BHUBANESWAR: From Natya Shastra to contemporary Bollywood songs, Indian music has evolved through time. The music of a hymn or song undergoes major changes due to modern adaptations. Old Bollywood songs like Laila Main Laila, The Humma Song, Ek Do Teen, Dilbar among others are tweaked deliberately to cater to the demands of the younger generation. This process is called remixing.
These remixes evoke multiple emotions from the target audience. Usually, these are warmly received by the current crop of young people. However, lovers of the original track object to the deliberate distortion of the music. They allege that the original theme and emotions expressed in the original tracks are usurped by these changes. A recurring complaint states that the pure love espoused by old songs is replaced by sensuality as it is more appealing to young masses.
composers are of the idea that no music album is complete without a couple of rehashed songs. However, the remix industry loses the melodious appeal of the song by this. As the audience listens to music which is provided to them, it is the duty of the music composers to serve music which is unblemished. To delve deeper into the subject, Orissa Post interacted with some singers and also music directors.
Odia Music Director Aarohi Ajita said, “The current trend of the music is healthy for the industry. Old songs are converted into remixes which are loved by the younger generation. If the audience crave songs which are set at a rapid pace and which have rock music then that is exactly what should be served to them. Everything should change as per time. The techniques used in old songs were not as advanced as they are today. The industry has also developed a lot. Therefore, I find nothing wrong in the new Anarkali or Laila.
Odia playback singer Ipseeta Panda said, “Old is gold. We should not tweak the original song as it is unique. The tune and theme of the music is severely distorted in the newer version. There would have been no complaints if the melody and charm of the old songs were preserved in the new adaptations. However, the song loses its original appeal as music is the soul of a song. Nowadays, even amateur music composers are recreating an old song which testifies the fact that it is not that difficult a thing to do. Even we make remixes of old songs which are not liked by me as the song loses its originality.”
On being enquired, playback singer Madhav Dash said, “Some songs have a deeper meaning, feelings and emotions attached to it which the music composer wants to express. Remixing these songs is a bad idea as it degrades the depth of that song. We should not change the style or lyrics of any song.
Modern adaptations of old songs may increase its number of views on social media platforms. However, there is no denying the fact that it overshadows the purpose for which the song was originally written.
NIDHI SINHA, OP
