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I'm very unhappy with Bollywood's current music scenario: Javed Akhtar

I'm very unhappy with Bollywood's current music scenario: Javed Akhtar

The veteran lyricist feels that Hindi films treat every song like a clap song
09 Feb, 2018

Javed Akhtar has an objection with Bollywood's present treatment of music.

At the Tata Steel Kolkata Literary Meet, the song-writer expressed grief at the music being produced and explained what's missing.

"I am very unhappy with the present music scenario in Bollywood. The music that is being produced is not very sympathetic to lyrics any more," said Akhtar.

"First of all, they do not get good situations because there is more razzmatazz than emotional depth in the stories. So the situation for songs is not very emotional."

He then added, "Besides, the tunes the writers are getting today are not very conducive for writing poetry because of the tempo and the orchestration. The tempo is such that the words do not get established. They do not have the space to breathe."

Possibly his biggest qualm with the music is that all the songs are "treated like clap songs".

"On the other hand, the music is so loud... every song is treated like a clap song. So the percussion is often above the voice and the music gets ahead of words. So you just can’t understand what the person is singing. May be you only know the ‘Mukhra’ (beginning of a song) and the rest of it gets lost in the cacophony."

But they cannot sing if the tune is not worth humming, or the words are not clear. The listeners should not go to the words, the words should come to them," said Akhtar.

Javed Akhtar has received multiples awards for his works, namely his lyrics in Hindi blockbusters Godmother, Border and Lagaan.

Comments

sarvan minhas Feb 09, 2018 07:34pm
What Javed Sahib says is essentially correct. Bollywood cinema has lost all connect with real existential problems of contemporary Indians.
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shyam Feb 09, 2018 10:09pm
I agree and hope this is a passing phase in Bollywood and even the world over.
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Neo Feb 09, 2018 10:35pm
Have to disagree. Its quantity over quality. Not many memorable songs being made nowadays.
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Raj Patel Feb 09, 2018 11:30pm
Frustration of not getting work in Bollywood any more now. He should admit that he is not fit in changing world. Old may be gold for him but ever changing world don't care if you do not change with current time.
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Siddhartha Feb 10, 2018 12:21am
Me too Sahib, I don't understand the Bollywood music anymore!
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Roshni Feb 10, 2018 01:32am
Salim - Javed combination were responsible to the introduction of mindless masala movies to Hindi cinema. Today he is complaining!!!??
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shubs Feb 10, 2018 02:50am
Every generation has its own way of expressing itself with music. I'm sure what Javed Akhtar wrote and the music it was put to would have been considered crass by the previous generation of poets and musicians. So with all due respect to Javed Akhtar, music today, Bollywood or otherwise, has its own share of "good" and "bad". Just because it aligns with his taste does not mean it's good.
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Tamlselvan Feb 10, 2018 03:15am
He is 100% correct.the so called music is louder than the lyrics do one can't hear the words and also lyrics too have no meaning too .
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Roy Khan Feb 10, 2018 04:19am
You should be very unhappy and voice up about the current state of Muslims inside Mr. Modi's country and not worry about their film industry.
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syed Zaman Feb 10, 2018 08:32am
That's exactly my feeling too ..but he expressed very well the same in his own wonderful words.
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MG Feb 10, 2018 09:41am
In simple words this is generation gap. Javed sahib we must accept the changes and move on.
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JawAd Feb 10, 2018 10:59am
Music and poetry don’t have to always be together . In fact the true poets would be in mushaira not in movies . Now movies have a different attention span in the age of cell phones and tablets and Facebook and Twitter so don’t blame the industry to get a share of the highly distracted mind . The truth is the consumer has changed and the industry is catering to that change.
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Sky Feb 10, 2018 11:20am
Minus Rahman, Bollywood did not have consistent performers with variety and richness. This is very much true in last two decades.
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Srinivasan Feb 10, 2018 01:00pm
It is because the songs have tuned to sufi style. Please do not mistake me - It is my observation that the sufi style is nothing but high pitch screaming.
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tariq ali Feb 10, 2018 04:21pm
@Srinivasan so is Coke Studio to blame for the sufi influence??
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Shehnaz Khan Feb 10, 2018 08:19pm
It is so sad that Bollywood movies are now nothing but visual feats and meaningless songs,usually sung in groups performing meaninglessly on streets.Poor Mr Javaid Akhtar.No place anymore for sterling meaningful poets like him.
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Tamlselvan Feb 11, 2018 09:34am
He is 100% correct.the so called music is louder than the lyrics do one can't hear the words and also lyrics too have no meaning too .
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