MUSIC HIGHER ART FORM THAN CINEMA --- A CASE OF SELF CENTERED KHAN
You all are ‘idiots’ ! Does this what Aamir Khan think? I was shocked (but not surprised) after learning the likely reason for Aamir’s resignation from the copyright committee appointed by the HRD minister Shri Kapil Sibal to revise the 1953 copy right’s Act in order to entitle royalty to song makers – music director, lyricist and the play back singer. It seems that he wanted the actors as well to be granted royalty for the song , his argument was that the actors make the song popular and therefore have a certain right on the film. Well, by that logic if actors make the film popular then they should be entitled for royalty of the film too , but that is not the law; the royalty of the film goes to the producer who is the proprietor of the product.
How wrong and warped his thinking is indeed. Or does he want to be seen as the leader of the actors? Don’t the actors get credit enough by merely enacting the song or their appetite for free publicity has not been satiated . Probably Mr Aamir Khan is unaware that the mere enactment of song does not make it popular ,it is the substance behind that façade created by imagination and toil of song makers that makes a song hit or miss.
A little history of Indian cinema should be appropriate in order to recall the contribution of song and music in our films . During the late thirties and early forties prior to the advent of talkies a live orchestra used to play with the movie and there were about thirty to forty song on an average in a film. Our cinema has evolved from our folk music tradition and from such a background and therefore music remains central to the cinema. In fact prior to the arrival of stalwarts such as Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt,Vijay Anand, Raj Khosla the music was superior to the very film for which it was made, a cursory look at the poor quality of song picturization will confirm this. I am still disappointed to see many melodious old songs so unimaginatively picturised that no memory other than that of the song is retained there was no movement or action whilst the songs were played.The film posters had the names of the music directors boldly displayed in order to attract audience --- Naushad, O P Nayyar, Shankar-Jaikishen and S D Burman were stars of that time as big as any actors. By according credit to actors Aamir is discrediting the value and contribution of music makers. He may not remember that during early days of cinema , after the movie would end and we would reluctantly leave the cinema hall thereafter the first act outside would be to buy the song book containing the lyrics of the songs. On most occasions the song would remind us of the heroine and not vice-versa.
Aamir’s tendency to exercise complete control over the project he undertakes is well known . He is known to be obsessively possessive about the work he undertakes . What he does not understand is that the filmmaking and song making is a collective creation. Once the song has been created the actors are but mere masquerades, an outer shell of the body whose soul is the combined effort of the three creators—lyricist, music director and the singer. A true Sangam of The Ganga, Yamuna and the elusive Sarasvati. If at all we propose to give credit to some person in addition it could be the Director , because Cinema is essentially the Director’s medium not the actors . Actors are glamorous props.
Aamir’s stance displays test of his newly acquired power with successive success of his films – Tare Zameen Par, Gazni and the Three Idiots. His posturing is not only self centred but is bordering on fascism. Though he has propagated innovative education and compassion in his recent films he himself would require some formal lessons on democratic principles and collective effort.
To the members of the committee it is a plea that they should work to honour our great music makers and provide economic sustenance to the generations to come by enacting laws giving due credit which was not given in the past.
Songs of cinema once played on screen escape the captivity and acquire life and identity of their own in the memory of song lovers, this memory is independent of the film the director and the actors. It remains like a mini film engraved in the hearts of those who know that music is a higher Art form than Cinema.
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