A Musician’s Sacrifice

RANJIT SOURI, Jun 14, 2006

The package from my father finally arrived. I was relieved. I needed his tabla for a comedy show in which I was performing, and the show was opening in a few days. I took out a razor blade and began to cut the layers of packaging tape from the cardboard box.

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When my father was a boy in India, he loved playing the drums.
He began to take lessons from the bandmaster at his school in Madras (now Chennai). Soon he was playing for the National Cadet Corps marching band.
But in his family, artistic ambitions were viewed as impractical for boys. His parents discouraged his dreams of a musical life. He was an obedient son. Upon entering college, he abandoned his musical aspirations to focus on his studies. Eventually he went to medical school, then got married and started a family.

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My parents paid for music lessons for me from the time I was 8. They bought me excellent instruments to play. They made sure I practiced regularly. Sometimes I was angry with them for not letting me quit.

By the time I reached high school, I was an excellent pianist and a competent guitarist and singer.

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It is 2 a.m. I am returning home from a rehearsal of a hard-rock cover band I am in. We’ve just spent a long night working on the latest songs by Cinderella, Dokken, and Poison, plus some older ones by AC/DC. After pulling into the garage, I begin to unload my synthesizer, electric guitar, amplifiers, and accessories from the car.

Suddenly my dad enters the garage from the inside of the house. He squeezes past, zombie-like, in a rumpled suit. Both exhausted, we barely acknowledge each other. He slumps into the other car and drives off into the night to attend to somebody’s emergency.

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In his mid 40s, my dad decided to reconnect with his musical skills. He began taking guitar and piano lessons. Then he bought a set of tablas: a large one and a small one.

When I would come home from college, my parents would throw parties. My family and our guests would gather in the room where the piano and guitars and tablas were kept, and we would all play the instruments and sing together. My dad would sit pretzel-legged on the carpet, with his two tablas in front of him, and do what he’d been dreaming of doing for the last 25 years. I could see the joy on his face as he would play his beloved drums.

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My dad had shipped me the larger tabla. I had asked for the larger one since it would be easier for the audience to see.

As I lifted his tabla from its nest of crumpled newspapers, a thought occurred to me. And this thought was just as true as if this were the only instrument he owned:
Decades after he had first done so, my father was once again giving up his music for me.

He's adept at vocal arrangements and background scores in the film industry. Having worked with ace composers like A R Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Clinton Cerejo has come a long way from his college fest days.

A music enthusiast, the 30-year-old loves programming, production and all that goes into making chartbusters. He makes his presence felt in the hit song, Do you want a partner, in David Dhawan's new film, Partner.

Swati R Chaudhary traces his journey into tinselville and gets you some dope on this budding talent.

You have been credited as Clington in Partner. Do you believe in numerology?

No. That's a typographical error. I don't believe in numerology. I have never had an extra letter to my name. It's always been Clinton Cerejo.

Tell us about yourself.

I am a Commerce graduate from Poddar College, Mumbai. I do vocal arrangements in the film industry. I also sing and compose ad jingles. I've done a host of commercials for Tata Marina and Hutch. I am probably going to score the Pepsi commercial with Adnan Sami.

Usually, I work on the background score and music arrangements in films. But I also program songs for other people. In the last one year, I've been doing less of vocal arrangements and more of programming and production work. The process -- right from the time a song is just a tune and a melody in the composer's head -- till it's out on CD is called production. This is one of the significant aspects of my work.

When did you start of? How did music happen?

I was passionate about music but I didn't intend to pursue it seriously. I was gearing up for my MBA studies. I come from an academically-inclined family. My mother is a professor and my dad was an engineer. They were expectedly skeptical about me taking up music as a career. But I didn't see myself in a desk job, fighting my way through traffic every morning.

I participated in college festivals; I'd do a few recordings in college for pocket money. I started singing with Louis Banks (India's premier jazz pianist) and one thing led to another.

