Warning: This post might sound like the rantings of a cranky old fogey from the 50s, but I really love “old” Hindi Film music, so I’ll run that risk:
Damn! There are just SO many remixes being made in India today! And they’re really shoddily sung. Since I don’t have access to too much TV, I don’t know how trashy the videos are. All I know is that most of them are full of sleaze.
I was on an IBM bus yesterday evening, travelling all the way to Kothrud (which takes about an hour from Ozone, IBM’s dev. centre), listening to Radio Mirchi. Well, after a while of really bad music, I decided to make a list of the remixes they were playing (remember, this is about an hour-and-a-half’s worth of time):
Raat Ke Humsafar – originally from “An Evening in Paris”
Hoga Tumse Pyaara Kaun – originally from “Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai”
Hoton Pe Aisi Baat – originally from “Jewel Thief”
Sajana Tere Bina – originally from “Judaai”
“Disco Station” – originally from “Hathkadi”
“Leke Pehla Pehla Pyaar” – originally from “CID”
All of these are classics, but they’ve been simply ruined by some two-bit singer and some DJ who, fancying himself as a composer, lifts a tune and passes it off as a “re-creation”. Indeed, when these videos are played on TV, the info bar says “Music Recreated by…”. What s**t is that?! Are today’s composers so low on talent that one in every two songs played on the radio is a remix? Why, think of the movie “Dil Vil Pyaar Vyaar” – not only was the title not original, but all the songs in the movie were RD Burman classics, simply re-sung, and the promoters had the gall to call the soundtrack a “tribute to RD Burman”! I bet RD’s gaping open-mouthed in heaven at this nonsense down on Earth! Even Veer-Zaara’s soundtrack was composed by the “late Madan Mohan”, using his “unpublished works”! For God’s sake, who gives you the authority to “finish” his unpublished works? You’ve “finished them off” for sure!
Why remix “Hoga Tumse…” or “Disco Station”? The original was pretty catchy in the first place. Or however do you intend to make “Raat Ke Humsafar” into a dance track? If that isn’t the intention, what is? Besides, those individuals who’ve attempted to re-sing these numbers have done a horrible job. Shankar Mahadevan (I think that was him singing Hoga Tumse…) has rushed through the song, ignoring fine variations in tone that made the original so appealing. I expect something much, much better from a singer of his class. The result is that the remix falls flat on its face.
Ostensibly, these remixes are made so that the “masses” can dance to “old tunes” which would otherwise have been “lost”, to make them more “relevant” to today’s tastes. I can’t believe that people make money and build careers out of this plunder! Since no one would buy audio CDs of such inane musical reproductions, the makers of these albums make sure that the video is as appealing (read sleazy) as possible, so that they can make a fast buck selling video CDs instead. With big money at stake and plenty of competition, the race for sleaze has resulted in abysmal content on our music channels. What we’re seeing on TV today is downright ridiculous! I don’t know if state-decreed censorship is the answer (I oppose all forms of censorship by the Government), but I can understand the motivations of those who propose it.
This won’t last forever, though. No matter how many classics they remix, I predict that people will just tire of being bombarded with cheap, low-quality, sleaze-dripping videos. Fatigue will set in evertually. I just hope it’s sooner rather than later.