NEWS: Film music goes innovative to beat the blues

Date: Sat, 29 Mar 2003 12:36:52 +0530 (IST)
Newsgroups: rec.arts.movies.local.indian
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Film music goes innovative to beat the blues
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service (byline mandatory)
Mumbai, Mar 29 (IANS) The Indian film industry may still be in the doldrums
but film music seems to have found a way to beat the blues -- by taking
risks.
T-Series has just released four of the most innovative music soundtracks
heard in recent years. Two of these -- "Ek Aur Ek Gyarah" and "Nayee
Padosan" -- featuring the music of the hot-and-happening trio
Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy are racing up the charts almost simultaneously.
But the one that really stretches definitions of conventional popular music
is the soundtrack of the film "Bhoot". For the first time, a whole album
featuring songs that do not figure in the film has been released in India.
Innovative director Ram Gopal Varma explains the strategy behind the musical
manoeuvre. "In Hollywood it's routine to put out soundtracks based on a film
rather than music contained in a film. Over here we aren't used to the
concept.
"I decided to let a group of young musicians, including Amar Mohile (son of
the celebrated music arranger Anil Mohile), Anand Raj Anand and
Salim-Suleiman (both of whom did such a fine job in the 'Kaante' soundtrack)
come up with compositions that define the concept of ghosts in their
imagination.
"Once they came up with their tunes, I directed two music videos with Usha
Uthup and Sunidhi Chauhan based on the music. So while the music soundtrack
of 'Bhoot' has a life of its own beyond the film, it's also closely linked
to the film."
This new concept could work wonders for song-laden Hindi films.
Says Varma: "If the 'Bhoot' experiment works filmmakers won't be tempted to
push songs into their films just to make money on the music soundtrack.
Instead of wasting Rs.20-30 million in picturising extraneous songs they
could put out an album of music separate from the film which would act as a
teaser trailer."
While "Bhoot" opens a whole new concept of music soundtracks in Hindi
cinema, more conventional experiments are also paying unlikely dividends.
Last month producer Suneel Darshan decided to launch his own music company
thereby ending the ostensible monopolistic highhandedness of a cluster of
firms in Mumbai.
Suneel Darshan's inaugural motion picture soundtrack from his forthcoming
romantic musical "Andaz" has exceeded all expectations. The sales,
especially in the northern and eastern regions, have been extremely
encouraging.
Says Darshan: "I'm happy and relieved. When I decided to start my own music
company it was a gamble undertaken out of desperation. The established music
companies left me with no choice. They were willing to offer no money."
London-based Nadeem Saifi, who has composed the songs of "Andaz", is
extremely happy with Suneel Darshan's marketing of his music.
"For someone stepping into a new venture Suneel has given hope to all
producers reeling under the recession in the film industry. Three weeks
after release the soundtrack of 'Andaz' has sold close to a million copies.
I'm happy because as a composer I know I now have a proper market-friendly
outlet for my music."
With the current mood of adventurous risk-taking, the music industry is
looking at a prolonged season of revival and, hopefully, success.
--Indo-Asian News Service
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