Hope is a beautiful thing. It tells you to expect the unexpected, to believe the implausible, to fly even when your feet are stuck in the dark mud of the pestilential agony and loss of worth. It is indeed one of the languages in which Gods at some end of this Universe speak to us in his sincere, grey and comforting tone.
To be agitated is a state which we all have so become habituated to. We believe that resilience will slowly spread its silken wings and descend on our parched souls, long lost in fits of despondency and contemplative and meticulously crafted pity.
I was spoken to today in many ways which are not only the most unusual but least expected. As fate and destiny are the instruments in the hand of invisible omnipresence, I won't delve on them much. I won't speak of instances which made my faith stronger and resolve impermeable. I won't saunter into the grey zone of my belief and phases of agnosticism. I won't speak of the tones in which I was comforted and assured. That all is kind of personal. Maybe all that I said here can be justified in the undermentioned lines from the Scraps of Bob Dylan. And then I shall get to writing what is meant to be written. A note of thanks and a heart of gratefulness.
The quote goes thus:-
"DESTINY is a feeling you have that you know something about yourself nobody else does. The picture you have in your own mind of what you're about WILL COME TRUE. It's a kind of a thing you kind of have to keep to your own self, because it's a fragile feeling, and you put it out there, then someone will kill it. It's best to keep that all inside."
So keeping inside what is supposed to lighten (Both in terms of pressure and transitive verb), and thanking God for his support and bringing to us what we need most at a particular stage, I shall speak of a phone conversation that not only uplifted me from the nooks of some creepy alley but also fed me with a music (hard rock) that was both deafening and enamouring at the same point.
It was 12:15 on a mountain town. Sitting aimlessly and hyperventilating over How I fared in a task I undertook and whether success is elusive, I had a strong urge to speak to my friend.
We spoke for two and a half hours rambling on stuff we both desire, seek and hope for. We spoke of tales of success, the persevarance and patience it demands, the need for focus and determination, the resolve of not being bent by the tsunamis of failure and non-activity.
We argued, we fought, we debated (even over our debating skills and who is better). We spoke in rowdy tones of uncouth hoodwinks, in tones of a sadness and depressions and in guffaws of laughter smirked across with innumerable smiles.
We spoke of how one year is less valuable than a life of frustration, how even 5 years is worth the wait for where we want to see ourselves and how the Universe shall be bent to fulfill our destined destinites. We were Alchemists conjuring every rare potion that could soothen our burns. We were optimists, we were victors, we were even the vanquished and the defeated.
In mid of this I remember one of the lines I read in Archies Comics. " What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to What lies within us".
Thus even in our frantic searches for answers, we could relate to the possibility of a perfect plate life is bound to serve as and when the time arrives and the destiny's bell is struck. I told you, we were optimists.
There is no good way to close something which has had such a deep and profound impact on you in such a short span. Maybe at times we know what is right and what is to be done. Maybe we have our paths charted out. But all that is required is a sense of reassurance to resurrect us from our own ashes. I found that flight in more than one ways yesterday and speaking strictly for this phone conversation, all I would like to say is:-
P.S My friend Ashwin Issac had a complaint that i am not being emotional on blog.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
Hindi film music is changing
With bold numbers like “The mutton song”, “Karma is a bitch” and now “Bhaag D K Bose”, Bollywood music has turned a new leaf. The popularity of the numbers, replete with punchy, unconventional and slang-laden lyrics laced with pacy tunes, has elbowed out sugary romantic numbers from youngsters’ playlists.
“Songs signify what we like. The youthful feel of the songs makes them a hit amongst adolescents. Basically who makes a song a hit? It’s us, our generation, so it’s right that now musicians are making songs keeping us in mind
“Songs like ‘D K Bose’ and ‘Karma is a bitch’ gained immediate popularity because they are fast, energetic and, on the whole, fun,”
A large population of India comprises of youth, With the growing number of young people, it’s natural to cater to that section and non-film music styles too have seeped into Bollywood music.”
Bollywood, expected to be a $2.03 billion industry according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, is inseparable from music.
In terms of business, songs contribute as much as 15 per cent of a film’s earnings. So filmmakers and musicians are focusing on contemporary tunes and lyrics to attract the attention of youth, who constitute about 30 per cent of the population.
