There was a time when I couldn't start my daily chores without first having a look at the current affairs in Bangalore Times :). Right from Spears' escapades to Paris Hilton's DUIs, my daily cup of tea would not be complete without a sneak peek at BT.
However things change. Ever since I got interview calls from certain management schools, my friends studying there have advised me to drop BT and pick up ET (Economic Times). Now I have to get excited about Chidambaram's fiscal policies and get a daily dose of Sensex (no my dear BT readers, this does not refer to Sushmita Sen's sex life). On page 3 instead of the party scene, I see political theatre. I don't get to see models parading latest fashion wear but instead mind-boggling numbers about the fashion industry in India.
I guess career growth does demand cutting out the masala and moving on to a more insipid life.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Friday, October 14, 2005
Vulgarity vs Glamour
Contemporary Tamil cinema and the direction in which it seems to be heading has prompted me to put forth this post. It is a known theory that in Bollywood only 'sex and SRK sell'. But the former has taken precedence over the latter in recent times and there is no dearth of skin shows in Bollywood today.
Even as I state this, the fact to accept is that Bollywood has managed a smooth transition from movies that had only eye-contact between lovers to movies where there is contact between every other physical part! The same cannot be said about Tamil movies (I won't be arguing about other regional movies coz my domain is limited to Hindi and Tamil).
The weightage given to vulagarity is much higher in Tamil movies. Yes, we see heroines in sexy langerie and bikinis in Hindi movies. But the situations that demand those costumes seem to be justified in Bollywood. In addition to this, the heroine is portrayed as a glamorous woman and carries herself in accordance with this role. But exactly the opposite happens in Tamil movies. Since there is no heroine who can boast of a slim waist and shapely legs, the director is reduced to shooting 'apparently' sexy songs with vulgarly dressed item girls who have the air of a prostitute about them. How this is supposed to be a 'hot' sequence is lost on me. In the last few years this seems to have become a rule rather than an exception in Tamil movies.
Add to this a plethora of sleazy innuendos disguised in every dialogue and it becomes the recipe for a dish that can never be had at a 'family' restaurant. I recently happened to see a movie by SJ Surya. I think the Tamil audience would know which movie I am talking about. The way the hero and heroine acted brought tears in my eyes. I think the word 'actor' is being used too liberally nowadays. It should strictly be restricted to people who can 'act'. The dialogues and certain sequences in the movie have taken vulagarity to new levels. It seems as if every director who lacks originality (a quality that SJ Surya claims with this movie) eventually falls back on vulgar scenes and double-meaning dialogues to carry his film on the box office. New heroines desperate for popularity are forced to take up demeaning roles.
Tamil cinema has earned name through the works of exceptional directors and actors. But if the current scenario prevails, the concept of originality and production of family entertainers would become extinct from the face of Tamil cinema. What we would be left with would be third grade porn-like movies with a storyline..or if it gets worse, even without one!
Even as I state this, the fact to accept is that Bollywood has managed a smooth transition from movies that had only eye-contact between lovers to movies where there is contact between every other physical part! The same cannot be said about Tamil movies (I won't be arguing about other regional movies coz my domain is limited to Hindi and Tamil).
The weightage given to vulagarity is much higher in Tamil movies. Yes, we see heroines in sexy langerie and bikinis in Hindi movies. But the situations that demand those costumes seem to be justified in Bollywood. In addition to this, the heroine is portrayed as a glamorous woman and carries herself in accordance with this role. But exactly the opposite happens in Tamil movies. Since there is no heroine who can boast of a slim waist and shapely legs, the director is reduced to shooting 'apparently' sexy songs with vulgarly dressed item girls who have the air of a prostitute about them. How this is supposed to be a 'hot' sequence is lost on me. In the last few years this seems to have become a rule rather than an exception in Tamil movies.
Add to this a plethora of sleazy innuendos disguised in every dialogue and it becomes the recipe for a dish that can never be had at a 'family' restaurant. I recently happened to see a movie by SJ Surya. I think the Tamil audience would know which movie I am talking about. The way the hero and heroine acted brought tears in my eyes. I think the word 'actor' is being used too liberally nowadays. It should strictly be restricted to people who can 'act'. The dialogues and certain sequences in the movie have taken vulagarity to new levels. It seems as if every director who lacks originality (a quality that SJ Surya claims with this movie) eventually falls back on vulgar scenes and double-meaning dialogues to carry his film on the box office. New heroines desperate for popularity are forced to take up demeaning roles.
Tamil cinema has earned name through the works of exceptional directors and actors. But if the current scenario prevails, the concept of originality and production of family entertainers would become extinct from the face of Tamil cinema. What we would be left with would be third grade porn-like movies with a storyline..or if it gets worse, even without one!
