Write & Wrong

MUSIC1

Write & Wrong

He’s done 4000 songs, over ninety percent of which have come in the last decade alone. He has stayed the course defying predictions by detractors and confounding critics of his rhymes. And the latter often includes yours truly. It’s an interesting situation. I am critical of Sameer, the cursory rhymester, but I am not one of his detractors. In fact, it has been my lot, more than once, to argue with those who dismiss him and predict his downfall by forecasting just the reverse.

I have always maintained and will continue to do so that Sameer is the ONLY lyricist of his later generations who is (a) versatile (b) prolific and can (c) shoulder a complete film. Ergo, he’s the only guy who will endure, and as is becoming obvious nowadays, even outlast Javed Akhtar. At a personal level, we share an informal rapport that goes beyond mundane things like professional praise and criticism. He is doing his job, I am doing mine, and if I respect that, I think he too respects me.

He is immensely humble, down-to-earth, accessible and warm, an opinion shared by virtually every one of his associate composers, singers and directors. And let’s face it - that’s a major reason for his long innings too. So, instead of being with him, it seems to have become a general opinion with the public that I take every opportunity to run him down. Let me set the record straight then - I have tremendous regard for Sameer the man, and Sameer the lyricist, the way I have for Anu Malik as a composer and the way I had for Bappi Lahiri (when he was at his peak and I wasn’t writing on films). So that must be understood when I criticise the fact that he chooses, like Bappi did and Anu often does, to do work at a level far beneath his capacity.

What Sameer is capable of can be assessed from the songs he has written when given the chance - songs like those from Hey! Ram, for example. Kamal Haasan has never worked with Sameer in his brief affair with Hindi films, not even in his dubbed films. So it was pure instinct that led him to entrust Sameer with the lyrics of such a meaty subject, especially after offering a comedy like Chachi 420 to the supposedly more poetic Gulzar. I remember meeting Sameer for an interview shortly after he was signed by the Southern actor. With an intensity rare for such an easy-going, hassle-free man, Sameer told me, "Bhaiyya, yehi mouqa hain mere liye!"

Yes, ardent fans of Sameer’s trivial rozi-roti rhymes might be interested to know that the son of Anjaan well understands that he is not doing great work, though his die-hard fans may think otherwise. Those for whom he can do no wrong rave over the lyrics of his film with RK, Aa Ab Laut Chalen, easily the musically worst film ever to come out of the RK stable. When he was signed for the banner that had worked with giants like Hasrat, Shailendra, Majrooh and Anand Bakshi, and poets like Prem Dhawan, Neeraj, Nida Fazli and Pt. Narendra Sharma, Sameer was ecstatic. As the songs were being recorded, he raved to me about the challenges offered by some really unique situations devised by the script and director. He said that he would grab the chance to prove his worth.

But Sameer is a realist to a fault. After AALC, he admitted that though he did not realise it then, the music had gone totally wrong. He even enumerated the conceivable reasons for this analytically and logically though alas they cannot be put on record. In short, he knew that he had missed a chance for reasons that were not his fault. And I must say I agree cent-per-cent with his off-the-record opinions.

Rightfully, Sameer is critical of the generally prevalent attitude of hyping certain names and running down far greater talents. He is being practical and bitingly realistic when he points out that no one points fingers at the vast amount of the trash in the so-called golden period, and asks for the same kind of time to elaspe before passing the final judgement on newer songs. He is beig candidly scientific when he assures you that there will come a day when his lyrics and Rahman’s music will be considered hopelessly dated and antique by the youngsters of those times.

In these undeniable home truths, I am wholly with Sameer. Where we part ways in our thinking is that I don’t agree one bit with his contention that he cannot write great lyrics in the current scenario and for the type of films being made. This is where we travel on different roads of thought. Because while Sameer waits for a Hey! Ram and writes trivia under that excuse routinely, I feel that a genuine talent like him can do better even in his routine films.

Look at the work he did for Tanuja Chandra’s ultra-violent Sangharsh - Naraaz savera hai, Dil ka qaraar, Manzil na ho and Mujhe raat din - were written for absolutely cliched done-to-death situations. And I rang him up on his cellphone to congratulate him on them. Our greatest lyricists all did their greatest work - again and again and again - in those same stereotyped eight to ten genres and situations.

There are thousands of examples -literally - to prove this contention. But in the case of Sameer, this happens sporadically - a Mausam ki tarah (Jaanwar) here, a Nazar ke saamne (Aashiqui) there, and a Yeh raat khushnaseeb hai (Aaina) in-between. My contention is that Sameer, as the only genuinely-talented song writer of the present generation, as one who understands the art, craft, metre and phonetics of song-writing like no one else of his generation, should exercise his skills more and - without seeking or giving excuses - write songs he will be remembered by even in the light, fluffy environs of the new decade.

All I would like to add, Sameer-bhai, is that since you have the best films today, and the topmost composer of the day always want you, you must grab the chance every time. With his father’s genes in him and the inspiration of his all-time great idols Majrooh and Anand Bakshi, Sameer must be able to henceforth satisfy his creative potential as well and come to realise the difference between ‘write’ and ‘wrong.’ And that’s when he will have come to have genuine admirers and honest critics, rather than those who flatter or batter him without any sound basis. Good luck, Sameer-bhai.