'We cannot say that there is no good music'

Candid talk

They tend to give inspirations and experiences through their music. From breath-taking Breathless to the soothing tracks of Dil Chahta Hai, the music trio Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa need no introduction. Of the three, Mahadevan got candid with Metrolife speaking about how Bollywood music has evolved over the years.

What according to you is the current music scene in India?

The music scene will always be the same. There’s ‘good music’ and there’s ‘bad music’. For any scenario, there are only these two kinds of music. Both are co-existing and they co-exist in the entire world.

Can you name the ‘good music’ and the ‘bad music’?

I can definitely name the good music. I love the song Vishal Shekhar did for Happy New Year – Manwa Laage. I like some of the songs that we have done, not just because they are done by us, but because they are also ‘good music’. I  like the song Ove Jaaniya from Katti Batti, O rangrez from Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and many other similar songs. So we cannot say that there is no good music. It’s probably just because of overdose of information that we feel that. You say that purane zamane mei bahut ache songs hua karte the. But even in those times we had a lot of mediocre songs, but there was no way that those songs could reach out to you.

What are the struggles faced by musicians in the present times?

The struggle is pretty much the same. It’s not about creating that one hit track. It’s about sustaining. Also, making music, which you don’t feel ashamed of, is a challenge for newcomers. Just to make your song a hit, one should not use vulgar lyrics. Instead, one should make stuff which is musically and aesthetically simple.

We have shows like Coke Studio these days, which provide the alternative kind of music along with the general peppiness that Indian audiences are fond of. What about that kind of music?

I always refuse to believe that it can be only about Bollywood in the country. There’s a lot of folk music and classical music in our country. We must first learn to respect them and keep them up at a pedestal. We should also make efforts to promote a non-film song—which probably has some amount of classical influence—to the same extent as we would promote a superhero song. However, Coke Studio is a perfect example of how alternative music has worked. Just the way you bombard an item song three million times, you bombard a Coke Studio song or a song with new genre and people will welcome it with an open heart. We must take the
initiative.

Has Bollywood music evolved in some way, in all these years?

Music keeps changing, it keeps evolving. It’s like fashion. It’s like the food you eat, or just like the new friends you make. But with changes, influences and inspirations, you have to maintain the sanctity and aesthetics of the music.

Do you believe that musicians are able to sustain in Bollywood only for a certain period of time?

If you are musician of a very high calibre, if your aesthetics of music are very high and if you are an educated musician, I think you are definitely going to stay for a long time.