‘Media needs to support indie artistes’
Composers Shankar Mahadevan, Loy Mendonsa and Ehsaan Noorani talk about how Bollywood continues to be given importance in a country as musically diverse as India
While Dil Chahta Hai (2001) is liked by many as a good film in its own right, its music was one of the big reasons the movie achieved cult status. Its soundtrack was also a big reason the composer trio, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, became a household name. HT Café sits down for a chat with Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa and Shankar Mahadevan about the future of music companies, Bollywood music, and the rise of online music.
How was 2016 for the three of you?
Shankar: We composed music for Mirzya (2016). It did really well. Unfortunately, the movie did not do so well, but that’s not in our hands. Our duty is to make good music. We loved the music of Rock On 2 (2016), but it did not appeal to the people.
Ehsaan: It (Rock On 2’s music) did not connect with the audience. When the music for Rock On!! (2008) came out, it didn’t do well either. The music was pretty radical for the time. The movie did well, and then people started liking the music. Unfortunately, the same thing was expected from the sequel.
So does a film’s success directly affect the music?
Shankar: Unfortunately, in our country, it is like that.
Loy: Only a few people understand that music is independent of the film. Everybody’s so dependent on the star of the film. That’s strange and stupid.
So, does film music dominate independent music?
Loy: I strongly disagree. There are tons of independent artistes with great songs. It’s just that nobody listens to them. Everyone thinks of Bollywood.
Shankar: The concept of music companies is going to go [obsolete] in a year. There should be a time when music other than Bollywood should also find its space. We are a country with the richest culture when it comes to music. And you want to say that Bollywood is the only form of music? Every state has its own music. Every festival has its music. The media needs to support indie artistes. The top 10 songs that play on the radio exist even on television, phones, etc. Us top 10 ke elavaah (Apart from the top 10), you hear nothing else from a [film’s] album. Even if that album has good songs; even if the film is a hit.
The source says, “Two years ago, at a party, Karan indulged in really loose talk about Kajol in front of an A-list actor. That actor, in turn, told Ajay Devgn about it. Ajay even asked that actor why, despite being Karan’s friend, was he telling him about it. The actor said that if Karan could badmouth Kajol in front of him, he could also gossip about Ajay someday as well. Ajay was obviously furious — any man would be if his wife was talked about in such light. So, he called Karan and abused him on the phone. He told Karan, ‘You can say what you wish about my film, but don’t talk about my wife and family’.” The source, choosing to remain anonymous, adds, “This issue is two years old. Much before the clash between Karan’s (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil) and Ajay’s films (Shivaay (2016)) happened. The fact that it is being discussed now, as is Karan’s sexual orientation, is clearly to remain in the news to sell his book. He can do whatever he wishes, but he can’t make a villain out of Ajay Devgn in that process. This is just playing dirty.”
Our request to Karan Johar for a comment remained unanswered.