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We need a break!
We need a break, dear music companies.
From the two entities that are in insane overdrive today - Punjabi pop
and Pancham pop (as in R.D. Burman - original and remixed). And you need
to apply the brakes.
Make no mistake. Our film music is replete with regional as well as foreign
influences that have enriched our songs enormously. Take away the southern
influence of A.R. Rahman, the monumental contribution of Bengalis and
Muslims, and the colors of Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra,
and where would our film music be? Obviously, there were phases when one
or more of these flavours were at the acme of their popularity, as were
the Punjabi styles and the era of Rahul Dev Burman.
Even among Western influences, we had the eras of Eena meena deeka, Shammi
Kapoorian jazz, disco and rap (though it originated in India). All these
were rejected as soon as they went into excess supply. Last but certainly
not the least, the saccharine but monotonous and derived melodies of Nadeem-Shravan
too lost their bearings after saturation, and then Rahman and Anu Malik
appeared in 1993-4.
But in the last two years of thereabouts, there has been a literal battering
ram attack of bhangra/Punjabi pop and of R.D.Burman in non-film as well
as film music. In the case of the latter (whose compositions are good,
bad and average, even find their way or dominate remixes and even basic
albums in mutilated forms), it is of course the supreme tragedy of his
erratic career during his lifetime, when he was reviled rather than given
his due for his ingenious skills. And today, the younger generation is
unfortunately being exposed to downright vile ‘worse’ ions of
his compositions.
Equally regrettable is the fact that two of the oldest music companies
in the business are releasing a surfeit of his songs in compilations,
thereby doing an injustice to the sterling compositions of practically
every one of his illustrious contemporaries, and even seniors and juniors.
If for nothing else other than to spare RD, the remixes must also target
an increasing number of songs by other composers!
As for the Punjabi breed, the music is as confusing as the names, so much
so that if you have heard one album, you have heard ’em all. And
it’s not even as if this is a gold rush - 9 out of 10 such albums
have less substance than the proverbial house of cards, and collapse as
ignominiously! Most of the videos are obnoxious and sexist too, even if
they expose (pun intended) the album’s only catchy track. In short,
these disastrously cacophonous efforts are doing nothing but damage to
the years of hard work put in by our film composers to popularise Punjabi
music, which is essentially extremely colourful, energetic, vibrant, rugged
and - at it’s best - even more infectious than the common cold. Men
like Ghulam Haider and Khemchand and Prakash must be turning in their
graves, and O.P. Nayyar and Ravi must me seething with impotent rage.
Among the rest, we had a generous dollop of Punjabi music from Laxmikant
Pyarelal, and sizable contributions from so many composers like Sonik-Omi,
Shanker Jaikishan, Madan Mohan, Khayyam, Salil Chaudhary and even R.D.
Burman.
Sadly, the very people who should be revolting against this abuse of their
own folk, the Punjabis, are not complaining. I happen to know that several
music critics do not even bother to write reviews of such films any longer.
In this column many months ago, I had mentioned this malaise, but today
the disease has reached fulminating levels.
And to make it worse, a substantial chunk of this trash comes from NRI’s
or as imports from small UK- and USA- based Indian music companies.
Of the two overdoses, the RD one (at least in its original compilations
form) is far less objectionable. But it is a supreme irony that a colossus
like Pancham is being thrust in such excessive quantity on us when the
man himself lived his entire career in search for more variety, experimentation
and innovation. And what a tragedy that after his death, this truly-great
composer has to be actually categorised with the likes of Bhupis, Sukhbir
Manna, Kulbirs, Jassis, Sukhshinders and what-have-you-balle-balles as
someone who is beginning to generate ennui. Excess is always bad. And
it will be a great tragedy if the music consumer begins to revolt against
two major assetes to popular music - Punjabi folk and R.D. Burman’s
brilliance.
Rajiv Vijayakar