , and maternal grandfather's shadow. Theirs was a large joint family in Mysore and that’s where he started his formal studies.