Amar Haldipur (ace arranger) -- who is my college friend Siddarth's (of Band of Boys fame) father -- noticed me and said he'd call me for recording some day. So he gave me my first break in a Marathi film titled Mukta. I did an English number in the film. That was my first ever recording and it also won a National award. That was the first time I saw the inside of a studio.

After that, I did sporadic recordings. I started singing a lot for jingles with Ehsaan and Loy. I have been a part of Shankar Mahadevan's [Images] album Nine as a vocal arranger. Then I started working with A R Rahman. When he endorses you, people actually sit up and notice you. Gradually, a lot of doors opened up for me.

Which Bollywood films have you worked on?

I've done a lot of vocal arrangements for A R Rahman in films like Taal [Images], Thakshak, Swades [Images] and a lot of South Indian films. I did the theme song and the Tamil version of O humdum in Alai Payuthey (the Tamil version of Saathiya [Images]).

I worked with Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy in films like Dil Chahta Hai [Images], Kal Ho Naa Ho and Bunty Aur Babli [Images].

I was actively involved with Vishal Bhardwaj on the songs as well as the background score in his film, Omkara [Images]. I did all the arranging and programming along with Hitesh Sonik (music arranger).

I did all the vocal arrangements for the background score with Salim-Suleman in Iqbal.

I sang I wanna spend the rest of my life with you in Neal N Nikki [Images]. I also worked with Ranjit Barot on Aks and Asoka.

How did David Dhawan's Parnter happen?

I did vocal arrangement on a few songs in Partner. Wajid (of Sajid-Wajid fame) called me up one day and asked me to come over to the studio for recording. 

The lead hook line that Wajid has sung -- Do you want a partner -- was actually supposed to be sung by me. Wajid asked me to sing that line but it didn't materialise. Somehow, it was not working in my voice. It wasn't powerful enough; it was more sophisticated. Wajid was a lot better in that context, so he did it.

How was it hobnobbing with Salman Khan [Images] and Govinda [Images]?

People from the audio department don't necessarily meet people from other departments unless they need to. So I never met them.

But I have met Ajay Devgan [Images] on a few occasions. I'm working on his directorial debut U, Me Aur Hum. So we have not met because he's an actor but because he's directing the film.

Tell us about your association with Sajid-Wajid.

I've known them for a while now. Their sound is very hard-hitting and commercial. It really grabs attention. They always work with hip people. The sounds are very new and edgy.

Anything interesting incidents you recall about Parnter?

Once, I lunched with Sajid and Wajid at the studio. They had brought home-made biryani. Their mother had made some awesome garlic chutney. I asked Wajid when could I expect another sumptuous meal like that. And I'm still waiting.

Tell us about your stint in Omkara.

Omkara was fun because I got a chance to work with Steven Fitzmaurice (sound engineer). It was quite a high working with an engineer of such an international standard. Moreover, I always wanted to work with Vishal Bhardwaj. He's such a wonderful person. He is a reservoir of boundless energy and ideas. He is unusually talented. He has a clear picture of what he wants. He will keep trying until he gets it right. I admire the way all the aspects of audio and video merge perfectly in all his films.

Anyone else you look up to?

I think Shanker-Ehsaan-Loy have done amazingly well. Ehsaan and Loy were always doing jingles and are from a western background while Shankar is so Indian. This collaboration has worked wonders for them.

Any tough times you sailed through?

I was initially just a vocalist in ad jingles. I had started working with Merlyn D'Souza (composer) and Ehsaan and Loy. I was never really cut out to be a jingle singer in that sense. To sing jingles, you need to be really versatile and I wasn't that versatile vocally. I was more into R& B and soul. I was always interested in what was going behind the vocals -- arrangements and production. So I made certain investments -- I got a keyboard and sampler. Yet, I wasn't getting that much work to recover my money. Things were not working out. It was a cyclic phase with several ups and downs.

I started working with Milind and Mukul who were doing small films and remix albums. I took up whatever came my way in terms of production. It was tough; I used to work long hours. Gradually, good things followed.

Any dreams?

My wife Dominique and I plan to make a gospel album. I really want to write gospel music because that's what I do in my spare time.

