SHAlINI SAKSENA catches up with Anu Malik and Sonu Nigam, who were in the Capital recently for the auditions of Indian Idol 9. They talk about the changing face of music in the country
Music has always played an important role. Be it Bollywood films or Indian classical music. Both, over the years, have seen a gradual change. More so, in films. Today, there as many Indian bands as there are foreign bands coming to India to perform. There are artistes who are coming out with their singles (indie music), trying to make a mark for themselves in the international music scene.
Is this change for the betterIJ Are present-day chords striking the right noteIJ Some of the music has found takers since there are so many platforms available where one can release one’s music.
“There have been many changes since I arrived on the scene. But then I started my career at a very young age in 1981. At that time there were still live recordings. There was a time when I recorded a couple of songs with laxmikant–Pyarelalji at Mehboob Studios with 120 musicians. Then I saw the advent of digital and disappearing of analogue recordings, two-inch spools etc. Next came pitch correcting and taal correcting softwares. So, I have seen a lot and have been lucky to have worked with stalwarts in the past and today. A lot has changed where concerts are also concerned. They have become bigger and more sophisticated. As India is progressing so is the entertainment industry,” Sonu Nigam, one of the judges of the Indian Idol 9, says.
To dwell in the past or compare the past with the present saying present is bad is not what Nigam believes in . “If one is a negative person, one will see only bad. I am not the kind of person who glorifies only the past and criticise the present. I believe is it bhagwan ki raza. I look at the brighter side. The older scenario has to take a back seat. Today, there are too many singers and composers. There was a time when there was only one composer who worked in a movie. There are a lot of singers as well. I don’t sing as often I used to. Today, people have their own set-ups and age brackets. Many composers are comfortable working with singers who are assisting them in their concerts. Each has his independent set-up. So, I am grateful that I am still doing a lot of work,” Nigam says.
Indie music, the best thing to have happened to singers, has received its biggest jolt because radio doesn’t play that kind of music. People no longer buy CDs. “Music should not be solely dependent on films. I have done a lot of independent music, the recent being Crazy dil which has Kailash Kher, Sunil Grover, my son and Farah Khan on board. The song has got many hits. People hear it on YouTube and then they forget about it,” Nigam says.
What about the artistes singing English songsIJ Usha Uthup had sung in English many years back. People have sung in all languages in India. The exposure is much more. “One will keep seeing something new. My son sings in English. Every generation brings in something new. That is what keeps music cued in on life,” says Nigam who never plans. He wants to go with the flow.
Anu Malik opines that music is music whatever be the platform. Anyone can compose music anywhere and release it since technology has advanced so much. Initially, one had to depend on a producer, a director or an audio company. Today if one composes a great song and gets the hits, he is a star overnight. There are webseries; there are people who are performing live and the audience love them. But films will be films since Bollywood is such a huge platform. It is great to see your song being picturised on a Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan or Aamir Khan. But independent music is great too, as is the concept of filmmakers taking in five composers for their movies. Change is necessary and one has to accept it or one will get lost,” Malik says. It is debatable whether it is the music that drives the movie or vice-versa, he adds.
“In India, there are many people who watch a film for its songs since the scores get released first. These movies become hits for their music. On the other hand, there are films that have only one song and they too become huge hits. It also depends on the story and the performance of actors, if you have a great story music follows. Sone pe suhaga are actors like SRK or Ranveer Singh or Ranbir Kapoor and even Varun Dhawan today. Their movies and the music in them do well,” Malik says.
He tells you that even though some great music was being made in the 60s and the 70s, he loves challenges and, therefore, works with the younger lot of directors and composers.
“A lot of emphasis is laid on sound production. I come from a school where I made a mukhda that could be hummed by you. I have worked with great writers like Gulzar sahab, Anand Bakshi and Javed Akhtar. It is great to have such poets and lyricists. I believe in moving with the times. I don’t know about the youngsters. I suppose it is to each his own,” Malik says.
Nothing, he says, annoys him about youth music since he, too, was a 23-year-old once. “I am no one to advise anyone because I also learnt from my mistakes. I don’t believe in mera time kamaal ka thha, meine aisa kiya, vaisa kiya. These are wrong statements to make. With time, one changes. There are evergreen singers like lata Mangeshkar. Then there were singers like Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, etc who I grew up listening to. Today’s generation has its idols too. Tomorrow there will be new icons. So, it is best to flow with the times,” Malik says.