Friday, May 13, 2005
Music - This day that age
Often, we hear elders lamenting about the fact that today's music is nothing but noise. At the same, youngsters feel that this is real music. Each of the two groups always seem to come up with a list of pros and cons in order to justify their claim. I, being a member of the younger generation, have my own views and criteria for grading music as acceptable or throw-away. Let us debate on each of these two different viewpoints. I have considered movie music to be the topic under discussion.
Firstly, I am neither an expert music analyser nor have I taken any kind of professional music training. But I have always been fascinated by the rythem inherent in day-to-day sounds. Probably that is how our forefathers came up with the concept of music. I believe that music is the 'soul of life'. For me, music serves as a way to calm the mind and transport the soul to a different plane of pleasant languor. In essence, I have an ear for music. You can call me a listener (sorry, the software engineer in me surfaces once I a while; beg your pardon for that).
The criteria against which I propose to compare the (g)olden era with the contemporary are the following:
1. Quality of playback singing
Observation:
Playback singers are the soul of a song. The voice of a playback singer is the first thing that comes to notice on listening to a song. They are the real artists who give their voices to the 'lip sync'ing puppets on the screen. Forgive me for coming out hard on actors but I have always felt that playback singers do not receive their due.
Olden days' singers possessed a mature voice. They were capable of carrying the whole song on their shoulders. People like Asha Bhonsle, Janaki, TMS had mesmerising voices that captivated the listeners senses within seconds. Not once during a sequence did they let their voice waver from the prescribed pitch and loudness.
Modern day singers show versatility in their talent. They have learnt to adapt to the varying demands of the public (and of course of the music directors!). For intance, Sunidhi Chauhan, whose is first name that comes to one's when thinking of an item song, has also done melodious numbers like 'Aa Bhi Ja' (Sur). In fact, 'Yeh Dil Deewana' was the song that propelled Sonu Nigam to the top of the chart (fans of Sonu would know that this particular song was not in typical Sonu style).
Comparison:
The following results are gathered by the aforementioned observations.
Olden days' singers stuck to their effective routine and seldom deviated from the route in terms of improvisation. Their voices were tuned to the non-varying demands of the age. In modern terms, they epitomised 'specialization'.
Contemporary singers are more versatile, open-minded to singing in false voice and ready to experiment (w.r.t. genre of songs) to a certain extent. Although, it is not completely wrong to say (In what might be assumed as a contradiction to the previous statement) that some singers have actually marked their territory or area of expertise i. e. if(genre of song = "some_genre") then singer = getSinger["some_genre"].
2. Quality/Effect of BGM
Observation:
Background music (BGM) has evolved to a great extent in recent times. Earlier it was just a tool to fill the void created by the absence of anything other than the singer's voice. But today it is the foundation of a good song.
Older BGMs consisted of a few instruments without any processing done to make them sound better. This was evidently done to keep the focus on the singer/lyrics/actors. BGM was not supposed to be for listening alone and simply didn't make much sense sans the voice.
Today, background score is a major component in the commercial success of a movie's music. 'Karaoke' is a concept that refers to a music entertainment system providing prerecorded accompaniment to popular songs. The popularity of karaoke supports the exponential rise in the quality of BGM in current times. Instruments like synthesizers have been designed that can produce sounds belonging to other traditional instruments. Computerised processing can make voices sound better.
Comparison:
Considering resource availability, olden music deserves the acclaim it had got since there were no computers/advanced technology to enhance the effect. Ask any person on why he/she thinks olden music is better, the immediate reply would be "Coz it was at that time when there were no hi-fi instruments/systems to give the kind of effects that are prevalent today".
Current technology undermines the talent of the singer in a way that it can make the singer sound good when he is actually not. But it also offers opportunity to excel in other areas of music, like instrumentals. I bet one cannot name many instrumentalists of old time. Today, artists like Sivamani are considered a league of their own.
3. Popular Mindset
Observation and comparison:
This is perhaps the most important factor that leads to analysis (and blogs!) like this. People in the years gone by had an affinity towards soft music that was soothing to the ear. Music was something to relax and enjoy. Something that poured incessantly from the transistor and made a good change from the normal conversations of day-today life. But today music is omnipresent. It is a professional career path. The life of discotheques. A madatory resident in everyone's personal computer.
The requirements that music needs to satisfy has thus changed with time. This has been due to the varying mindset of the people. Factors like westernisation, improvisation, the ability to take a risk etc. have moulded the thoughts and actions of the people, leading to such diversity. One can always come up with a thousand reasons for supporting his/her claim. The fact to understand is that change is permanent and absolute truths (or claims) can always be refuted.
Einsten words 'it's all relative' come into play once more.
