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ARTS & STYLE
>From reggae and e-music to Sufi, Hindi film music composers are working with a
>variety of genres
By Nikita Doval
The world might be saying Jai ho with great gusto to A.R. Rahman, but, back
home, it is the Emotional atyachar being wreaked by a Masakali which has the
nation in a tizzy. While the whole world has been sitting up and taking note of
the new direction in which Hindi cinema seems to be headed, in terms of content
or acting, music, the bedrock of our cinema ever since its inception, has been
steadily marching along, too. Perhaps, who knows, even humming a soulful tune
or two while at it. But now, as the international spotlight shines on one who
we have been inordinately proud of all these years, it is also time to
recognise the fact that along with our cinema, our music, too, has been turning
a corner, whether it is the influences, the lyrics or quite simply, the
playback voices.
Sure, formula still continues to rule the roost; in fact, as music director
Shantanu Moitra says, "One needs the formula for a chemical reaction." And that
is why Billu with not one, not two but three item songs is topping all the
charts followed by the wannabe angst-ridden Maahi ve from Raaz 2. "And it is
only then that Dev. D follows," sighs Amit Trivedi, the young music composer of
Dev. D. But then a couple of years ago, the soundtrack of Dev. D, as
startlingly different as the film itself is, would not have even made it to the
top three. "Well, yeah. I guess that is true," he laughs before accepting that
maybe there is a change in the offing when it comes to mainstream Hindi film
music. But mind you, he says, "the core audience of 75 per cent is still stuck
in the formula rut. It is only 20-25 per cent of moviegoers and consequently,
Hindi film music listeners, who are actually open to new sounds."
But, the journey of a thousand miles, as the ancient Chinese would have told
you, begins but with a single step and as Bollywood is infused with music
composers who come from rock backgrounds (Vishal Dadlani of Vishal-Shekhar
fame) or were already a successful pop group before venturing into playback
(Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) or are young 25-year-olds who come from literally nowhere
(Sneha Khanwalkar, music composer of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye!), the journey seems
to have well begun. And as Aristotle said, that's half the task already done.
"There is just so much happening in terms of everything in music these days,"
says ad guru and lyricist Prasoon Joshi, whose Delhi 6 with Rahman is storming
the charts. "Be it world music or reggae or rap or hip-hop or even folk music,
the influences that are reflected in compositions all around us these days are
immense and absolute. Listeners want new sounds and everyone is open to
experimenting." Thanks to the internet, DVDs and well-stocked music shops,
sounds from all corners of the world are travelling to all other corners at the
speed of light and as people discover new genres and their tastes for it, music
composers are also innovating. And this is possible now because, for the first
time, the consumer is getting influenced by international trends at the same
time as the composers. "And this makes all the difference," says Joshi.
Electronica, trance, jazz, blues, funk, it is not uncommon to have musicians
throw these terms at you with seeming casualness when discussing music. They
understand that the layman today knows about these different genres. So, if a
music composer feels that the pathos of a moment in a movie can be best summed
up by western classical music, then he will use it unhesitatingly or if a folk
ditty being sung on the rooftops of Chandni Chowk needs hip hop beats, then
bring it on (Gainda phool, Delhi 6) or if Rajasthani flavour can be best
enhanced and showcased in a very Moulin Rouge, carnivalesque setting (Baawre
from Luck By Chance), then so be it! "What we see right now is a fantastic mix
of classical and rock influences," says singer Anoushka Manchanda.
She describes the current crop of music composers as "new age" owing to the
different influences they have been exposed to and consequently bring to their
music and feels that things will just get better and the ride wilder from here.
"Some older hands feel that the melody has gone away but that is all bulls***.
What we are listening to now is a very young sound which captures the spirit of
the generation," she says. It is a sound which, while being truly
international, is also deeply rooted in our folk and tribal compositions.
"There is a tremendous affinity towards folk music," says Shantanu Moitra,
music composer for films like Parineeta, Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi and the
upcoming Three Idiots. "I feel that the sounds of Asia and, specifically, India
are much richer than that anywhere else in the world. When you use these in
your scoring, the result is all the more vibrant and rich." Even
internationally, he says, great music happens when influences
from different parts of the world come together.
Moitra finds a backer in his theory of folk influences in young Sneha
Khanwalkar, whose title track in Oye Lucky!... can be heard playing quite
often, at least in Delhi's watering holes. "The core of that [folk music] is
something that I can relate to and it is quite possible now that there be some
space where we can bring together these two influences-folk and contemporary,
Indian and international-to create magic," says Khanwalkar. Of course, the
final shape that a soundtrack takes depends on the script, and so Khanwalkar
now finds herself travelling to Kolkata to meet jazz musicians for a period
film which she is working on and the soundtrack of which "may have to cover a
lot of blues and jazz." And then there was last year's hit Mar jawaan from
Fashion, the format of which according to Suleiman (Salim-Suleiman duo composed
the music for both Fashion and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi) is "like a thumri". Of
course, changes had to be made but essentially, Sufi,
Arabic and classical are some of the major influences that we are looking at."
