The Mastiii 4 Puzzle!
The recent release, Mastiii 4, features a song that is absent from all sources that show the tracks in the film. Appearing towards the climax, it seems to be an excerpt from Anand Raaj Anand’s popular composition, ‘Dil de diya hai’ from the first Masti (2004), which was written by Sameer. When the film has characters (and even a title-track) that make constant references to its predecessors Masti, Grand Masti and Great Grand Masti, I wonder why this song is not credited or mentioned. After all, it was hugely popular then and remains the only melodious track in all the four soundtracks!
The AI Experiment
The ‘duet’ between Sonu Nigam and the AI-generated Mohammed Rafi at a concert in Kashmir poses pertinent questions at a time when noted singers have protested and taken action against the use of their own voices and work though it. The Times Entertainment portal states that the audience and online fans have praised the performance, calling it “The right way to use AI.” Sonu has stated that AI “should be treated as an assistant, not a boss”, but we would tend to agree more with Shaan, who heard the AI use of Kishore Kumar ‘crooning’ ‘Saiyaraa’ originally sung by Arslan Nizami, Faheem Abdullah and Tanishk Bagchi, terming it as “cruel” and “wrong”. There is no end to this menace seemingly.
Abhijeet’s Clarion Call
Time was when Laxmikant-Pyarelal would often call musicians for a recording in case they would be needed for a song. Even if these talents finally never played on it, they would be paid! This was because Pyarelal would write and finalize the musical arrangement of a song at the recording studios itself on the same morning. But today, singer Abhijeet Bhattacharya in a conversation with ANI, has rightfully stated that musicians are “sitting at home”, devoid of work, because of AI as well. Mentioning a composer for whom he has recorded just one song in the 1990s, he said that he was largely responsible for this by generating music on the laptop. “Call it artificial but don’t call it intelligent!” thundered the singer who never minces words, adding, “Even now, in my stage concerts, I need 20 live musicians!”
Re-Creations Now…
Re-creations of timeless songs has been a craze in Hindi cinema in the last decade, though it is showing signs of slowing down a bit in the last two years. This is also because not only are non-film iconic hits also used in movies but even film classics are being made into non-film singles. Imaginative use of the mukhda over which a new song is made is a regular pattern. The latest such example is ‘Zihaal-e-miskin’, the Lata Mangeshkar-Shabbir Kumar duet from Ghulami (1985), written by Gulzar and composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal. The new song’s additional lyrics are by Kunaal Verma and the music by Javed-Mohsin. Shreya Ghoshal (a self-confessed fan of L-P) and Vishal Mishra have sung the reinvented classic filmed with an innovative video.
…And Re-Creations Then!
However, it is not that re-creations were never done earlier. Take ‘Allah megh de paani de’ (God, give us rain), a prayer song that was first recorded by Bangladeshi vocalist Abbasuddin Ahmed, a Bhatiyali singer rooted in traditions of the Muslim peasantry of Bengal. Apart from in Pakistan, the song has been ‘re-created’ with original lines thrice in Hindi films. Shailendra wrote the S.D. Burman-composed and rendered version in his own individualistic way, ‘Allah megh de, paani de, chhaya de’ in the 1965 Guide. In 1978, L-P and Gulzar again gave us the popular Kishore Kumar-Asha Bhosle version ‘Allah megh de paani de’ in Palkon Ki Chhaon Mein filmed on Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini. And Bappi Lahiri composed and rendered another version for Amaanat (1994) with lyrics by Maya Govind.
The Film Dr. Bhupen Hazarika Turned Down
We all know that Dr. Bhupen Hazarika made his Hindi debut with Aarop (1974), produced and directed by Guru Dutt’s brother, Atma Ram. But what I came to know recently was that Atma Ram had earlier offered him the Dev Anand-Sharmila Tagore North-East India-based biggie, Ye Gulistan Hamara. However, the maestro turned down the film, telling the producer that only S.D. Burman would do justice to the story and backdrop. The film was a disaster as it happened, but the music was a masterpiece of creativity in melody and folk. Such was the selflessness then among the greats in music.
The Unique S.D. Burman-Danny Denzongpa Connection
Talking of S.D. Burman, having heard Danny Denzongpa sing, he assigned him the Ye Gulistan Hamara song, ‘Mera naam Aao mere paas aao’ with no less than Lata Mangeshkar as co-singer. Those were the days of live recordings and the actor came out with flying colours. Filmed on Johnny Walker and Jayshree T. in a comic romantic sequence, it became one of the most popular songs on the soundtrack. As actor, Danny was little more than a year-old then. But the strangest part was that this song was to be his only connection with Dada Burman, as he never got to act in any film of his! Incidentally, Dada was prone to using (and even reinventing) established singers but never one to introduce new talent!
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