Musical, lyrical, poetic…

India is celebrating her 63rd Independence Day.

Well, like every year(especially so in more recent years)there’s been a lot of talk about the country’s economic growth and development in other sectors.

It’s nice to read and hear the nice things being said and discussed. Especially so, when the wonderful stuff is being said about the country of my birth by the non Indians too, so many miles away from home.

There sure is a lot of growth. But then what about the never ending socio-economic problems as well which haven't decreased as such, in all these years? Poverty, unemployment, the disparity between the rich and the poor, etc is still there. I believe it could have been better. Gandhi and his ideals are still being talked about and were inspirations for others around the world, notably Rev Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela( I just got reminded of the same!). But had Gandhi’s ideals been really imbibed by many more in the country whose freedom he brought about, rather than just a few, things sure would indeed have been much better!

Anyway, I won’t get into too much of a heavy discussion of that kind.Simply because I like to talk more about the lighter stuff.

Babetude is going down memory lane as well. But as you know I'm not political.

I would love to talk about and be proud today of Hindi film music since it’s been so popular since the inception of the movie industry. Such is its popularity that pop music and non film music hardly had a market in India.

I also got a recent opportunity to discuss Indian music and movies with a media personality, respected, knowledgeable and totally passionate about art of this kind in the western world. He's taught himself the same in a place where it has limited fans and that's so very amazing. Some people really are incredible!

So today I feel like talking about music...

A struggling music director in Mumbai once told me, becoming a musician is more difficult than becoming an actor. That’s right in a way, as it’s a God given talent which one needs to nurture, develop and one ought to get lucky as well- the music should click with a wide range of listeners! And while the actors took the cake, and got the accolades,became more popular, the singers, the music directors, lyricists and even the directors remained in the back ground and became pillars of their success.

A few interesting Indian films are being churned out very year and it’s good to know that some film makers are trying to make their movies according to the tastes of the international audience- shorter, crisper and more real. And that suits the tastes of the fast moving new generation as well. Many over the years have found our unrelated song sequences and running around trees rather funny. So much so that, somebody once pointed out, “Why are all Indian films musicals?”

Guess it started because music is the lifeblood of Indian culture. Romancing and emoting was associated with music. Singing, dancing and so on...

Thankfully some Indian movies have gotten better and not every film is a formula film where the same story is being told over and over again with some twists and turns.

Also considering the state of film music right now, it’s okay if songs are omitted out in most films.

Techno sounds, unbearable nasal tones, loud beats which could almost damage people’s ear drums, making one feel like banging one's head against the wall, meaningless Hinglish lyrics...

Okay, some of them are foot tapping and can be used to shake a leg or two.

But the fact remains that the compositions have zero staying power. It's easy to forget them a few months after release.

Plus there's the plagiarism, blatantly and shamelessly in the open.

And on top of that, some of them think they can impress all of us by turning westernized!

Hello, wake up guys! Not everyone can be fooled. It's better if you stick to your culture, just like A.R Rahman who's original, versatile and deserving Oscar and Grammy winner.

Gosh, no wonder even younger music lovers like to get away and listen to the oldie-goldies!

And they are far more popular out of the country too, the way true blue fans remember them.

Someone knowledgeable said that the best times for Hindi film music were the 50s to the mid 80s.

Currently the poetry is almost out of the picture, except for a few songs written by the stalwarts- Javed Akhtar, Gulzar and the talented Prasoon Joshi and composed by A.R Rahman and some others.

Take a look at the song( video below). The singer (Kishore Kumar here, one of the best voices from the film music scene) celebrates his love and his love interest comparing it with colors of nature, the beauty of dreams, in fact all things beautiful and so on. He's totally lost in love and his love he says is true, pure, beautiful, and transcends anything material. One lifetime is not enough to enjoy this kind of love. The movie was aptly called 'Prem Pujari'(worshiper of love)!


Idealistic but will always stand out as a wonderful song. Ably supported by the music director and the lyricist of course, who’s a wonderful poet.

This other song( video below) talks about the reality in most people’s lives.
Time just flies and a moment once gone by, will never come back, no matter what. The journey of life is like that.

Before one realises, tables turn and things change. If one has regrets, one has to live with them forever.With his heart touching rendition( Kishore Kumar again),it seems as though the singer is reminding one of the reality- do the right things at the right time, especially in your adult life, to avoid regret and repentance.

Someone rightly commented when he said that in those days it seems that the songs told a story of their own.

Urdu is another great language and it helped to bring out the beauty in most Hindi film songs.


Well, the two actors in the videos- Dev Anand and Rajesh Khanna were lucky enough to get the best songs in the industry during that time. They owe quite a bit of their success to the musical figures behind the songs. It’s another matter though that they are no longer associated with anything remotely close to what they once achieved.

That's for it today. I'll be back again soon to talk about something meaningful! Till then, ciao.