Tansen of Film Music: Interview with Naushad
Hrishi Dixit
As if we don't have enough of them already !
From the Times Of India (http://www.timesofindia.com/today/30intw1.htm)
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Tansen of Film Music
He created some of the most memorable melodies in Hindi film music. His
songs from Mughal-e-Azam, Leader and Baiju Bawra, continue to be hummed
many years after they were composed, even as many contemporary
`dhinchak' numbers rapidly evaporate into oblivion. Naushad, who turned
80 recently, continues to compose while also nurturing another talent,
poetry. His first book of verse, `Aathvaan Sur' was launched in Urdu
and Hindi recently. Namita Devidayal met the charming silver-haired
composer, who punctuating his conversation with poetry, reminiscences
of his years in cinema, while lamenting the contemporary trends in
music.
How did you get into music in the first place? Does it run in the
family?
Far from it. My father was a munshi in a court in Lucknow, and expected
me to become something equally respectable. But I was always drawn to
music. There was a dargah near our house, and a man would come there
regularly to sell flutes. He played ethereal music. From the time I was
ten years old, I would run out to listen to him -- who knows, he may
have been Lord Krishna! By the time I was 16, I was regularly running
away from school and chasing ustads or catching a silent movie. I
finally ran away from home and came to Mumbai to pursue this love.
You have lived through Hindi cinema and seen it go from silent movies
to technicolour. What is the biggest difference today as far as music
is concerned?
In my 62 years in the film industry, I composed music for 66 films.
These days, you come across people who have done the music 200 films in
two years. What I'm saying is that, we used to agonise over every tune
and phrase in music, spend sleepless nights over a song, work on it
until it was perfected. And I am still looking for perfection.
What was your greatest contribution to the music world?
Firstly, I developed the concept of background music. I grew up
watching the silent movies and I spent hours noting how the bandmaster
would bring a scene alive. That's what I attempted to do, to extend
characters' dialogues and moods through sound. My other big
contribution was to bring Indian classical music into the film medium.
Many of my compositions were inspired by ragas and I even used
distinguished classical artistes like Bade Ghulam Ali in Mughal-e-Azam,
Amir Khan and D V Paluskar in Baiju Bawra.
Indeed, there was a time when popular film music and traditional
classical music were not antithetical to each other. Today, the
difference could not be more stark. How do you respond to that?
I never tire of saying that there is so much colourful music in our
history and culture, why do we have to keep turning to the West? Here,
you have a harvest, and there is a song to go with it; monsoon comes
around and there are ragas associated with the season. Why are we
turning our backs to all this and knocking on other people's doors? The
other day I was in a village and saw a young boy driving a tractor and
listening to the transistor. It was blaring this Indi-pop. I asked him
if he was listening to Indian music. He looked at me as if I was mad
and said, `Sure.' It seems that we have got to a stage where Raga Bihag
has become foreign. People should remember, our music is a very
important component of our culture. If we forget this, the world will
forget us. Film, especially Hindi cinema, is a very powerful medium.
Here is something which can reach out to 10,000 people in one night.
You can do good with it, or bad. I feel very bad about what we are
projecting to our youngsters, not just as far as music is concerned,
but also the liberal use of violence and cheap sex.
Who are the people who have been most deeply affected by this
`dhinchak' phenomenon?
The makers and players of Indian instruments. These days, much of the
music is synthesised. Where do you hear the sitar, sarangi, jal tarang,
tabla or pakhwaj? Many of these musicians spent ten and 20 years,
sometimes an entire life time mastering their instruments. Now, they
simply tell their children, don't bother learning how to play these
instruments. You won't be able to survive in the world. So, along with
their players, some of these instruments are becoming extinct.
You have spent many years working on a project on Tansen to be
serialised for television. Where does that stand now?
I have trunks full of research material on Tansen, and I propose to
create a serial that will become a veritable archive of our musical
tradition. I want youngsters to know the origins of our music. These
are your ragas and raginis which were the medium of prayer, which cured
people, which gave people peace. The idea is also to add a visual
element to the music through film, so that you not only hear the music
but also watch it. For example, if we are doing an afternoon scene, the
ragas associated with that time of day, like Sarang, would be played. I
want to use some of our great contemporary musicians to do the
playback, like Bhimsen Joshi, Pandit Jasraj and Kishori Amonkar. With
all music lovers' blessings, I hope this will see the light of day. But
I want to do it right, not compromise in any way.
You have been very involved with performance copyright law and are
chairman of the Indian Performing Right Society (IPRS). What is this
all about?
There are any number of stories about artistes who created lasting
music in Hindi film, but who died in impoverishment. That's because in
the olden days, composers and lyricists were mostly simple folk, not
aware of their rights, too busy concentrating on their work, and often
exploited by those who controlled the purse strings. Why, I can tell
you of cases where musicians were made to sign on blank sheets of
paper. They later discovered they had signed away their rights. Over
the years, through the IPRS, we have managed to collect license fees
from any commercial establishment that plays their music -- hotels,
restaurants, radio stations -- both in India and abroad. The money is
then distributed among the artistes. These cheques have brought tears
to the eyes of many widows and other legal heirs of erstwhile greats.
It is the least they deserve.
Looking back, what is your favourite composition?
It is still to come. An artiste is always striving to get better. The
minute he thinks he has become perfect, it is his death. Isn't all of
life about a search? The deeper you go, the more you keep drowning. I
feel I am still standing on the shore.
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..Hrishi
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Hrishi Dixit
hri...@excite.com
Sent via Deja.com http://www.deja.com/
Share what you know. Learn what you don't.
Kalyan
What was your greatest contribution to the music world?
Firstly, I developed the concept of background music. I grew
up watching the silent movies and I spent hours noting
how the bandmaster would bring a scene alive. That's what I
attempted to do, to extend characters' dialogues and
moods through sound. My other big contribution was to bring
Indian classical music into the film medium. Many of my
>>
If Al Gore can claim credit for being the father of
internet, then there is nothing to stop Naushad from
claiming credit for background music and bringing
classical music to films. And certainly not the ignorant
journalists who interview him (and other celebrities from
the past). I am glad that Naushad resisted the temptation
to make even bigger claims. For these journalists would
simply lap it up, having anointed him the Tansen of film
music. (I am sure the bozo who interviewed him has never
heard of Khemchand Prakash, Vasant Desai, S.N. Tripathi,
Anil Biswas etc).
>>
Looking back, what is your favourite composition?
It is still to come. An artiste is always striving to get
better. The minute he thinks he has become perfect, it is
his death. Isn't all of life about a search? The
deeper you go, the more you keep drowning. I feel I am still
standing on the shore.
>>
I thought Naushad had taken a dip in this ocean with
"aathvan sur":) Unfortunately, it seems, more of these
await us.
Kalyan
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