Changing phase of Bollywood’s music: The torch-bearers, breaking through barriers

Music is the very thing which can soothe a parched soul. It is an emotion which can make you tap to its beats, let you drown in a wave of emotions, or make you seep in and out of a sea of memories, mushy or achy, yet a nostalgic lane you would love. And when music meets Bollywood, another emotion is born, taking us to different rides with each album, each strum, and each track. There is no Bollywood movie which is complete without a soundtrack, and to helm an album which complements the very mood of the movie, in sync with the genre, is no easy feat. All the credit goes out to our talented bunch of music directors, lyricists, singers and composers, who belt out soulful numbers one after the other.

There was a time when music in Bollywood was losing its originality, either in the wave of heavy westernization, or being a continuous monotone, with similar lyrics and music in every other song. Be it the dance numbers, or the romantic tracks, the monotone was bearing heavy on us music lovers, who were weary of the same old tones. While we loved the melodious romance from the heartstrings of Jatin-Lalit for Yash Chopra and Karan Johar ventures, but to be honest, those too became a tad too sugary for our taste after a while. We loved the breathe of fresh air that Pritam provided with his melodies, but he too became repetitive after a while, and the plagiarism accusations further made us drift away from the composure. Sure, albums like ‘Jab We Met’ and ‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’ make a welcome exception to the aforesaid allegations, but then these are just limited numbers for the music loving audience which always craves for something more. The only respite was, is, and always will be AR Rahman, the maestro who creates magic with his beats, no matter after how much hiatus he comes, or how many soundtracks he delivers. He is one man who never loses his novelty, and continues to amaze and enthral us, even after so many years.

In the new age and generation, is arising a talented bunch of new breed of musicians who are daring to compose music which is in a different league altogether. The very first example that comes to our mind is Amit Trivedi. Remember the dark and passionate tunes that he helmed for the rebel romance ‘Ishaqzaade’? Or even the light, breezy and slightly hesitant beats that he belted out for the character of Shashi in ‘English Vinglish’? The stylish album for ‘Aisha’, the confusion reflecting one of ‘Wake Up Sid’ or raw and crude emotions reflected in the numbers of ‘Dev D’. Yes, he is the new-gen composure who believes in mating the music and beats with the plot, and not once will you find that his numbers have been forced. His lyrics in the poetic marvel like ‘Lootera’ had us tearing up, making us bow in awe of this talented individual.

Who thought that someone could create music for a movie like ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’. But the jodi of Sneha Khanwalkar and Piyush Mishra made it possible, and not once did we feel that the music was imposed on us. On the contrary, we quite enjoyed the raw and crude face of music that the composers presented to us. Plus, it went well with the mood and genre of the movie, a feat which not many would have considered possible.

We even love the innovation that the likes of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Salim-Sulaiman, and Vishal-Shekhar try and bring into their music too. Be it the ‘Ajab Si’ which made us all glassy eyed with moony romance, or the legendary ‘Dil Chahta Hai’ soundtrack that introduced the legendary trio of Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy who continued their magic with albums like ‘Lakshya’, ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho’, ‘Zindagi Naa Milegi Dobara’, we have been loving these composers.

Bollywood music is now coming of age, and rightly so. Every romance has a new string that gets our hearts racing, and every dance track has a different kick which can make us groove to its beat. There are a few slips and glitches every now and then, but the train of musical journey is moving forward, with a melodious pace that we are simply loving.

Kadambari Srivastava

Grammar Nazi, word weaver, dreamer, bibliophile, technophile, caffeine addict, foodie, shuttling shopaholic! Mash it in a Bollywood recipe and voila! Pushpa, you’ve got her!