Songs and music have always been an integral part of Indian films. Sometimes they work as a catalyst to move the story forward while the other times they are included in an episodic interval to break the monotony. But from past several years, the music has changed itself from an art to the business.
Explaining how songs should be used as a compliment to the film and not just a filler, Karan Oberoi says,
“Songs are important in a film if they contribute to its narrative, not otherwise. These days, they are basic promotional tools to market your film with radio play, digital downloads, FCT s etc and that’s fine to a certain extent. If there are popular songs in a film, woven correctly into its storyline, it serves a purpose. But if they are just an added allure, you cannot expect the film to work purely on the strength of its songs. At the end, the narrative needs to be engaging.”
Understanding the rising interest of people towards melody, Indian filmmakers have also relied on songs to express emotions which cannot be explained verbally. From anger, to love, friendship, hatred, sympathy and what not, versatility in Indian music is an asset to cherish.
Speaking of the most popular and liked genre in the Indian music, Karan says,
“There is no specific genre that one can predict to work for an entire audience because we all have individual tastes in art. Having said that, a melodic song tends to last longer in people’s memories as compared to arrangement and sound based songs, like rap and EDM, as far as Indians are concerned.”
Anyway, let’s hope that in crucial economic equations, we won’t lose the sensitivity and beauty of this art form!
