For Your Years Only

Lata Mangeshkar recently complained that the young music directors of today are scared of her. I think that this, to a large extent, explains the lack of memorable songs from the Melody Queen in recent times. Going by the fact that no composer of today has accused her of throwing her weight about when doing their song, there does not seem to be any justification on the music directors’ part to be terrified of her - at the cost of their music.

Today’s music director is more of an insecure businessman than a creative person who is supremely confident of his talent. He is so used to being servile to the producer, the director, the music company and even the hero, that he forgets that he is basically there to provide specialised skills - songs - which add to the market and repeat value of the film. He does not ingrain into his psyche the simple truth that the biggest singers - whether it is Lata Mangeshkar or Alka Yagnik or Kumar Sanu - or Rafi, Kishore and KL Saigal in the days gone by - would not be anywhere without the SONGS which they got to sing, because so many composers created them - along with lyricists, their arrangers and even the recording engineers. In short, he does not realise his own vital importance to the commercial and aesthetic value of the film. The result: he agrees to ‘adapt’ tunes he is told to; agrees to or is silent when other music directors are brought into his film; is willing to change singers even after the song is recorded; and even convert solos into duets!

And such a person therefore, is going to be naturally be petrified of even suggesting to a titan like Lata (or any of the seniors like Asha Bhosle and even lyricists Majrooh and Anand Bakshi) that he is not getting quite what he wants from them!

In all fairness, all that the seniors want to day is some respect shown to their age, and seniority. Any senior, and those four active colossi in particular, have endured for four decades and more, only because of their work ethic. Music directors like Aadesh Srivastav, Vishal and Jatin-Lalit rave about Lata’s dedication even today. Composer Ismail Darbar is still under the spell of Anand Bakshi after just one sitting together, but confeses that he is self-confessedly scared of approaching Majrooh, though he is dying to work with him.

Retorts Majrooh, “Main kya inn logon ko kaat khaaonga? (Will I chew them up?)” He points out what should be crystal clear in the first place - that with their extraordinarily long innings in the industry, the vast majority of their associates have been younger to them. We talk about how Pancham extracted the best from Kishore and Asha, and LP from Lata, but why don’t we realise that these music directors were years younger to these singers?

And they GOT WHAT THEY WANTED from them because, while they were supremely confident of their own work and merit, and aware that they were getting the best singers who would further elevate their compositions, they were not IN AWE or FEAR of these giants. Today, despite the finest debut score in decades and the most accomplished music of the year, Ismail Darbar also isn’t keen on working with Lata and Asha because he is apprehensive about being able to correct them if what they are rehearsing isn’t coming upto 100 per cent of his expectations.

And thorough professionals of all ages realise that the music director is boss. Anand Bakshi works with the same humility with Roshan, Rajesh Roshan and comparative fledglings like Jatin-Lalit. Indeevar delivered hits with Roshan as well as MM Kreem. Says Majrooh again, “In the purely technical sense, a composer does deserve the maximum credit for a hit because he does the maximum work on a song. He composes the tune, teaches it to the singer, gets it orchestrated and recorded, all to the satisfaction of those who are making the film. And I have never thrust my seniority on anyone. Only when the atmosphere is free, informal and even light, will good work be possible.” Reveals Bakshi, “Even today, I offer a choice of 10 antaras to a producer and composer.”

The significant deterioration in the vocals of Anuradha Paudwal in the last two or three years is the direct consequences of the fact that most composers working with her today are intimidated by her, unwittingly or otherwise. When this is not so (Daag-The Fire, Bulandi) we get to listen to the Anuradha who made such an impact in the 80s.

Teamwork is all about dedication and results. Age should not come into it.

Rajiv Vijayakar