SHUBHAM DASGUPTA
Bhonsle , respectively , in the “ Caravan ” classic , “ Piya Tu Ab to Aaja ” in 1971 . Breath was used as a rhythmic filler between verse portions that stunned music composers . As if Asha ’ s sultry voice was not enough , R . D . Burman ’ s thick , gravelly , frenzying “ Monica , oh my darling ” changed the definition of music overnight . Silence makes room for sound to conquer , which was clear from the low crooning of “ Piya tu . . .” taken over by powerful drums . R . D . Burman ’ s mannerism from this song returned in songs like “ Mehbooba Mehbooba ” from the film , “ Sholay ”. The fact that it remains an ageless masterpiece , is proven by Pritam ’ s take on the R . D . Burman smash hit , on the track “ Parda ” from the film , Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai in 2010 .
Synthesizers , discotheques and Bappi Lahiri were the uncontested rulers of the 1980s . A lanky Bengali fellow named Mithun Chakraborty made girls mad with his pelvis-thrusting performance in the song , “ I am a Disco
Dancer ”, from the film “ Disco Dancer ” in 1982 . Every time the song ended , Mithun fans made the video tapes rewind just to get the feel of the groovy bassline , a rolling Djembe collaboration and , not to forget , the wowing footwork .
Bappi Lahiri brought disco to India and the first of the sophisticated digital sound effects were heard in the song . Playback singer Vijay Benedict garnered international fame due to this song . Mithun became a known name in erstwhile Soviet Union and China awarded the soundtrack .
Lyrics became hugely objective , with poetic elements degrading to simple man-woman affair from the mid-80s and the early 90s . Judging from the raunchy compositions that were neither futuristic , nor having a whit of the lustre of the Golden era of music , it was a dream to expect returns from a film that launched debutante actors , actresses , playback singers , film directors and even music composers . But “ Aashiqui ” deserved the miraculous success . Nadeem- Shravan ’ s “ Saanson ki zarurat hai jaise ” sung by Kumar Sanu in the 1990 film revolutionised the music scene that was dimming behind the calibre of Kishore Kumar and Md . Rafi of the bygone era . The Kumar Sanu- Anuradha Padwal duo became an instant hit . Sanu still lives on the history of Aashiqui becoming the bestselling album of all time in India with about 15 million copies sold . Naushad had once praised the composer duo as he said , “ They are popular because their tunes are good .” Indeed , Nadeem- Shravan brought back the melody of the 60s and combined it with the candid approach of the 90s to create a new style .
Asha Bhonsle , in her interactions with the audience on many occasions , had shared her experience of working with a young guy with long hair playing a keyboard , beside a drummer . Judging from the minimalist arrangement for a studio accommodating a legend like Bhonsle , the singer was demoralized , but a young A . R . Rahman told her , “ Amma , sing !” Asha sang , somehow , and the moment she listened to the mastered version of “ Rangeela Re ”, she was dumbstruck , wondering what this “ computer kid ” can do with music . A . R . Rahman ’ s first Hindi film , “ Rangeela ” in 1995 won him widespread acceptance . “ Rangeela Re ” catches attention as Asha hums on till the sound of a lightning striking ( used as a beat ), compels listeners to sit up and take notice . The song even has a rap sequence by child artist Aditya Narayan , featuring in the film alongside Urmila Matondkar . Rahman introduced the quintessential touch of digital audio workstations . The history thus created , has crossed international borders and now , in an exclusive interview to NDTV , The Black Eyed Peas front man Will . i . am has mentioned Rahman ’ s influence on his work , adding that Asha Bhonsle is his “ hero ”.
The millennium came and the Roshan family presented the greatest actor-cum-dancer of Bollywood , Hrithik Roshan , through the film “ Kaho Na Pyar Hai ”, and particularly through the song , “ Ek Pal Ka Jeena ”. A singer with a husky voice was never considered appropriate for playback singing until music composer Rajesh Roshan decided to tap into Lucky Ali ’ s talent . Before Hrithik starts doing his wavy moves , the drum-kicks lead to an addictive , bohemian environment similar in feeling to that of the famous “ Dum Maro Dum ” featuring Zeenat Aman . Dance pop was rejuvenated through this song . Although Lucky distanced himself from similar offers , the legacy of “ Ek Pal Ka Jeena ” continued with Hrithik stealing hearts through his dance , both in India and abroad .
What is so special about the song “ Sajna aa bhi jaa ” from the film “ Waisa Bhi Hota Hai Part II ”? An off-beat film that bombed at the box office in 2003 had Indi-pop singer-cum-composer Shibani Kashyap , crooning the song in an unusually edgy tone that moved over notes in a smooth , glassy fashion . Yes , this is how listeners went on explaining the beauty of the song , until they came across autotune , a technology that pitch-perfects the singer ’ s voice , giving a mechanical effect where the notes change suddenly . The semiclassical song , coupled with distortion guitar gave a rebellious mood to new-age romantic songs . Shibani ’ s composition appeals as well as haunts the regretful lover . Thanks to her , countless composers have repeatedly used this technology later , and that too successfully , for instance the “ Ek main aur ekk tu ” title track , composed by Amit Trivedi in 2012 .
That Amit Trivedi has been experimenting with sounds , was evident from his composition in Dev D . But one had to look for dubstep in Skrillex , Flux Pavillion , Datsik and the likes for that unearthly wobbling sound as Bollywood could still not brave the attempt . “ Ishaqzaade ” broke the myth in 2012 with the song “ Aafaton ke Parindey ”. Suraj Jagnan , with his grunge-rock avatar , commands control of the song , while Divya Kumar ornamentalises the lyrics with classical harkats . This is a song on which one can easily imagine a robotic dancer , swaying his neck to the full orbit . Trivedi is definitely one of the proponents who exhaust all combinations with technology to give a greater impact to one particular song , keeping melody forever existent , in a time where technology is unfortunately encroaching into melody , lyrics and rhythm , thereby diluting the whole experience of making and listening to music into a grave misnomer . Time flies but legacies remain , and as I get through with my Bollywood jukebox , I wonder what differences with respect to voice , instruments and technology await us in the coming years !
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