I'd love to work with international artistes and write songs for them. I think that gives you more recognition and fame. I have many English songs lying with me that will do well if released abroad.

What next?

I am looking forward to the background score of Anurag Kashyap's No Smoking (starring John Abraham and Ayesha Takia and Ajay Devgan's U, Me Aur Hum. I just worked on the score for Chak De India. I may work on Yash Raj's Aaja Nachle and Sanjay Gadhvi's Kidnap.

Culturally Worlds Apart, Children Touch Musically

favorite platitude of concerned New Yorkers these days is to lament the downfall of arts education, in a city where the arts are everything. But the news is not all bad, and at Zankel Hall on Friday, New York City public school students cashed in on their privileged location.

This event, in Carnegie Hall's annual series Global Encounters, was far from just another field trip to see the symphony. It was a simulcast music exchange in which 450 students in New York and 200 more in New Delhi listened to music together, chatted with one another and danced, with the help of a 22-foot-wide movie screen and some good speakers.

As the season opener for a distance-learning project devised by the Weill Music Institute, Carnegie Hall's educational arm, the presentation suggested that world music may be the new lingua franca between the arts establishment and diverse city students. It also showed how high-band-width video-conferencing technology can transform social studies and musical collaboration.

The event's host, Nick Spitzer, who produces the public-radio music show "American Routes," welcomed the New York students with an ambitious directive: "Our job is to make New York look good, and make America look good. This is a great chance to talk to the world."

A moment later, they were doing just that. The huge screen in Zankel Hall came to life with a real-time broadcast from the Sai International Center in New Delhi, where Indian students dressed in sharp blazers and ties gathered under the direction of the renowned Indian drummer Sandeep Das. Mr. Das and Mr. Spitzer greeted each other over the screen, and suddenly several hundred teenagers sat up. Even in the era of Internet and cell phones, this was pretty cool.

The students in both countries had been learning about each other's music, dance and history for several weeks in preparation for the live exchange. So the Americans knew they were hearing southern Indian music when they watched a 13-year-old violinist, Ambi Subramanian, playing live in New Delhi along with musicians on the mrindangam, a double-headed drum; the ghatam, a clay-pot-style drum; and the morsing, or jew's-harp.

The Indian students were similarly primed when a four-piece bluegrass band took the New York stage for a demonstration of traditional Appalachian music. As the group fiddled, it seemed entirely possible that the music - not to mention hillbilly culture, as portrayed in a short video - was as foreign to the New York students as to those in India.

Hollis Headrick, the director of the Weill Music Institute, points out that this emphasis on regionalism and on avoiding stereotypes is the key to this season's Global Encounters, a project now bolstered by the technological resources of Zankel Hall. Mr. Headrick said that Mr. Das, who has worked with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Project, wanted Indian students to see that there is more to American music than MTV.

Exposing students to northern and southern music in India alongside northern and southern music in America was one way to explore the complexity of regionalism. To that end Friday's program also included documentaries about each country's geography, a northern Indian giddha dance set to live music in New Delhi and a New Orleans brass band that strutted up the aisle of Zankel Hall playing explosive jazz.

David Johnson, a social studies teacher at Martin Van Buren High School in Queens Village, attended with 30 of his students. Mr. Johnson, who has participated in three previous distance-learning events through Global Encounters, called the high-tech spectacle "an apotheosis" in comparison with a straightforward concert or a dry classroom discussion. With the students allowed to communicate directly with their peers - as happened here when students on both sides lined up to ask each other questions about music, dance and life - they are "awakened to their role in the world and in New York City," Mr. Johnson said.

Meanwhile, as Mr. Das played tabla alongside Amar Ali Banglash on the sarod, a fretless string instrument, it became evident that the bluegrass and the Hindustani music had things in common: the combination of sweetly whining strings and rhythmic adrenaline, and a certain understated balance, with no particular instrument hogging attention.

