Main Zindagi Ka Saath Nibhata Chala Gaya... | RS Unplugged

4th of December, will always remain a black day in Indian cinema, because it brought to us the sudden demise of the legendary 'Dev Anand' Ji. A soul whose style and persona will be there in this world forever.

There are some people who come and go, and then there are some people who make their way into the world in such a way that they never go. Dev ji is a person who came with a style... his own style... his own trademark... that kept him in a completely different league.

We all know there are endless movies which he has contributed into, to make them classics. And the same goes with the music. His style of dancing, with his hands hanging down loosely accompanied by his innocent face and a childish smile, simply makes those lovely tunes, sound and look even better. His presence in the songs just gives me a feeling that no one else could have been here, as if he had composed the songs just for himself.

Khoya khoya chand, Tujhe jivan ki dor se baandh liya hai, Gata rahe mera dil, Pal bhar k liye koi, Hai apna dil to awara, Abhi na jao chhod kar and countless many. All the black and whites are just classics! It's really hard to choose your favorite one. With such melodies showcasing him, I am pretty that sure Dev ji had a good taste of music! However, as the years passed on, his choice changed. 

From Mohd. Rafi to Kishore Kumar, from S.D. Burman to Kalyanji-Anandji, there is nobody in who hasn't had a classic with him. But yes! I don't remember Mukesh singing for him. Maybe you guys can correct me in this, by finding a song where Mukesh sang for him.

He had always believed that youth is forever, and it clearly reflected in the way he did things. The legend will always be remembered through his fabulous songs, where his youth will be preserved... forever!

MAY HIS SOUL REST IN PEACE.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

Bollywood Music In H'Wood | RS Unplugged

Well, how many of you have watched ‘Inside Man’? ... Yes, the movie featuring Denzel Washington, Clive Owen and Jodie Foster. If you have watched it, then you can certainly guess what I am going to speak to you about, today. And, for all those who haven’t watched it, I am not breaking the suspense now but I will just give you a hint… it starts and ends with a filmi blockbuster song! (Do let me know if you liked it or hated it or found it bizarre!J)

I have already spoken a lot about filmi music, its growing scope and its growing popularity. Today, let’s focus on one of the outcome of its popularity.

You must be knowing about ‘Moulin Rouge’ (By Baz Luhrmann) and the song ‘chamma chamma’(by Anu Malik, from the movie China Gate) being showcased in it as OST. It was the first case when I heard a Hindi song being featured in an English movie as OST, and the way it blended into it was simply fantastic! Luhrmann was inspired by Bollywood musicals when he made it. And this is not the only case; there are a lot many instances where the Hollywood filmmakers preferred Bollywood (or Indian) music instead of English tracks, as their OST. The movie ‘Lord of War’ also featured some Tamil songs as OST, my favorite in it being the theme music of BOMBAY (by A.R. Rahman). The movie ‘Ghost World’ featured the song ‘Jaan Pehechan ho’ from Gumnaam (1965). Similar was the scene with ‘The Accidental Husbands’, in which many Indian songs were featured, one of which was ‘Rang de’ from Thakshak (by A.R. Rahman).

Bombay Dreams was a musical that was well acclaimed by the international audience. It was fabricated entirely from Bollywood music. But, ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ can be considered as the best example of the growing popularity of Bollywood music in Hollywood and a perfect example of how filmi music is taking a place in the world of OSTs, in Hollywood films. And by grabbing Oscars, it just certified this.

Such measures purely showcase the internationalization of music. Music should never be compacted in geographical boundaries. Pakistani music has been inspiring Bollywood music since years, but in this case the cultural difference is quite less. Indian music entering into English movies is certainly a bigger step towards the internationalization of music. Language, in this case, matters less than the meaning and the melody. In the end it doesn’t matter whether Indian films feature western tracks or the vice-versa. All that matters is that the music is getting its due recognition, which is, in fact, of prime importance. RS hopes and wishes that this trend continues.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla

The Music Of Bollywood | RS Unplugged

The massiveness of music can be, in a way, traced by the number of genres it can be categorized into. In our world itself we have innumerable genres, however today I am taking on a genre which has been significantly making its mark in the world’s music. Filmi, described as ‘of/from films’ (from Bollywood). The word is often used in daily-life for everything related to our movies. However, it actually has been declared as a genre of music.

Filmi songs are composed as an integral part of the Bollywood feature films, which show actors dancing on them, and aid to the narrative of the film. Often the soundtrack is more popular than the movie, or a movie will become a hit just because it has good music! (However, it’s not the case anymore; a bad movie cannot be saved even by good music!). Lately, a new trend has also begun where a few songs don’t appear in the movie, but just act as “audience-grabbers”.

Now, what does filmi music comprise of?? ...

Well, it has a vast, yet a simple answer … anything to everything!!

Yes, that is the reason why when we think about it, we don’t think about rock or jazz or blues or pop or anything else, but just ‘filmi’ music, because it has them all. Varying from Qawwalis to rock, from classical Indian music to the grooviest remixes, it encompasses everything. It can infact be considered as the fusion of all the other genres, but keeping that filmi touch intact in it. And courtesy to some of our finest composers (read that as Pritam, Anu Malik, & even R.D.Burman, & many more), we get to hear music from all over the world. ;)

The major reason why filmi music is reaching out to the world today is because of the tremendous increase in the popularity of Bollywood. We can also see many English artists doing fusion with Indian composers, (Not to forget that Akon is singing a song in hinglish in RaOne!) & with Mr.A.R. Rehman winning the Oscar, landmark has already been set.

Infact, this is just the beginning. Bollywood classics are still unexplored by the world. With a plethora of colors and variety that it holds, filmi music is surely a big bang in the world music.

Written By: Rishabh Shukla