Javed Akhtar Knocks Out Aamir Khan
Ask anyone who is not from India to say a few words about Bollywood movies and the first thing they would talk about are the songs and dances. Most Indian mainstream movies still follow the “musical” format that was very popular in the West from 1940 to 1960 (this period is considered the golden age of the musicals).
This format has captured the imagination of the Indian moving going public and is increasingly popular in the West (there is no question that watching Bollywood movies is one of the single biggest form of entertainment not only in South Asia but most of the Middle East as well).
Bollywood has taken the song and dance sequence in movies to great heights. Even when the movies were mostly made in India it was not very uncommon to see the song sequence shot in exotic locations abroad. The songs are in fact released months before the movie is released as a form of marketing and the fate of many movies have completely depended on the lyrics, singing and songwriting. So why is Bollywood unwilling to pay the lyricists what they deserve?
A great song is a result of a successful collaboration between the lyricist, singer and the composer. The lyricist writes the song, the singer sings it and the composer creates the melody. Traditionally the process is kicked off by the lyricist. But this has changed over the years. Nowadays there are many instances where the song has been composed and the singer already knows the tune and the rhythm. Then they approach a lyricist to write a song that fits what was already composed.
But there is a trend in the industry that is a little troubling. In 1990 the pop group Milli Vanilli was stripped of their Grammy award for Best New Artist when the academy learned that the lead vocals on the album were not the actual voices of singers Morvan and Pilatus (the album “Girl You Know It’s True” went platinum 6 times).
It was a great album but unfortunately credit did not go to the right individuals. There is a tendency to slowly sideline the creative forces behind the songs and dances and just put some good looking faces in front of the camera (the traditional band where the band members write, sing and compose their own songs is a vanishing breed).
There are reports that indicate that actor Aamir Khan has resigned from the committee set up to review the Copyright Act in India (this committee was set up by Kapil Sibal who is India’s Human Resource Development Minister). This resignation was due to an argument that took place on Monday between Aamir Khan and noted lyricist Javed Akhtar during a committee meeting. The new copyright act proposed by the government will provide royalties to music directors and composers.
The producers say that this is not fair considering that they front all the money and that the lyricists do not share the losses (this is a difficult argument to make because sources say that the producers are willing to pay royalty to script writers but not to the songwriters).
I am not sure why this is a big deal. The producers can always choose to pay the songwriters less initially and then pay royalty based on the sales volume (most authors of books and bands these days are paid a flat rate initially and then paid a percentage of sales. This encourages them to go and actively support the sales of the book or album). Can we not do this for Bollywood songwriters as well?
The last straw for Aamir apparently was when Javed Akhtar asked him during the meeting “Your first big song was Papa kehte hain. Did it make you a star or did you make that song run?” I completely agree with Javed Akhtar on this one. Aamir Khan is a good actor and I have enjoyed many of his movies. But the reality is that actors can be replaced very easily. Bollywood is full of pretty boys and pretty girls who cannot act if it was the last thing on earth.
On the other hand most of us know it is very difficult to find another Javed Akhtar. The producers, the movies and the actors will come and go. But we have an unique connection to the songs that remain forever.
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Category: Sports & Entertainment
I fully endorse your view. While there are many choices to field an actor you really have to search for the good lyricist, especially of Javed Akhthar’s caliber. They should be entitled to some reward out of the income earned from their work.
Welcome R Saraswathan.
I absolutely agree. Bollywood has plenty of money to go around for everybody involved.
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