Truth be told: “Films are part of society and reflect what’s happening in it”
Javed Akhtar says standard of Bollywood music has dropped drastically
Akhtar is amongst the most successful lyricists and writers of Bollywood. PHOTO: FILE
KOLKATA:
Revered poet Javed Akhtar said on Friday, that the standard of modern day Bollywood music has dropped drastically and that is a reflection of contemporary society.
From TV to cinemas: ‘Pyas will make for a great film script'
When asked about the quality of today’s music, Akhtar said, “The standards have dropped but you should see things in the right perspective. Film music or dialogues or films themselves are not produced in a void. They are part of a society and whatever is happening in the society will reflect here also.”
He added, “What has happened tragically is that in the last 30 to 40 years, our society has progressed materially, industrially and technically. We have gone up and today the urban middle-class is doing well for itself and that’s wonderful. But in this chase of the gravy train, we left certain things at the platform, like music, poetry, literature and fine arts.”
According to the lyricist, children in schools and homes are not exposed to classical music art, folk music, folklore or poetry. “Now, when a child grows up totally devoid and unexposed, then how do you expect that, one day, he will suddenly develope great aesthetics?” According to Akhtar, when people from such social strata write scripts, direct films or compose songs, the products are all grammatically wrong.
Opinionated: A jittery Javed Akhtar
“When the song is released, even the public has no problem as it doesn’t know. That is how our vocabulary is shrinking. Our grammar has gone haywire,” said Akhtar. Later on, he went on to suggest that most of the music made today is for the discos, sans any room for good lyrics.
Akhtar’s sentiments were echoed by singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan. “There are some compositions which will stand the test of time, such as Kal Ho Naa Ho, Mitwa or Sapno Se Bhare Naina,” he said. “Eventually, it’s quality and depth that will stay. From a music pundit to a small child, everybody should be able to appreciate your music. That is the kind of composition that will stay for a long time.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2016.
Revered poet Javed Akhtar said on Friday, that the standard of modern day Bollywood music has dropped drastically and that is a reflection of contemporary society.
From TV to cinemas: ‘Pyas will make for a great film script'
When asked about the quality of today’s music, Akhtar said, “The standards have dropped but you should see things in the right perspective. Film music or dialogues or films themselves are not produced in a void. They are part of a society and whatever is happening in the society will reflect here also.”
He added, “What has happened tragically is that in the last 30 to 40 years, our society has progressed materially, industrially and technically. We have gone up and today the urban middle-class is doing well for itself and that’s wonderful. But in this chase of the gravy train, we left certain things at the platform, like music, poetry, literature and fine arts.”
According to the lyricist, children in schools and homes are not exposed to classical music art, folk music, folklore or poetry. “Now, when a child grows up totally devoid and unexposed, then how do you expect that, one day, he will suddenly develope great aesthetics?” According to Akhtar, when people from such social strata write scripts, direct films or compose songs, the products are all grammatically wrong.
Opinionated: A jittery Javed Akhtar
“When the song is released, even the public has no problem as it doesn’t know. That is how our vocabulary is shrinking. Our grammar has gone haywire,” said Akhtar. Later on, he went on to suggest that most of the music made today is for the discos, sans any room for good lyrics.
Akhtar’s sentiments were echoed by singer and composer Shankar Mahadevan. “There are some compositions which will stand the test of time, such as Kal Ho Naa Ho, Mitwa or Sapno Se Bhare Naina,” he said. “Eventually, it’s quality and depth that will stay. From a music pundit to a small child, everybody should be able to appreciate your music. That is the kind of composition that will stay for a long time.”
Published in The Express Tribune, November 27th, 2016.