Firstly, I am neither an expert music analyser nor have I taken any kind of professional music training. But I have always been fascinated by the rythem inherent in day-to-day sounds. Probably that is how our forefathers came up with the concept of music. I believe that music is the 'soul of life'. For me, music serves as a way to calm the mind and transport the soul to a different plane of pleasant languor. In essence, I have an ear for music. You can call me a listener (sorry, the software engineer in me surfaces once I a while; beg your pardon for that).
The criteria against which I propose to compare the (g)olden era with the contemporary are the following:
- Quality of playback singing
- Quality/Effect of background music
- Popular mindset
1. Quality of playback singing
Observation:
Playback singers are the soul of a song. The voice of a playback singer is the first thing that comes to notice on listening to a song. They are the real artists who give their voices to the 'lip sync'ing puppets on the screen. Forgive me for coming out hard on actors but I have always felt that playback singers do not receive their due.
Olden days' singers possessed a mature voice. They were capable of carrying the whole song on their shoulders. People like Asha Bhonsle, Janaki, TMS had mesmerising voices that captivated the listeners senses within seconds. Not once during a sequence did they let their voice waver from the prescribed pitch and loudness.
Modern day singers show versatility in their talent. They have learnt to adapt to the varying demands of the public (and of course of the music directors!). For intance, Sunidhi Chauhan, whose is first name that comes to one's when thinking of an item song, has also done melodious numbers like 'Aa Bhi Ja' (Sur). In fact, 'Yeh Dil Deewana' was the song that propelled Sonu Nigam to the top of the chart (fans of Sonu would know that this particular song was not in typical Sonu style).
Comparison:
The following results are gathered by the aforementioned observations.
Olden days' singers stuck to their effective routine and seldom deviated from the route in terms of improvisation. Their voices were tuned to the non-varying demands of the age. In modern terms, they epitomised 'specialization'.
Contemporary singers are more versatile, open-minded to singing in false voice and ready to experiment (w.r.t. genre of songs) to a certain extent. Although, it is not completely wrong to say (In what might be assumed as a contradiction to the previous statement) that some singers have actually marked their territory or area of expertise i. e. if(genre of song = "some_genre") then singer = getSinger["some_genre"].
2. Quality/Effect of BGM
Observation:
Background music (BGM) has evolved to a great extent in recent times. Earlier it was just a tool to fill the void created by the absence of anything other than the singer's voice. But today it is the foundation of a good song.
Older BGMs consisted of a few instruments without any processing done to make them sound better. This was evidently done to keep the focus on the singer/lyrics/actors. BGM was not supposed to be for listening alone and simply didn't make much sense sans the voice.
Today, background score is a major component in the commercial success of a movie's music. 'Karaoke' is a concept that refers to a music entertainment system providing prerecorded accompaniment to popular songs. The popularity of karaoke supports the exponential rise in the quality of BGM in current times. Instruments like synthesizers have been designed that can produce sounds belonging to other traditional instruments. Computerised processing can make voices sound better.
Comparison:
Considering resource availability, olden music deserves the acclaim it had got since there were no computers/advanced technology to enhance the effect. Ask any person on why he/she thinks olden music is better, the immediate reply would be "Coz it was at that time when there were no hi-fi instruments/systems to give the kind of effects that are prevalent today".
Current technology undermines the talent of the singer in a way that it can make the singer sound good when he is actually not. But it also offers opportunity to excel in other areas of music, like instrumentals. I bet one cannot name many instrumentalists of old time. Today, artists like Sivamani are considered a league of their own.
3. Popular Mindset
Observation and comparison:
This is perhaps the most important factor that leads to analysis (and blogs!) like this. People in the years gone by had an affinity towards soft music that was soothing to the ear. Music was something to relax and enjoy. Something that poured incessantly from the transistor and made a good change from the normal conversations of day-today life. But today music is omnipresent. It is a professional career path. The life of discotheques. A madatory resident in everyone's personal computer.
The requirements that music needs to satisfy has thus changed with time. This has been due to the varying mindset of the people. Factors like westernisation, improvisation, the ability to take a risk etc. have moulded the thoughts and actions of the people, leading to such diversity. One can always come up with a thousand reasons for supporting his/her claim. The fact to understand is that change is permanent and absolute truths (or claims) can always be refuted.
Einsten words 'it's all relative' come into play once more.
Wednesday, February 02, 2005
Spirit of Unity Concert
A few days back i happened to be at the Unity concert (Strings and Indian Ocean being the performers) at the prestigious IIM Bangalore. Life in a software company had drained out entertainment from my life. So i jumped at an occasion to cool off (music is one of my passions, ref previous post). Also it being a Friday (and the tickets at a ridiculous 50 bucks per head!) made me make reservations through friends working close to IIM B.