The changing themes of Hindi films demanded a new kind of music to captivate the younger crowds.
Cinema is also changing. We don’t have the kind of cinema anymore where a girl is yearning for a boy. The whole system of filmmaking is changing. As the language and the fabric of films are changing, it is obvious that the music will change.
Be it cutting-edge music of forthcoming film Shaitan or the rock-infested soundtrack of Luv Ka The End, young and hip compositions are given priority.
Not only that, now more than one composer works on a single album to add that extra factor. Sometimes filmmakers even collaborate with non-film music bands. For instance, Indian Ocean composed for Black Friday and Peepli Live, Kailasa gave music for Dasvidaniya and Bhayanak Maut composed a song for Shaitan.
And rock happens to be one of the favourite genres used by composers. Composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Amit Trivedi, Vishal-Shekhar, pretty much everybody is contributing to the trend of new sounds now. It also helps to bring in new talent as singers, composers and lyricists. Also, rock as a genre is being incorporated a lot lately. For the past few years, songs with rock influences have been doing very well because our audiences are growing to like that type of music.
Be it qawaali, Sufi or a romantic track, rock elements are used everywhere. “Pichle saat dino mein” from Rock On!, “Baangur” from I Am, “O mama” from 7 Khoon Maaf, "Luv Ka the End' from Luv Ka the End, “Jiyein kyun” from Dum Maaro Dum and “Aitbaar” from No one Killed Jessica are rock-based songs that became chartbusters.
So there is enough space for experimental music.
Today what is interesting is that you can have regular Bollywood music in a film and there is room for non-regular music. Also, at the end of the day it’s the film that dictates the music that will be used. This trend might continue for an year or two. Would love to see what happens next. An edited version of this article was published in FWD Magazine. Link :
“Songs signify what we like. The youthful feel of the songs makes them a hit amongst adolescents. Basically who makes a song a hit? It’s us, our generation, so it’s right that now musicians are making songs keeping us in mind
“Songs like ‘D K Bose’ and ‘Karma is a bitch’ gained immediate popularity because they are fast, energetic and, on the whole, fun,”
A large population of India comprises of youth, With the growing number of young people, it’s natural to cater to that section and non-film music styles too have seeped into Bollywood music.”
Bollywood, expected to be a $2.03 billion industry according to a PricewaterhouseCoopers report, is inseparable from music.
In terms of business, songs contribute as much as 15 per cent of a film’s earnings. So filmmakers and musicians are focusing on contemporary tunes and lyrics to attract the attention of youth, who constitute about 30 per cent of the population.
The changing themes of Hindi films demanded a new kind of music to captivate the younger crowds.
Cinema is also changing. We don’t have the kind of cinema anymore where a girl is yearning for a boy. The whole system of filmmaking is changing. As the language and the fabric of films are changing, it is obvious that the music will change.
Be it cutting-edge music of forthcoming film Shaitan or the rock-infested soundtrack of Luv Ka The End, young and hip compositions are given priority.
Not only that, now more than one composer works on a single album to add that extra factor. Sometimes filmmakers even collaborate with non-film music bands. For instance, Indian Ocean composed for Black Friday and Peepli Live, Kailasa gave music for Dasvidaniya and Bhayanak Maut composed a song for Shaitan.
And rock happens to be one of the favourite genres used by composers. Composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Amit Trivedi, Vishal-Shekhar, pretty much everybody is contributing to the trend of new sounds now. It also helps to bring in new talent as singers, composers and lyricists. Also, rock as a genre is being incorporated a lot lately. For the past few years, songs with rock influences have been doing very well because our audiences are growing to like that type of music.
Be it qawaali, Sufi or a romantic track, rock elements are used everywhere. “Pichle saat dino mein” from Rock On!, “Baangur” from I Am, “O mama” from 7 Khoon Maaf, "Luv Ka the End' from Luv Ka the End, “Jiyein kyun” from Dum Maaro Dum and “Aitbaar” from No one Killed Jessica are rock-based songs that became chartbusters.
So there is enough space for experimental music.
Today what is interesting is that you can have regular Bollywood music in a film and there is room for non-regular music. Also, at the end of the day it’s the film that dictates the music that will be used. This trend might continue for an year or two. Would love to see what happens next. An edited version of this article was published in FWD Magazine. Link :
Monday, June 6, 2011
Radio should teach the DK Boses a lesson!