While it is important to let your music influence come from all parts of the
world, one should also try and stay one step ahead, feels Vishal Dadlani. "We
were the ones who brought in hip hop with Bluffmaster and once it caught on, we
took a conscious decision not to have any more of that in our compositions."
Now, it is e-music for them which, he says, "is very valuable as a new idea".
But at the same time, Dadlani also says that the older generation of composers,
too, had their influences and that is why we still like to groove to their
creations. "The advantage we have today lies in technology. Things are a little
more detailed." So, today when a composer sets a tune, he realises that it is
not just any ordinary stereo it will be blaring out of but speakers which
enable the listener to dissect every note. "With technology, it is becoming
very easy to create music but the real test lies in the longevity of your
creations," says Blaaze, who often does
playback singing for A.R. Rahman. "Influences are seeping in even in terms of
arrangements," says Joshi, adding that in all the three projects that he and
Rahman have worked on (Rang De Basanti, Ghajini and Delhi 6) "we have tried to
create new sounds".
And more than propping up these 'new sounds' are the other aspects of
music-lyrics and singing prowess. If Joshi has people coming up to him and
quoting lines penned by him verbatim before saying that he has brought back
poetry to film music, then Piyush Mishra, actor, lyricist and now music
composer for Anurag Kashyap's Gulaal, talks about the need to bridge classicism
and populist appeal. "Lyrics," he says, "have no tested formula, bas kaan mein
lag jaana chahiye. It has to appeal to the listener both phonetically and
aesthetically," he says, citing Delhi 6's Masakali song as an example. "What is
Masakali? No one knows, but it hooks you from the first time you hear it and
voila! you have a hit."
And then there is the added magic of the voice which brings the song to life.
Gone are the days when only a handful of singers dominated the playback singing
scenario. Different voices, each with a unique texture and suited for different
moods is the name of the game now. "With new kind of stories coming in, songs
are no longer just fillers, they are actually tools for taking the story
forward and for each mood you need a different voice," says Moitra. Changing
social equations also find themselves making an impact. It is no longer
necessary for the female voice to sound vulnerable and hence, cloying sweetness
which has come to define most of our female playback singers over the decades,
is now slowly on its way out. "I never thought I would end up being a playback
singer," says Manchanda, who has no problems with being labelled a "fun
singer". "With every composer trying to push the envelope and giving a platform
to new voices, it is a very exciting
time to be here. Within your genre, you get to do so many different things."
No matter how much vilified reality shows are, Blaaze feels they bring
promising voices to the notice of music composers. A case in point being Naresh
Iyer, the voice behind Roobaroo in Rang De Basanti, who was discovered by
Rahman in a talent hunt. "It is all about whichever voice is exciting and fits
the format," says Khanwalkar, who, for her folk ditties in Oye Lucky!...
sourced singers from Punjab and Haryana. This "maatha-peechi", as Mishra puts
it, of actually taking pains to source singers whose voice suits the bill is
something that Rahman does. "He digs deep for those gems. No wonder his songs
are not just songs but masterpieces," he adds.
But while it is all good to talk about influences and changes, the formula as
mentioned earlier still rules the roost. So, in such a situation, how tough
does it become for music composers to try the limit in a mainstream set-up?
Most tell you that the soundtrack actually depends on the script and within the
broad boundaries laid down by it. They are free to go wild but some agree that
it is easier to be wild with a smaller film.
"Yes, it is easier," says Moitra, while Suleiman feels that whatever
limitations or constraints are there, it is due to the script. "All our
soundtracks have a distinct identity because we tweak it according to the
script and the director's vision. So, the music for Dostana was light-hearted
while Tashan was edgy," adds Vishal. And smaller films which are looking at
telling you realistic tales, whether gritty or light, therefore have music
which complements the tale.
"The films are small but the emotions are real. It involves the viewer since
these are stories of the common man and the music is like our lives today,
familiar yet contemporary, experimental but engaging," says Khanwalkar. The
songs are also utilised in a manner which is hat ke, sometimes as a narrative
tool, sometimes to bring out the character's past or sometimes just to capture
emotions the camera cannot. "The camera can capture your eyes but the pain in
them can only be enhanced by a soft track," says Moitra. And the listener can
only ask for an encore!
