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.

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