Mr. Das compared his tabla playing with the sound of the subway rumbling alongside Zankel Hall: "Here comes the train from New Delhi to New York," he shouted over the screen, and tore into a rattling crescendo, which captured perfectly the event's relentless excitement.

The finale was a jam session over the oceans. The musicians in New Delhi established a rhythm, the bluegrass band in Zankel Hall gradually matched it, and eventually the brass band worked its way into the mix. Soon everybody was playing "Sweet Georgia Brown." A troupe of dancers in New Delhi twirled to the familiar refrain, their hands in the air, and the principal of Delhi Public School, Dwarka joined them as the American students clapped in time.

Global Encounters will continue at Zankel Hall through the spring, with professional development courses for New York teachers, a simulcast choir rehearsal involving students in three states in January and an interactive musical game between students in New York and Hawaii in February.

Music's New Mating Ritual

Indie Hindi, socaton, skurban. You may feel like you need a dictionary the next time you go shopping for music.

The music world is getting thick with hybrids, or cryptically named blends of established styles. Indie Hindi, for example, is traditional Indian vocals tinged with edgy American-style rock. Socaton is dance music that has elements of rap, calypso and reggae. The number of genres is up more than 40% over the past four years, by one measure -- Gracenote, which maintains the music-classification system used by major sites like Yahoo and iTunes, now recognizes more than 1,800 genres. It recently added "hyphy," a jittery form of hip-hop from the San Francisco area.

Defying standard genres has traditionally been a risky move for bands in part because it's difficult for retailers to figure out where to place them on the shelves. But increasingly, fans are finding music in less conventional ways -- like perusing strangers' online playlists, or following a trail of links on MySpace -- paving the way for bands to define themselves in more exotic ways. Bands are also keenly aware of the recent commercial success of blended genres like reggaeton, a Jamaican-Latin-rap mix, and popera, radio-friendly songs done with operatic vocals.

Even some genres that don't hit commercial high notes are finding followings. Take "nerdcore hip-hop," rap music that revolves around geeky subjects like videogames and J.R.R. Tolkien books. The father of the movement, Damian Hess, performs often around the country and says he makes a comfortable living selling his albums and merchandise. But nerdcore hasn't registered with mainstream listeners. Fans of the genre have fallen short in a petition drive to get MySpace to add nerdcore to its list of 127 genres.

Mr. Hess, who goes by "MC Frontalot," is hardly discouraged. "Top of the esoteric fringe is really the ideal place," says Mr. Hess, who sports a short-sleeve shirt and necktie on stage. See Mr. Hess's Web site.

Cinema on Indian Stamps

 

Dada Saheb Phalke

Issued in 1971 to mark Birth Centenary

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Prithivraj Kapoor & Pritvi Theatre	V. Shantaram
Issued in 1995 to mark 50 years of Prithvi Theatre	Issued in 2001 in commemoration

 

Guru Dutt

Issued in 2004 in commemoration

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Satyajit Ray (1921-1992)

Issued in 1994 in commemoration

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Nargis Dutt	Raj Kapoor
Issued in 1993 in commemoration	Issued in 2001in commemoration

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Kundan Lal Saigal	Pankai Mullick (1905-1978)
Issued in 1995 in commemoration	Issued in 2006 in commemoration

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Hemant Kumar (1920-1989)	Kishore Kumar (1929-1987)
Issued in 2003 in Commemoration	Issued in 2003 in Commemoration

Mohd. Rafi (1924-1980)	Mukesh (1923-1976)
Issued in 2003 in Commemoration	Issued in 2003 in Commemoration

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Dinanath Mangeshkar	Firaq Gorakhpuri
Issued in 1993 in commemoration	Issued in 1997 in commemoration

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N.T.Rama Rao

Issued in 2000 in commemoration

 

Ghantasala

Issued in 2003 in commemoration

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M.G.Ramachandran	Shivaji Ganeshan
Issued in 1990 in commemoration	Issued in 2001 in commemoration

 

Gemini Ganesan (1920-2005)

Issued in 2006 in commemoration

 