I reached IIM on my bike at around 7:30 to find most of my collegemates there. It is really surprising how they manage to turn up at all places be it a cultural fest, a job fair or a place serving free food (people might say that that goes for me too but that is a case to argue). This was a great opportunity to have a look at one of the premier institutions in the country. I roamed around for a while before getting to the huge ground where the concert was staged.
The concert started at around 8:00 pm, Indian Ocean first. I was dreading this coz only in my last semester of college i had been to their concert . It was as dull & monotonous display as one could see. The songs seemed to be less fusion and more a remix version of bhakti songs. Maybe that was fusion in their language. My only consolation was Strings being there too. Their music was kind of peppy. Good music without trying a thing too many. It might seem that i am making a bigger issue out of nothing but unlike most of the people there, i had come only for the music.
My fears threatened to come true when i saw more people going towards Frankie's Veg Rolls than to the stage. But after a while (when hunger had subsided) junta began concentrating on the music. Indian Ocean performed first and this time it was not that bad (maybe becoz this was the second time). They reserved their best for the last, Kandisa the only song people (i bet around 90% of 'em) knew. Just when i was expecting my spirits to rise, they quashed it by totally changing the guitar bit (which btw is the most attractive part) in the song.
But then the Strings came on stage to a big applause. They started very well, with the electric guitar (whose prominence in their act has given them the name 'Strings') bringing the audience to their feet. Tracks like Hue Anjaane Kyon had the audience buzzing with enthu. I realised that it was at last worth the 50 rupees i paid to be there. Towards the end of their allotted time, the group made an effort towards the objective of the concert by encouraging the audience to substitute Pakistan with Hindustan in old hindi songs, to which the audience complied gleefully. The concert ended with both the bands giving a joint performance.
Overall a great start to a boring weekend. But the point is that Friday night introduced some colour into my black & white life.
I reached IIM on my bike at around 7:30 to find most of my collegemates there. It is really surprising how they manage to turn up at all places be it a cultural fest, a job fair or a place serving free food (people might say that that goes for me too but that is a case to argue). This was a great opportunity to have a look at one of the premier institutions in the country. I roamed around for a while before getting to the huge ground where the concert was staged.
The concert started at around 8:00 pm, Indian Ocean first. I was dreading this coz only in my last semester of college i had been to their concert . It was as dull & monotonous display as one could see. The songs seemed to be less fusion and more a remix version of bhakti songs. Maybe that was fusion in their language. My only consolation was Strings being there too. Their music was kind of peppy. Good music without trying a thing too many. It might seem that i am making a bigger issue out of nothing but unlike most of the people there, i had come only for the music.
My fears threatened to come true when i saw more people going towards Frankie's Veg Rolls than to the stage. But after a while (when hunger had subsided) junta began concentrating on the music. Indian Ocean performed first and this time it was not that bad (maybe becoz this was the second time). They reserved their best for the last, Kandisa the only song people (i bet around 90% of 'em) knew. Just when i was expecting my spirits to rise, they quashed it by totally changing the guitar bit (which btw is the most attractive part) in the song.
But then the Strings came on stage to a big applause. They started very well, with the electric guitar (whose prominence in their act has given them the name 'Strings') bringing the audience to their feet. Tracks like Hue Anjaane Kyon had the audience buzzing with enthu. I realised that it was at last worth the 50 rupees i paid to be there. Towards the end of their allotted time, the group made an effort towards the objective of the concert by encouraging the audience to substitute Pakistan with Hindustan in old hindi songs, to which the audience complied gleefully. The concert ended with both the bands giving a joint performance.
Overall a great start to a boring weekend. But the point is that Friday night introduced some colour into my black & white life.
I think therefore i am...
'Hello World'
I guess the above shoudn't leave any doubt about what i do for a living. U guessed right! Now as i am a member of this huge community called 'bloggers', i have a place where i can dump my thoughts and allow others (the soul of whose existence is browsing the net) to have a look at it.
My passions include music and cricket (and of course bird watching - lot of scope for that in bangalore!). So you can find lots of blogs coming from my side on my cited areas of interest. But don't be flabbergasted if there are hardcore technical articles (it is difficult not to let the software engineer in you surface once in a while).
Looking forward to meeting you often....
I guess the above shoudn't leave any doubt about what i do for a living. U guessed right! Now as i am a member of this huge community called 'bloggers', i have a place where i can dump my thoughts and allow others (the soul of whose existence is browsing the net) to have a look at it.
My passions include music and cricket (and of course bird watching - lot of scope for that in bangalore!). So you can find lots of blogs coming from my side on my cited areas of interest. But don't be flabbergasted if there are hardcore technical articles (it is difficult not to let the software engineer in you surface once in a while).
Looking forward to meeting you often....
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