How would our abundant old singers accept fared today?
After a amount of years of not accepting subscriptions any Hindi Channels, we actual afresh got our own “Zee TV” subscription. My abridgement of adeptness about all things “modern” in the blur apple accept to accept been apparent by a amount of my advertent readers — and now you apperceive how I acquiescently attentive my benightedness over all these years. While around all my accompany had some or the added Hindi approach arena on their TVs if we would go visiting, I backward away.
With this about Rip-van-Winkle-esque backdrop, account me sitting calmly in foreground of my TV, and switching channels to my anew acquired Z TV. As luck would accept it, there was “Sa Re Ga Ma Pa – Ek Main aur Ek Tu” playing. Aha! A adventitious to watch adolescent accomplished men and women sing. I perked up in my seat. Suffering through abundant C brand ads touting Ajmeri baba, I sat through the absolute program. Well, brainstorm my absolute abruptness if I heard of the amazing amounts of cost money and affairs that accessible the champ of the contest! 50 Lakhs! Boy, had things changed! And about through that program, I begin my thoughts drifting, even as I was alert to these actual accomplished adolescent humans do their stuff. Replace this with any added aptitude shows such as Indian Idol, and my point would still stand.
This was no best the old “Sa Re Ga Ma” I bethink seeing afore I larboard the shores of India. Then, it was all about the singing, the superior of the voice, the training. Now, it is all that AND the adeptness to present, to sing AND dance, to be an “entertainer” not just a singer. Conceivably the bar has been aloft in some ways, but conceivably it has been bargain in assertive others. Then, of course, there is this antic and all-over SMS messaging which determines the winner, and not the console of judges, who, at atomic supposedly, are there because of their adeptness and experience. Allegedly capitalism at work, area masses-with-cellphones-who-vote adjudge whether a accompanist (umm.. performer) makes the cut or not.
I was cerebration about the old army of our singing greats and apprehensive how they would accept done in today’s context. Brainstorm a adolescent Lata Mangeshkar, singing with her aforementioned angelic voice, but not accepting SMS letters from the masses because she just stood there and didn’t ball on the date with a amusing smile on her face. (Not to acknowledgment the actuality that Maharashtrians wouldn’t be agitated with sending SMS letters to get her selected, but let that pass.)
Manna De, of the golden, classically absolute articulation — even if he had articulate with his accepted balmy perfection, would he accept gotten votes? Face it, while he sings fantastically, he never was accepted for his adeptness to ball on the stage.
Mohammed Rafi — the smile would be just as affable to bout his aces voice, but “Aapne aaj achha achievement diya, lekin aapne date ka upyog theek tarah se nahi kiya” would accept been the alone comment, accusation him on his bare use of the stage.
Same with Talat Mehmood — abundant looks (after all he did appear into films as an actor, and has in fact acted in Sone ki Chidiya alongside Nutan), but would the admirers be able to abdomen his acute articulation if they were searching for “masti bhare gaane”?
Perhaps the survivors from the old bouncer would accept been Asha Bhosale and Kishore Kumar. Ashaji has an amazing date presence, and has the adeptness to cull off the requirements, whatever it took. Kishore Kumar consistently was an over-the-top performer, and could sing and ball with the best of them. And for acceptable measure, he would aswell cull off wisecracks and jokes.
Runa Laila comes to apperception as one who adeptness accept anesthetized aggregation even in today’s world. A bright clear voice, a absurd date presence, the adeptness to “move” with her own music naturally, and a baking carnal look. (Remember we are talking about if they were YOUNG.)
Mukesh — afresh abundant looks and a acceptable smile (I anticipation he looked bigger than Raj Kapoor in the song Chhotisi yeh zindagani re from the cine Aah which was picturised on him), but would he accept fabricated the cut with the SMS generation? Not sure.
All the new bearing of alluringly accomplished adolescent humans accept to accept that added presentation ability, if they accept any hopes of authoritative it in this industry. And that means, by its actual nature, that we accept to be missing some Latas, some Mohammed Rafis, some Talats and some Manna Des.
Well — our loss. But activity goes boot on. And what we don’t apperceive doesn’t bother us. Who knows, there adeptness accept been anyone (dare I suggest?) bigger than Lata and Mohammed Rafi, who we artlessly never heard, and appropriately we just didn’t apperceive any better.
I, for one, would accept been the poorer had I gone through activity after audition a Rafi or Lata just because humans who accept aptitude didn’t watch that accurate channel, or didn’t accept a corpuscle buzz handy, or were clumsy or afraid to SMS their choices.
As usual, I’d adulation to apprehend from you.