S.S.Vasan (1904-1969)	K.Subramanyam (1904-1971)
Issued in 2004 on his Birth Centenary	Issued in 2004 on his Birth Centenary

 

A.V.Meiyappan "AVM" (1907-1979)

Issued in 2006 in commemoration

 

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Jyotiprasad Agarwalla (1903-1951)

Issued in 2004 in commemoration

 

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Charlie Chaplin

Issued in 1978 in commemoration

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75 Years of Indian Cinema

Issued in 1989 - Scene from Raja Harishchandra

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100 Years of Cinema

Issued in 1995 - Film, Globe and Early Equipment

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6th International Film Festival

Issued in 1977

Children's Film Society

Issued in 2005 to mark the Golden Jubilee (1955-2005)

LONDON: Noted Indian director Shekhar Kapur's sequel to the 1998 film 'Elizabeth' has just opened across theatres here and has already made news with Catholics angrily branding it as 'anti-papist propaganda'.

Kapur, the director of popular Bollywood films such as 'Mr India', 'Masoom' and 'Bandit Queen', is the unlikely interpreter of Tudor history, and of that seminal moment in Britain's story - the repulsing of the Spanish Armada.

The sequel to his acclaimed 'Elizabeth', titled 'Elizabeth: The Golden Age', stars Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Hollander, Abbie Cornish and Samantha Morton. It is billed as a thrilling tale of an era - the story of one woman's crusade to control love, crush enemies and secure her position as a beloved icon of the western world.

The film's synopsis says: "As Elizabeth's cousin Mary Stuart conspires with Philip of Spain to topple the throne, Sir Francis Walsingham, Elizabeth's trusty advisor works tirelessly to protect her from the many plots and conspiracies against her.

"Preparing to go to war to defend her empire, Elizabeth struggles to balance royal duties with an unexpected vulnerability in her attraction to Raleigh."

But as people thronged to theatres, criticism mounted, mainly from Catholics from Rome, about the alleged distortion of history portrayed in the film. Kapur and the film's producers have so far not commented on the criticism.

According to Franco Cardini, a historian with close ties with the Vatican, the film "so profoundly and perversely distorts history (that it) cannot be judged a good film".

The Daily Telegraph reported him as saying from Rome: "The enemy is always the same - Catholicism and above all the Holy See and the pope. The offence is continuous and very dire."

Elegance — that’s the first word that comes to mind when you see Soha Ali Khan. Even if she’s in jeans and a casual white top. On Monday afternoon, in her room at a city hotel, we came across a very affable Soha.

“How is Kolkata? How was Durga Puja?” she asks. Photo session over, it’s time for a chat.

 
She’s looking amazing in the posters of Sudhir Mishra’s Khoya Khoya Chaand. “Thank you,” she replies and adds without a blink, “No, I am not playing Waheeda Rehman.” That clears the air on reports that KKC is based on the love story between Guru Dutt and Waheeda.

“The character is a fictional one which is inspired by so many beautiful heroines of the ’50s, a period Sudhir is a huge fan of. Nikhat (her character’s name) has a bit of Meena Kumari, Madhubala, Nargis and Waheedaji, who worked in that period.”

KKC, she says, is the story of a heroine, her ambition, conflicts in love and relationships. “In one sense it is a very honest film and a positive one from Sudhir. It talks about the celebration of cinema with a message,” she says. 

But comparisons are bound to creep in with past prima donnas of the silver screen. Soha stays cool as she adjusts the recorder.

"When you are playing a legendary actor from the ’50s, the fear is that you will be compared to people of that time period because the get up is the same."“When you are playing a legendary actor from the ’50s, the fear is that you will be compared to people of that time period because the get up is the same. The effort is not to imitate them…but to try and capture a time period. And you have to trust your director,” she says, adding, “I feel I was up to the challenge.”

There was a shot where she Sudhir said that she looked like her amma, Sharmila Tagore, too. “My mother was a fashion icon in the ’60s. And there are so many get-ups of mine in the film. When we shot the ’60s portion of the film, there will be certain features we have in common because she is my mother.”