Radio is a medium with the smallest of margins -- for profit, and for allowing error. It is a medium in which the bandwagon rules. So when a radio network decides to pull off one of the most 'popular' songs from its entire network's airwaves, that takes some doing!
A radio network I won't name had actually decided to ban the crude and vulgar song from Delhi Belly, 'Bhaag D K Bose D K Bose D K Bose, Aandhi Aai' from its entire network, for once cocking a snook at the 'jo chlata hai wo bikta hai' (what is popular, sells) thought that seems to generally drive most programming decisions across all media networks.
Apparently, a miffed co-producer of Delhi Belly is said to have approached the very top of the pyramid in the multiple-media entity that owns the said Radio network too, and made his displeasure known in a, well, meticulous manner.
Result? Whether or not the crap that Delhi Belly has spewed in the name of lyrics will be aired on that particular Radio Network, remains to be seen. But I believe the song should actually be banned across all Radio networks. After all, the songs are crude and profane, and what about the broadcasting code they violate? I rather liked what someone in 'the said Radio Network' told me: "I can't stomach such crude and profane lyrics even though the one who's inflicting them on the public tries to explain them away as being cheeky or edgy."
The person also told me: "The song may be creative -- only to the extent that it cleverly dodges having to literally spell out the profanity by inserting a proper noun for a gaali in the form of 'Bose DK', but we know what it means, and it is galling that such vulgar profanity is passing muster under the guise of cleverness, style, edginess or whatever other fashionable excuse." Point completely taken. And yes, everyone is entitled to their point of view, and I'm sure a respected actor, producer and thinker like Aamir Khan must have his reasons for not seeing it the way the radio station and most people I have spoken to about it did. But something like DK Bose DK Bose DK' is just not acceptable, not in the public -- and broadcast -- domain, however much in private parlance it might be. From the fourth annual bash of Sony Entertainment Television way back in 1999, I am reminded of the mix of a double take of consternation and drunken delight a technically utterly harmless phrase 'Teri Maa Ki Choodiyaan' achieved because of a clever pause in his rendition of its last word, Choodiyaan, by the then head of Sales and Marketing, who himself was pleasantly inebriated. But hey, that was again in a private and not broadcast space. I just hope no clever, edgy, cheeky creative con artist borrows the phrase for another crappy song. One also wonders how the Dada Kondke title, Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haath Mein, with a title song to boot, escape censure decades ago?
But I digress. Radio is an extremely powerful medium today -- far more powerful than television specifically in terms of bang for the wafer-thin bucks a Bollywood film producer has to spend for massive pre-film publicity through song playouts across Radio networks. That's why the biggest music label has agreements with radio networks insisting upon minimum repeats per patterns across day parts. I defy any Bollywood feature film producer to achieve the same amount of pre-release recall for his film without Radio without spending a fortune to buy alternative ATL effectiveness on another medium. Which brings me to my point. Since all Radio networks must necessarily uphold the spirit of the broadcasting code's guidelines, and since this song is unarguably profane, Radio should use the Delhi Belly song as a rallying ground to test both, its collective muscle and its commitment to society. Ban the song and take it out. Then, as the film's baseline puts it, S#!T will really HAPPEN!
And if the Munnis and Sheelas could get into a twist over the two songs, would all the D K Boses of the world sue the gentlemen who created the Bhaag D K Bose song for mental agony or whatever?
The good thing the radio network I began this note with did, was to ban the Delhi Belly songs suo moto. Wonder when the regulatory authorities will wake up to enforce the code.
One has -- haven't we all? -- loved and followed Hindi film music for as long as I can remember. I remember some particuarly tasteless, vulgar songs with double entendre, but this Delhi Belly song sits right atop the result of a Delhi belly.
Bhag DK Bose DK Bhag DK Bose Aandhi Aai represents the nadir of lyric writing in Hindi films. Delhi Belly has literally spewed crap. From the gems of the Sahirs, Kaifi Azmis, Jaan Nisar Akhtars and Kavi Neerajs of the world, this is what Hindi film poetry has sunk too.
Karvaan Guzar Gaya, Gubaar Dekhte Rahe...!
