PRIYAANKAA MATHUR
Classical Music
IN BOLLYWOOD
In the Post-independence era wherein Hindi
became the national language that increased
the sense of nationalism in films lending to
the feeling of a unified nation, the Bollywood
music acted as a unifying factor for the nation.
Incorporating various styles from various
traditions—both Hindustani and Carnatic
Classical, religious and folk music, the film
music saw international music influences
from Latin to Chinese to reggae. With the time
the Indian films became more widely known
internationally especially for their musical
repertoire.
While Playback music became the heartbeat
of the Indian cinema, the playback singers
and the music directors became a huge
component of the films, who came from a
variety of backgrounds. Some being classically
trained, others belonging to a folk tradition,
while some were self-taught. Some of the
Notable music directors being S D Burman,
Naushad, Khaiyyam and R D Burman, while
the popular playback singers who reigned the
industry were Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad
Rafi, Manna De,Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar
predominantly.
Indian film music from the early 20th century
and until the 1960s, had a heavy influence of
Indian Classical Music showcasing a large
number of scales (Ragas) and Rhythm patterns
(Talas) they being its characteristic features.
Most of the composers chose the popular
Ragas like ‘Asavari’, ‘Bilawal’, ‘Kalyan’,
‘Kafi’, ‘Bhairav’ and ‘Khamaj’ while at some
points rare ragas like ‘Nayaki’, ‘Kirwani’,
‘Shivaranjani’, ‘Megh’ have also been utilized.
Naushad Saheb is considered the pioneer of his
times to introduce the classical melodies and
the folk lore in the film music thereby giving
it many dimensions reaching the pinnacle of
popularity during the 1940s, 50s and 60s. He
created some of the musical masterpieces.
In Pakeezah his skills in orchestration and
background music were par excellent, as he
used several attractive ‘Thumris’ with Lataji’s
hauntingly beautiful ‘Aalaps” creating a fine
blend of rhythm and melody. “Ek shahenshah
ne banwa ke haseen" in the film 'Taj Mahal'
based on 'Raga lalit' was a beautiful morning
melody, while “Man tarapat hari darasan” a
bhajan composed in 'Raga Malkauns are still
popular amongst the masses.
1970s and early-1980s was the era of Khayyam
Saheb who gave memorable music, his
composition ‘Dil Cheez kya hai’ in ‘Raga
Bihag’ happens to be Ashaji’s most memorable
performances in Muzaffar Ali's Umrao Jaan.
In early 80s and 90s, Pt.Hari Prasad Chaurasia
the renowned flutist and the Santoor maestro
Pt. Shiv Kumar Sharma collaborated as the duo
Shiv – Hari, who were nominated thrice for the
Filmfare award. In ‘Silsila’ one of their biggest
hits they amalgamated classical melodies of
‘Raga Pahadi’, with the folk tunes, mesmerizing
their listeners. The Classical Duo definitely left
a challenge for future Bollywood musicians to
keep up the standards.
As the time passed, almost a quarter of the
songs composed by music directors Shankar-
Jaikishan(1953- 71), Kalyanji-Anandji (1960-81),
R. D. Burman (1971-81), A. R. Rahman (1992-
2013, and Pritam Chakraborty (2004-2013) were
influenced by new musical genres, that they
amalgamated to create Bollywood music.
A.R. Rehman amalgamated the elements of
Hindustani and Carnatic music and Qawwali
styles with Western classical and electronic
music to create unique timbre, forms and
instrumentation, thus appealing his global
audiences. Rehman’s first soundtrack for ‘Roja’
based on Raga ‘Khamaj’ was listed in Times “10
Best Soundtracks" in 2005. With Jodha Akbar’s
“Jashn-E-Baharaa" he created a tranquil-feel
with stringed instrumental, while in 'Khwaja
mere khwaja' he aesthetically incorporated the
traditional classical Qawwali style depicting the
Mehfil- e Sama in Akbar’s royal abode.
Over the time traditional Indian music genres
and raga nuances were imbibed to create iconic
melodies even in the most commercial cinema.
Sanjay Leela Bansali adapted the song 'Albela
Sajan Ayo Re' from an original Khyal Bandish
in Raga 'Ahir Bhairav' in his film Hum Dil De
Chuke Sanam, while in Bajirao Mastani he
churned out 'Aayat' from Raga Bhopali. While
Preetam Chakroborty tried his hands on
experimenting to create a modern Thumri and
'Aoge Jab Tum O Jasna' rendered by Us. Rashid
Khan topped the chart busters. 'Aan Milo Sajna'
a ‘Thumri’ rendered by Pt.Ajay Chakroborty
and Parween Sultanaji from the film Gadar,
was indeed a great success, which depicted two
lovers who call to unite. All it required was
these master composers and their artistry to
present classical music in its simplest form to
create melodies that touched hearts...
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
27