Soha is busy with good scripts — UTV’s Mumbai Meri Jaan, based on the Mumbai train blast last year, a horror film with UTV, a comedy with Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Ltd and then there’s Sudhir’s next, Tera Kya Hoga Johnny.

She has never shied away from taking up challenges, be it, Crossroads, Ahista Ahista or her debut film, Iti Srikanto. “It’s all about good scripts and let me make it very clear that I am not in films for money or fame. The idea is to enjoy work and make an impact.” Yet banners are important since “packaging and marketing a film is important”.

 
There is another side to Soha. She is a very popular brand ambassador. We ask her about that. “The products that I choose have to be marketed well. I have to like the campaign, the way the ads are shot and so on.” She reaches her destination and we have to part ways.

Only the best preferred

A study of the history of the Hindi film music industry reveals that in the golden era (1940s and 1950s) so much talent was available that music composers tried different singers for various stars. Once the system settled down, certain groups emerged and survived for years, observes V. GANGADHAR.

God created music ... Yes.

God created the Mangeshkars ... Okay.

God created Monopoly ... Did He?

I AM also not sure about the third answer. But many people who follow Hindi film music, associate not God but the Mangeshkars, particularly Lata and Asha (Bhosle) as the creators of Monopoly. Experts in the field had argued eloquently and also written books on how Lata and to a lesser extent, Asha, through their machinations, had kept down rival talent and played havoc with the careers of budding singers.

But several keen followers of the music industry denied the allegations against the Mangeshkar sisters. They did not want to be quoted. ``This controversy is dead, so why start it all over again'' asked a well- known music director from the past. ``In every field, the best are preferred. It was the same with Hindi film music,'' he explained.

Yes, monopoly in the world of film music did exist in the past. But it did not apply only to the Mangeshkars. From the 1950s to the mid-80s, Lata Mangeshkar and then Asha Bhosle cornered most of the songs tuned in by talented music directors. At the same time, can we deny that the 1960s saw the total domination of Mohammed Rafi among the male voices and that he sang for practically every hero, from Mahipal to Shammi Kapoor? The same Rafi was subsequently eclipsed by Kishore Kumar. After the resounding success of ``Aradhana'', Kishore enjoyed a golden period which was even longer than that of Rafi. And if we consider music directors, did not Shankar-Jaikishan have a tremendous streak during the 1960s? They provided music to an astounding 25 top films from 1960-65.

Yet no one talked of the Rafi, Kishore or Shankar-Jaikishan monopoly. Why then single out the Mangeshkar monopoly? The Mangeshkars are still alive and they have had the longest tenure in the world of film music. When a singer or music director passed away, details and controversies of his career were buried along with him.

A study of the history of Hindi film music industry tells us that in the golden era, between the late 1940s and 1950s, so much talent was available that music directors experimented with different singers for different stars. Thus, even Mukesh sang for Dev Anand (``Vidya''), Rafi for Raj Kapoor (``Dastaan'') and even Kishore Kumar for Raj (``Pyar''). Once the system settled down, certain groups emerged which survived for years. Naushad saab always chose Rafi for Dilip Kumar, Mukesh was the natural playback for Raj Kapoor with Shankar-Jaikishan as music directors while S. D. Burman preferred Hemant Kumar and then Kishore Kumar for Dev Anand. Sometimes, there were exceptions, when Talat Mahmood sang several memorable songs for Dilip Kumar (``Daag'', ``Babul'', ``Sangdil'' and ``Tarana''). Manna Dey did the same for Raj Kapoor.

There was less competition among women singers and Lata asserted her superiority. A singer herself, actress Suraiya preferred Lata to sing for her. Shamshad Begum's slightly harsh voice did not suit the emerging soft heroines, Geeta Dutt had to contend with personal problems. Other singers in the field like Kamal Barot, Sudha Malhotra, Meena Kapur and Suman Kalyanpur were no match for the Mangeshkars. In the era of golden compositions, the music directors and audiences wanted only Lata. It was not monopoly, but the need of the hour.

