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The tunes, they are a-changing now
Many music directors, one film: does this equation work?
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Kshama Rao
There was a time in the film industry when a music piece was known by its creator.
Years later, people still recognised the music director's signature Aaja aaja, main hoon pyaar tera, allaah allaah, inkaar tera oh. It couldn't t be anything but a R D Burman score, Kabhi kabhie mere dil mein khayal aata hai just had to be a Khayyam gem, and a Choli ke peeche could not be mistaken for anything else but a Laxmikant-Pyarelal tune.
But times have changed. And how.
Producers and directors now want a score of music directors for their film, not just one. Check out the following films and the number of music directors attached to each: Dillagi, music directed by Jatin-Lalit, Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy, Sukhwindar Singh, Anand Milind.
Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya, music directed by Jatin-Lalit, Himesh Reshammiya and Sajid-Wajid.
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, music directed Jatin-Lalit and Shandesh Shandilya.
Takes you aback, doesn't it? It also makes you wonder if it is only the producers who are no longer willing to risk their multi-crore budget at the hands of just one music director. Perhaps like formula films that look and behave like each other, music directors also have been churning out the same stuff film after film. The quality of the compositions have dimmed. And, with this, their popularity.
With three or more music directors in a film, producers feel music directors will vie with one another to give them a good number, which, at the end, will be great for the film because the producer can be assured of eighty per cent good songs. Unfortunately, it does not always work like that.
Sunny Deol took three sets of music directors for his home production Dillagi but only one song reached the top of the charts.
The music directors are not happy either. If there is one hit number in a sea of flop songs in a film, the music director who has composed the song wants credit. And he doesn't always get it. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy had composed the title song of Dillagi. Since they were, at that time, the least known among the other music directors employed for the film, the hit score was not attributed to them.
There is another reason why producers take on multiple music directors. Unlike earlier times, music is big business today. Music rights of Hindi films have touched an all-time high in terms of cost, putting filmmakers on tenterhooks. But in this no-win situation, it would perhaps be better to concentrate on one music director, who gives his complete attention to the project he is working on.
So far, it doesn't seem as though the producers have bought this logic. Says music critic Narendra Kusnur, "There are three basic reasons why producers are going in for multiple music directors. First, it saves money. The topnotch composer has a high fee, so he does only one or two songs while other composers with a lower fee do the rest. Second, it is time saving. Dates can be juggled around, as they do not depend on one person. Finally, producers think that different people are good with different kinds of songs. For example, Aadesh Shrivastava is good for Punjabi songs, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for youthful songs, Shandesh Shandilya for romantic songs and so on."
Kusnur adds, "I have my reservations against this system. To begin with, having one music director would ensure consistency in the soundtrack. Second, music directors must be versatile, otherwise they have no business to be musicians. Shanker-Jaikishen, R D Burman, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and Kalyanji-Anandji were popular because they could make all kinds of songs. Thirdly, multiple music directors encourages sycophancy, because producers tend to include people who flatter them. These people in turn will include singers who flatter them. So music directors and singers are chosen because they keep the producer happy, not because they can create the best music."
Kusnur feels that musicians like Jatin-Lalit, Anu Malik and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are capable of composing different types of music. "But A R Rahman and Nadeem-Shravan tend to repeat themselves by sticking to a particular accepted style. Of course, they also can do entire films if they apply themselves."
Music directors are not particularly happy with this trend. Says Aadesh Shrivastava, "I am totally against the trend of several music directors working on one film. I did take on a project, which involved other music composers too but I did it for emotional reasons. I have decided to not do it again. Recently, I was asked to compose music for Sanjay Gupta's Plan. But the moment I learnt that somebody else was also doing the music for it, I opted out. One must say 'no' to any banner, big or small. As a music director, we need to respect each other."
Does he think this trend is here to stay? Shrivastava shrugs it off. "I would have called it a trend if music biggies like A R Rahman, Anu Malik, Jatin-Lalit, Nadeem-Shravan and me were doing two songs each. But the ones doing it are strugglers like Sajid-Wajid, Nikhil-Vinay, Himesh Reshammiya and Daboo Malik. I don't doubt their talent but are they the same as the other names?"
Shrivastava states, "I do not blame the producer or director for going to different composers because they may be hard-pressed for time. Also, they may not be getting what they want. In that case, I don't blame the next music director. But I am unable to deliver in such circumstances."
Noted music director Anand Raj Anand agrees, "I think most music directors are against this trend, including me. After hearing the script, music composers must work on some songs, take them to the makers, get them approved and then begin recording. What actually happens is that, in a hurry to bag a project, composers record just one or two songs, give it their best shot and let others work on the rest of the songs in the film. I feel that if you are confident of your abilities, you must do the entire film. Put your foot down if the makers wish to involve other music directors. When more than one music composer is giving the music score, it indicates that we have no good music directors at all and that is not true."
Shankar Mahadevan of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy echoes the same thought, "We [Ehsaan, Loy and I], as a team, are against the concept of multiple directors doing music for one film, as the right person never gets due credit. It is shared and at times, doesn't even go to the person concerned. We experienced it in Dillagi. The audience doesn't know who's composed what song, so it is unfair to the music directors who have worked on the film. Moreover, in the absence of multiple music directors, the music flows follows one line of thought."
Strangely, even though most music directors prefer to work alone on a film, they still toe the
line. Says Shanker, "Both film and music directors are at fault for this. I don't know why directors opt for several music composers. I guess they feel that a particular music director may not deliver on time. Also, I think a certain sense of insecurity makes directors run to different composers for different kinds of songs. Then, they forget to see the film as a whole and end up concentrating only on some elements of a film."
Pyarelal Sharma of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal fame who returns to mainstream music independently in Mukesh Khanna's television serial Aryaman, based on Star Wars, is aghast: "I don't subscribe to the trend of multiple music directors. When somebody is entrusted with the score for the entire film, he feels completely responsible and attached to the work he is putting in. He gives his best to that film. If five music composers are going to work on one film, it will reflect different influences that may not be good for the film."
Says Lalit (of Jatin-Lalit), who has projects like Haasil, Kehta Hai dil Baar Baar, Rahen Na Rahen Hum and Yahoo on hand, "We do not want to do music for a film in which other music directors are also working, after doing successful work for nearly a decade. Music directors like Aadesh Shrivastava and Sajid-Wajid, who are not capable and not confident of handling the whole film, prefer to do such work.
"The fault lies," continues Lalit, "with the film director who doesn't want to take risks with the music. The director knows that if there is anything that can save their film, it's the music. At least, the music sales will help recover some money. Gone are the days when a particular director insisted on a particular music director. We have worked with Yashji (Chopra) and even today, we would want to do the best work for his films out of sheer loyalty.
"Having said that, a music director doesn't set out to work with only one director. His creativity has to reach out and the more work he does, the more satisfied he is. We have done some good work with directors like Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Mahesh Manjrekar. Music directors must have a sense of belonging to the film. When there are several people doing the music for the same film, how can you expect them to be emotionally attached to it? Of course, there is competition. From the way multiple music directors are being added on, it seems that the trend is here to stay," says Lalit.
Kusnur adds, "There hasn't been a single case of a multi-music director film which has had the combination of selling well and being qualitative good. Mela and Dillagi were flops. Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam has only one catchy song, Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham, Tum Bin and Aankhen had erratic music. Now, our hope lies in Kaante... let's see how that does."
While the music directors still await that decision, one fact is, this year's biggest musical hit, Devdas (according to film pundits and music companies), has one music director, Ismail Darbar.
India News Feature Service