'We will rock you!'

There was a time when people would wait to see their loved ones sing on a show like Sa Re Ga Ma, Antakshari or Meri Awaz Suno. But over the years, music shows have taken a new shape altogether. After forming pop groups and digging out ‘Idols’, these programmes have now turned their attention towards bands. Shows like MTV Rock On and Idea Rocks India are gaining immense popularity amongst the youth. Metrolife speaks to a few musicians to find out their take on these shows.

Says music-director Justin of the duo Justin-Uday, who have composed music for films like Hijack and Sikandar and have a band called The Fuzitives, “These shows are merely meant to increase the TRP ratings. You are remembered as long as you are on television.”

He adds, “The orientation of these shows is completely different from the reality. Once the participants come out of the show, they have to start from scratch.” Justin feels that in India, only film music sells. “But thanks to movies like Rock On, rock music has been brought into feature films.”

His partner Uday is happy at the opportunities that youngsters are getting. “But reality shows are not real,” he laughs. “At the end of the day, people with most votes win and the real talent gets hidden.”

Vijay, the drummer of the popular Bangalore-based band Synaps, is glad to note that rock has become a prime time view on television. “There are too many stunt and singing based shows. So it’s good to see the concept of a band being pushed forward,” he says. “But the question is what happens to these bands after the show? Most of the times, things die out after the TRPs are out.”

Another interesting point that Vijay has, is that even if a band splits up, the lead singer may always get more opportunities than the instrumentalists. “How long did the Channel V Popstars winners Viva last? The members are going solo now but they are getting opportunities only because singing will always get high footfalls. But for an instrumentalist to go solo is really tough.”

Well-known musician Raghu Dixit wishes such talent hunts were present ten years ago. “I’d have got a break easily,” he laughs. “But on a serious note, it’s good for budding musicians. And thankfully, these shows are not just about rock music.” However, Raghu feels it is upto the individual musicians to live upto the title. “They should keep their head on their shoulders and carry their hardwork forward, instead of just basking in 15 minutes of glory.”

Says Vasundhara Das, who is one of the judges on Idea Rocks India, “There should be a fine balance between music and technology but nowadays, if you are not tech-savvy in the music industry, you are ignored. Drummers are being replaced and most sarangi players have died out as all these instruments have been replaced by technological equipment.”

She adds, “So I am really happy that these shows don’t focus only on solo singers but also on music being played live. It takes so many years for one to master an instrument. If a musician who has put in so much of effort into his art gets his due through my show, then me being here is worth it.”