Monopoly, in the field of music, is a harsh term. It implies ruthlessness, putting down rivals in the field. While the media speculated on the issue, there had never been clear proof of Lata and later Asha, being guilty of doing this. Observed one of the new wave music directors, ``Even today, given the choice, we will run after Lata didi. Do you know that in the past, some of the music directors wanted Lataji to sing for them so much, they shelled out some extra cash from their own pockets, if the producer was not able to afford her rates?''

The music world was unanimous that the other singers were not a patch on Lata and Asha. ``Vani Jairam had a heavy voice with poor diction. Runa Laila was too modern, Usha Mangeshkar had no voice to speak of. Suman Kalyanpur came closest to Lata in voice and range but lacked staying power.

 That was why she was called the poor man's Lata'', explained a producer who had a string of musical hits.

While talking about the Mangeshkar monopoly, we should also remember that the rival singers were often the choice of music directors who were not in the top bracket. Vani often sang for Vasant Desai and occasionally for Ravi Shankar, who were not in the rat race. Runa Laila, Sulakshana Pandit, Kanchan, Hemlata, Indrani Mukherjee and others were chosen by music director who really did not count for much in Bollywood.

How true was the allegation that Lata was not grateful enough to producers and composers who built up her career? Some of her immortal numbers were no doubt composed by Shankar-Jaikishan who, however, dug their own grave when they opted for Sharada over Lata. Then Jaikishan who was clearly not happy with the choice died. Shankar lost his direction and blamed Lata for this decline. This was not justified. Similarly, Raj Kapoor thought he could get along without Lata, who was a lucky mascot for RK films. Came ``Mera Naam Joker'' without Lata and it sank without a trace. Raj saab quickly got back to Lata.

If the Mangeshkar monopoly, throttled talent in Hindi films, how did one explain the success of music director Ravi, who while scoring music for B. R. Chopra films, preferred Asha? Or take the success of the inimitable O. P. Nayyar who, without ever using Lata, scored dozens of hits in the 1960s? We cannot deny that Lata split with C. Ramachandra and later with S. D. Burman on personal issues. But such splits were common in the high profile Hindi film industry and Lata and Dada Burman quickly made up.

Today, no one mentions monopoly in the world of film music. It is open to anyone. Any song can be sung by anyone. The heroines do not have their own favourite singers. If Alka Yagnik were not available, the songs went to Kavita Krishnamoorthy and it went the other way too. But music directors would be happier if they had Lata or Asha sing their classical numbers. Thus Lata-Asha sang for ``Utsav'' and ``Lekin''. Asha had the best numbers in ``Umrao Jaan''. Who can forget the soft, sweet numbers sung by Lata in films like ``Henna'' and ``Nachhe Mayuri''?

As far as Lata is concerned, the argument that any singer could sing any song did not work. Alka Yagnik was chosen to replace Lata who was too ill to sing a particular soft number in ``Prem Granth''. The song did not click. Most music lovers firmly believed that no singer (new or old) could sing numbers like ``Ayega Aanewala'', ``Tandi Hawaiyaeen'' or ``Aaje Re Pardesi'' immortalised by Lata. Have Alka and Kavita sung numbers which we feel could not be sung by anyone else? This is the test of a true singer. Anuradha Poduwal, with the help of the late Gulshan Kumar, re- recorded several Lata melodies, but the effect was not the same. Let us admit it, Lata was incomparable. She was so much better than her rivals that she did not need a monopoly.

From ‘Minnalae’ to ‘Unnalae...’

S.R.ASHOK KUMAR

Harris Jayaraj on his successful career as a composer.

A household name: Harris Jayaraj

Music director Harris Jayaraj has done 18 films in Tamil. From his first film ‘Minnalae,’ his songs have found a special place in the minds of people, and his recent films ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu’ and ‘Unnalae Unnalae 217; have made him a household name. He has another half a dozen films in his kitty. Harris Jayaraj talks about his way of working and also his forthcoming ventures. Excerpts from the interview:

What kind of person is Harris Jayaraj?

