From raagas to riches

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">Classical tunes are coming back again in filmi music</span><br /><br />Could filmi music be coming full circle? There was the classical which was in vogue for several decades, right up to the ''70s; then came the ''80s, disco tunes and the synthesiser; the ''90s was the age of pop and mechanical beats. And now there are movies like Morning Raga and Raincoat with strong classical overtones in their music.<br /><br />For Amit Heri, scoring music for Morning Raga was interesting for that''s the kind of music he makes otherwise -- classical, Indian and fusion. "People are getting tired of the same old music which all sounds the same," he says. Adding modern elements to classical tunes makes it more appealing to the younger audience. Presenting traditional raagas to them in a language they understand might just make classical tunes more acceptable and it even trigger off a trend, Heri believes. Instead of being alienated from classical music, youngsters might make the effort to understand it.<br /><br />Music director Sandeep Chowta points out that classical tunes have to be used in a very different manner in a commercial Indian film. "I don''t see hardcore classical being used in mainstream films. You''ve got to have an uplifting groove and tempo. In most films, regular raagas are played without modifying them." What Chowta sets out to do in to two forthcoming albums for the Olympics is to make western and Indian classical music fuse together. Chowta sees classical raagas making it big in commercial films only if one song clicks and makes people sit up and take notice. <br /><br />For music director Sujeet Shetty, giving classical beats a contemporary form, composing melodious lyrical songs and presenting them to the younger audience is the thing to do. "Music based on raagas touches the heart and soul, is spiritually uplifting and has a longer shelflife. Experimentation should be done within certain parameters and I don''t intend to be ahead of my times like RD Burman." He''s composed the music for Hum Dum, directed by Pritish Nandy''s son Kushan and John Matthew''s (of Sarfarosh fame) Uns which are to be released next year. "The eight songs in Uns are purely based on raagas while the songs in Hum Dum have classical overtones that keep with the times."<br /><br />Hamsalekha says classical undertones have been used extensively in Kannada films, with catchy and contemporary rhythms. "This makes it appealing to the youth."<br /><br />Ghazal singer Kishan Dalmia points out that classical tunes can become a rage in cinema provided you get the right music director. "The songs of Mughal-e-Azam are still popular and old melodies with a semi-classical base are hummed and sung by youngsters even today at singing competitions and antakshari," he says.<br /><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">sangeeta_cavale@indiatimes.com</span></div> </div>