Neighbors' envy, Owners pride-Ind & Pak Music/Arts!
Indian films and film music are hugely popular, not just in India or Indian sub-continent or South Asia, but I would say all the World over with fair justification(we are 1.22 billion and add % of China, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore then some more from middle east, Africa and finally the Yanks!). The Math holds up very well you see....
Separated at birth, our hamsaaye mulkh, Pakistan could not be faulted for being jealous at the size,success,popularity of Indian films given their movie Industry never took off or some would unkindly remark actually never existed. Remarkably this resulted in a wholly unintentional(in my estimation only) but hugely beneficial effect on their Mauseki/Music. Indian films and film music because of
their pan India reach and almost hypnotic control of the masses, classes, elite, government babus, basically everyone have essentially swallowed all the fine arts into movie form. Music, Literature, Lyricists, Poets were top of the agenda.....anything that could be profitably used on Celluloid was grabbed from its origins and supplanted summarily into Movie 'Industry'. This trend could have produced livelihoods,popularity,prestige(in some cases), plenty of moolah(not universal) but it also rendered the fine arts themselves a little stunted. Their independent growth could not be imagined unless attuned to movie industry(much like all 'tech' skills landing in IT Industry)requirements. Traditional forms of Music, Literature, Poetry were pushed to the fringes so to speak. An excellent poetry rendition still would attract an audience but only birds of same feather(కొంచం నా కవిత చదివి చెప్పండి , ఋనముంచుకోనూలె!) would flock to strictly indoor arena/s. Music in Hindustani or Carnatic flavors is still is pretty much alive, relatively flourishing but in a very limited sense of attracting NRI flock. It's a sweeping generalization but I would think not too far off the mark.
their pan India reach and almost hypnotic control of the masses, classes, elite, government babus, basically everyone have essentially swallowed all the fine arts into movie form. Music, Literature, Lyricists, Poets were top of the agenda.....anything that could be profitably used on Celluloid was grabbed from its origins and supplanted summarily into Movie 'Industry'. This trend could have produced livelihoods,popularity,prestige(in some cases), plenty of moolah(not universal) but it also rendered the fine arts themselves a little stunted. Their independent growth could not be imagined unless attuned to movie industry(much like all 'tech' skills landing in IT Industry)requirements. Traditional forms of Music, Literature, Poetry were pushed to the fringes so to speak. An excellent poetry rendition still would attract an audience but only birds of same feather(కొంచం నా కవిత చదివి చెప్పండి , ఋనముంచుకోనూలె!) would flock to strictly indoor arena/s. Music in Hindustani or Carnatic flavors is still is pretty much alive, relatively flourishing but in a very limited sense of attracting NRI flock. It's a sweeping generalization but I would think not too far off the mark.
Indian films, music have truly benefited from the true luminaries nay colossuses who inhabited the space either by design or by pure chance. The truly authentic Golden Period of 50's to early 60's was a confluence of what the best of art has to offer Cinema. Musicians without exception were truly original and spent time in learning art for art sake. Their sheer joy, purity,love for the their chosen art shone
through enriching the Industry and enthralling the millions. As much as a rainbow contains the full spectrum of colors Indian Movies Rainbow was a virtual riot of colors not just the seven that we know but many magical hues in between.
through enriching the Industry and enthralling the millions. As much as a rainbow contains the full spectrum of colors Indian Movies Rainbow was a virtual riot of colors not just the seven that we know but many magical hues in between.
And the first caravan of writers, musicians, singers, lyricists exemplified versatility of the highest order....sample a few cases.... Do you know Salil da wrote the story for Dho Bigha Zameen though he's known as a music director to most? Or Bal Raj Sahni writing script for Baazi, Guru Dutt's maiden directorial venture? Or Dada moni's wonderful singing, that too rap to boot?
And the lyrics elevated movies into a quasi art form if not a fully formed one.....in its full boom Indian movies had an astounding quality of lyricists who were true Litterateurs in the first place. From the searing Shailendra to soaring Saahir to the wounded in name but majestic Majhroo to intoxicating Kaifi to earthy Shakeel to scintillating Hasrat to limited edition but droolworthy Jan Nisar finally to the orator/lyricists Gulzaar, Jaaved and some more.
These were colossuses in every sense of the word producing independent works of highest caliber that not only won awards but embraced by people. Decadence set in when the true, genuine artists receded from the scene. Enter the 'professional' writer,musician,actors and what not! The lustre of true art in Indian movies went missing beginning late 60's with no end in sight albeit its popularity not suffering that much(monopoly does that sometimes!).
Every now and then a Nishant burst through or a Umrao Jaan or most memorably phir chidi raat in Bazaar or Arth....but they remained exceptions. With the advent of computers in Music, literally all hell broke loose.....as some caustic critics point out 'Humans continued to evolve and then Computers happened'....really Indian Film Music was struck with a million volt shock....anything goes! Oh my hands tremble thinking of Telugu Film Music, Telugu Movies in general....so I wont wake up the Frankenstein!
Back to sober things....since Indian phenomenon/experiment didn't occur/repeat in Pakistani films their arts remained untouched or I would hazard 'unsullied'. The Hindustani Music trained to sumptuous poetry of Ghazhals is succulent enough to bite the lips.....the volume of vocal-art produced by artistes like Mehdi Hassan, apni Ghulam Ali, Salamat Ali Khan going back further to the truly baap of all 'Bade Ghulam Ali Khan' is truly priceless. The Punjabi folksy as well as saintly renditions truly transport one to Nirvana. Pakistani society, as opposed to the prevalent extreme perceptions, truly nurtured and gloried in the independent Music culture shorn of any movie connections. Even when someone transgressed their transgressions were magical creating an entire Industry....step forward Nazia Hassan and Asian Pop. Nazia, bless her soul, simply wowed audiences barely outta teens....what truly one of a kind voice -listen to boom boom and trust me if you don't go kaboom.
Experiencing this fertile territory, purely from a wide-eyed fan's perspective, I could not help but wonder about my own perceptions of Pakistan, their people, society and here comes the heresy and their arts....hitherto I never thought arts existed there!!! Despite knowing a lot I knew nothing.....same goes for zillion others who frame every argument through the lenses of religion. That's a lens always used by rulers,looters,war mongers, governments.....it has nothing to do how an regular/ordinary human being relates to one another.
Back to the original point....Pakistan film's loss was Pakistan Arts' gain thereby all art lovers across the world. Bade Ghulam Ali Khan supposedly said if everyone had learnt or taught Hindustani Classical Music, partition would have never occurred. Culture transcends everything..... even religion! We have similar language, literature,music,oral traditions,customs and identical perception of 'Entertainment'....why not embrace, celebrate our natural/human responses to these things than be tools in any propaganda! When people embrace quite simply politics cease or are irrelevant! Naivety isn't it....but not wholly unrealistic either!
I'll leave with....
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eFwDGYJiHe8