I talk less and observe more. I am a calm person. I like humour and I am God fearing.

Before and after ‘Minnalae’

I was a busy keyboard player. ‘Minnalae’ happened suddenly. Cameraman Rajasekar came to me with Gautham Menon for a jingle. After a few months he came up with a film proposal. Then through Gautham I was introduced to Dr. Murali Manohar.

You don’t accept too many films. Why?

Music is my passion. I can sleep well every day only after I am convinced I have created good music. I choose films which suit my music taste and which will make my fans happy.

You may have been introduced in ‘Minnalae’ but it was also other films which made you popular.

‘Minnalae’ was a city-based subject and did it not do very well in other areas? Two films, which made me a known name among all sections, were ‘Kaakka Kaakka’ and ‘Samy.’ Particularly ‘Samyshowed me that I can give songs for rural folks also.

Then came ‘Chellamae,’ ‘Anniyan,’ ‘Gajini,’ ‘Vettaiyaadu Villaiyaadu’ and now ‘Unnalae Unnalae.’ By God’s grace all have hit songs.

About your training in music.

I did the music course in Trinity College, London, and passed the eighth grade. When

I was six or seven years old, I began learning Carnatic music.

Then came guitar lessons from Abdul Sattar. Later I grabbed the synthesiser and got used to modern technology. For this there was no tutor.

Who are your favourite music directors?

In the West, Hans Zimmer and James Newman, in the North it is Salil Chowdhry and in Tamil it is M.S.Viswanathan. But I listen to all composers.

What do you have to say about the music directors you’ve worked for?

I am happy to place on record that I’ve worked with gems like A.R.Rahman and Sivamani. I was known as ‘keyboard’ Jayaraj then. I never dreamt of becoming a composer. I had just wanted to play for famous International music composers.

Earlier, music directors completed hundreds of films in a short span. Comment.

They have abundant talent and both M.S.Viswanathan and Ilaiyaraja have their own group of talented musicians permanently in their orchestra. Earlier, the practice was that they would compose the songs and the musicians would play it. So they were able to record even two songs in a day. Now things are different. I compose the tune and sit with the lyricist. Sometimes it takes even 10 days for a song. Then I do the recording and mixing myself.

People say that your songs from ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu” and ‘Unnalae Unnalae’ are similar. I don’t think so. However, at some point my own songs could have influenced me. If the directors spot it a nd point it out, I will certainly change it.

Why are you always using Bombay Jayashree’s voice?

There are many favourites, like S.P.Balasubramaniam and K.S.Chitra. I did not know her before the ‘Vaseegara’ song. I heard this charge and so I decided to use Madhushree’s voice for the ‘Unakkul Naanae’ song in ‘Pachaikili Muthucharam.’ Madushree had sung it remarkably. A week before the audio release Gautham Menon felt that something was missing in the song and we recorded it again with Bombay Jayashree. Both the songs are in the album. I have no favourites.

Why have you not worked in village-based subjects?

I am eagerly waiting for one.

What is your speciality as far as composing is concerned?

After the release of ‘Minnalae’ I understood that background score is very important for a film and I began to concentrate more on it. My song bits and background score have even been released as a separate album.

What is new about your forthcoming ventures?

My forthcoming films include ‘Bheema,’ ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ and ‘Dhaam Dhoom.’ As for other films, I have not begun working on them so I can’t say anything now. For ‘Bheema’ I have decided to compose melodies. Why should we always underestimate the taste of people?

What do you want to be remembered as?

As a quality music maker.

Old songs are still popular. Do you think your songs will endure?

I hope so. I think I have produced some soulful numbers.

Which do you prefer? Live orchestra or computer generated music?

My roots are in live orchestra. But now I fuse both acoustics and electronic music for convenience. Both are good.

Will you work as a keyboard player now?

Why not? If I’m called I would certainly go and work. I earned money and name as a keyboard player. I bought my house and music instruments then. I am ready to play for anybody.