PS: With all respect to my brother Ram Sampath (Music Director) and my sister Sona Mohapatra (Executive Producer), this could have been avoided.
A radio network I won't name had actually decided to ban the crude and vulgar song from Delhi Belly, 'Bhaag D K Bose D K Bose D K Bose, Aandhi Aai' from its entire network, for once cocking a snook at the 'jo chlata hai wo bikta hai' (what is popular, sells) thought that seems to generally drive most programming decisions across all media networks.
Apparently, a miffed co-producer of Delhi Belly is said to have approached the very top of the pyramid in the multiple-media entity that owns the said Radio network too, and made his displeasure known in a, well, meticulous manner.
Result? Whether or not the crap that Delhi Belly has spewed in the name of lyrics will be aired on that particular Radio Network, remains to be seen. But I believe the song should actually be banned across all Radio networks. After all, the songs are crude and profane, and what about the broadcasting code they violate? I rather liked what someone in 'the said Radio Network' told me: "I can't stomach such crude and profane lyrics even though the one who's inflicting them on the public tries to explain them away as being cheeky or edgy."
The person also told me: "The song may be creative -- only to the extent that it cleverly dodges having to literally spell out the profanity by inserting a proper noun for a gaali in the form of 'Bose DK', but we know what it means, and it is galling that such vulgar profanity is passing muster under the guise of cleverness, style, edginess or whatever other fashionable excuse." Point completely taken. And yes, everyone is entitled to their point of view, and I'm sure a respected actor, producer and thinker like Aamir Khan must have his reasons for not seeing it the way the radio station and most people I have spoken to about it did. But something like DK Bose DK Bose DK' is just not acceptable, not in the public -- and broadcast -- domain, however much in private parlance it might be. From the fourth annual bash of Sony Entertainment Television way back in 1999, I am reminded of the mix of a double take of consternation and drunken delight a technically utterly harmless phrase 'Teri Maa Ki Choodiyaan' achieved because of a clever pause in his rendition of its last word, Choodiyaan, by the then head of Sales and Marketing, who himself was pleasantly inebriated. But hey, that was again in a private and not broadcast space. I just hope no clever, edgy, cheeky creative con artist borrows the phrase for another crappy song. One also wonders how the Dada Kondke title, Andheri Raat Mein Diya Tere Haath Mein, with a title song to boot, escape censure decades ago?
But I digress. Radio is an extremely powerful medium today -- far more powerful than television specifically in terms of bang for the wafer-thin bucks a Bollywood film producer has to spend for massive pre-film publicity through song playouts across Radio networks. That's why the biggest music label has agreements with radio networks insisting upon minimum repeats per patterns across day parts. I defy any Bollywood feature film producer to achieve the same amount of pre-release recall for his film without Radio without spending a fortune to buy alternative ATL effectiveness on another medium. Which brings me to my point. Since all Radio networks must necessarily uphold the spirit of the broadcasting code's guidelines, and since this song is unarguably profane, Radio should use the Delhi Belly song as a rallying ground to test both, its collective muscle and its commitment to society. Ban the song and take it out. Then, as the film's baseline puts it, S#!T will really HAPPEN!
And if the Munnis and Sheelas could get into a twist over the two songs, would all the D K Boses of the world sue the gentlemen who created the Bhaag D K Bose song for mental agony or whatever?
The good thing the radio network I began this note with did, was to ban the Delhi Belly songs suo moto. Wonder when the regulatory authorities will wake up to enforce the code.
One has -- haven't we all? -- loved and followed Hindi film music for as long as I can remember. I remember some particuarly tasteless, vulgar songs with double entendre, but this Delhi Belly song sits right atop the result of a Delhi belly.
Bhag DK Bose DK Bhag DK Bose Aandhi Aai represents the nadir of lyric writing in Hindi films. Delhi Belly has literally spewed crap. From the gems of the Sahirs, Kaifi Azmis, Jaan Nisar Akhtars and Kavi Neerajs of the world, this is what Hindi film poetry has sunk too.
Karvaan Guzar Gaya, Gubaar Dekhte Rahe...!
PS: With all respect to my brother Ram Sampath (Music Director) and my sister Sona Mohapatra (Executive Producer), this could have been avoided.
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