The Recording Academy on March 7 announced the lineup of performers for the upcoming Grammys 2021 show, which will air on March 14.
Taylor Swift, Post Malone, BTS, Harry Styles will perform along with Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Maren Morris, and Roddy Ricch.
Due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, the Grammys will be held virtually while maintaining social distancing protocols. While the Recording Academy did not clarify whether the performances will be live or pre-taped, the announcement said, “Artists will be coming together, while still safely apart, to play music for each other as a community and celebrate the music that unites us all.”
The announcement mentioned that the ceremony will honour independent music venues that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic during the telecast.
“From bartenders to box office managers, those who work day-to-day at the Troubadour (at Los Angeles), the Hotel Café (at Los Angeles), the Apollo Theater (at New York City), and the Station Inn (at Nashville) will present various categories throughout the night.”
Nominations for the 63rd Grammys were announced in November 2020 and include Beyoncé, Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, Post Malone, Swift, and more. While Beyonce got the highest nominations with her name featuring in nine categories, Lipa, Ricch, and Swift each earned six nominations. For BTS, this will be the group’s first solo performance at the Grammys. In 2020, they were presenters at the award ceremony.
Apart from BTS’s first nomination, this is also the first time Styles’ name has made to the nominee list.
Trevor Noah will be hosting the show, which was initially slated to take place on January 31 but got delayed due to the ongoing pandemic.
Dhee, the Tamil film singer, and Casteless Collective rapper and songwriter Arivu’s new single Enjoy Enjaami was launched on Saturday.
The independent single was launched by music director AR Rahman’s Maajja, a platform that encourages and elevates South Asian musicians who work in the independent music sphere.
Enjoy Enjaami is Maajja’s first release. Arivu, who wrote the lyrics, said that it is based on the lives and the struggles of labourers from Tamil Nadu who were taken to work in Sri Lanka tea estates and later deported by their government and left to fend for themselves in Tamil Nadu. It speaks about their relationship with the world around them, their roots and nature through their lens.
The song has been produced by music director Santhosh Narayanan. The music video premiered on Sunday.
Directors Sudha Kongara, P Ranjith, Mari Selvaraj, Nalan Kumaraswamy, and Karthik Subbaraj attended the event. Music composer Deva, who worked on movies such as Baasha and Kadhal Kottai, also attended the event.
Speaking about the song, Arivu said: “The Sri Lankan government asked the labourers to go back because they said that their population had risen. The labourers who had lived in Sri Lanka for at least two or three generations only knew how to pick tea leaves. When they landed in Tamil Nadu, they migrated to areas like Ooty, Valparai, and Gudalur hoping to get work. Many worked very hard to come up. These are my roots too. My grandmother was one such migrant,” he said.
The rapper said that his grandmother, Valliamma who features in the video, is his inspiration.
“I do not know what rap or hip hop is. I find hip hop in my grandmother’s stories… I used to say that she is the best rapper in the world,” he said and added that the video was shot in his village near Arakkonam.
He said that platforms like Maajja helped independent musicians find their roots and took their songs to larger audiences. This independent single is expected to throw the doors open for other such artists to also showcase their talent, he said.
Dhee said that she would love for this platform to be extended to several other independent artists.
“Arivu is one of the best artists in the world right now. Santhosh Narayanan is my favourite person and favourite artist. I consider myself really lucky to be working with him and see him work,” she said.
Santhosh announced that he has was touring villages to scout for these artists. He apologised to them for not recognising the expanse of their work earlier.
“When a well-established artist like Arivu himself had emotional tears for getting recognised today, just imagine, there are more than one lakh independent artists, who are waiting for recognition,” the Karnan composer said.
Echoing his sentiments, director P Ranjith said, “This isn’t just about pioneering with something unique, but a great means of bringing forth the talented independent artists under the spotlight. Santhosh has been very much religious about promoting this type of musical culture. Dhee isn’t just a playback singer, but she is quite emotional about the lyrical part. Arivu has done an excellent job. Digital platforms have been bridging the gap between music and its accessibility to groups from various social strata. I am sure, this is the beginning and there will be more independent music artists getting acknowledged in the near future.”
Enjoy Enjaami is available on the music streaming platform Spotify.
For the generation that was watching films during the 1940s, it must have been so heady to see stars such as Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor and Nargis – all in the same film. I remember my parents endlessly talk about Andaz (1949) and the comparative merits of Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor.
Considering Dilip Kumar was the archetypal abandoned hero, it enhanced the melodramatic element around him, causing more heartbreak among his audiences. When the songs of Andaz played in my house in Mukesh’s nasal voice, one had little imagination of how much verve and pace this film had. As a child growing up in the 70s, I had the most uncharitable view on Mukesh, who reminded me and my sisters of the melancholia we associated with my mother’s family in Ajmer. Since we were only listening to the songs, either hummed by my parents or other relatives, they seemed particularly morose.
So a song like Hum aaj kaheen dil kho baithe came over as a song meant for wimps, and did not carry the zest we were used to in the 70s.
Imagine a song like that, or even Tu kahe agar jeevan bhar with those of Yaadon ki baarat I would have been listening to in that era.
However, the visuality of these songs now makes me realise how much vivacity existed around their appearance in the film. To see Cuccoo dancing and Nargis comfortably staring into Dilip Kumar’s eyes while wearing a sensuous cocktail dress has suddenly revised the perception for me. At the beginning of the film, Nargis heads out on a horseback wearing jodhpurs and introduces her male friends to her father. This has humbled me into a new realisation: my parents’ generation were exposed to a far more granular form of modernity and witnessed its tensions, joys, and dilemmas in far more interesting ways than we have.
The film invests considerable time on Veena (played by Nargis) spending time with her new friend Dileep (played by Dilip Kumar), getting to know him better, listening to him sing, playing tennis with him, and even gently flirting. As audiences, we are led to believe that the frisson between them was mutually felt, and perhaps it was. When her boyfriend Rajan (played by Kapoor) suddenly appears from London, the film creates the famous love triangle, perhaps one of the early and most unforgettable ones.
A handsome Dilip Kumar perpetually at the piano singing one well known song after another- Naushad’s creations- creates a strange limpid effect produced both through the remembrance of things past but objects and repartee that are utterly contemporary. The piano becomes the witness of love that was, that could have been and destinies that were not be.
Dapper looking men, elegant women who go on to sing songs like Uthaye ja unke sitam in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice make the film a dizzy mix of multiple sensibilities at work.
It is a different matter that the film comes to a harsh judgement about what modernity does to women, and how Veena ruined lives by not observing social protocols more carefully. Consigned to both moral and legal punishment, this videshi sensibility is made to repent, pay prices.
Cinema’s role as both fantasy-maker and instruction-giver are met with, and I wonder what remnants were left with the audience of that time. If my parents’ memories are any indication, they would have preferred marriage to be where passion was.
I was too young to understand Andaz, and by extension that generation’s negotiations with modernity.
“This is an unprecedented pandemic that has changed everyone’s plans and no one knows what the touring landscape is going to look like in the near future,” the statement read.
The Lover Fest tour was a planned concert tour following the release of Swift’s seventh album, Lover, in 2019. It was supposed to be held across USA and Europe, beginning from Atlanta on April 2020, with the Foxborough concerts concluding the tour on August 1.
Announcing the tour in September 2019, Swift had had said that she will be performing at concerts in Europe and South America, before returning to North America. However, following the concerns around the Covid-19 pandemic, all the festival dates were cancelled in April 2020, while the stadium shows in Brazil and the USA were postponed.
I'm so sad I won't be able to see you guys in concert this year, but I know this is the right decision. Please, please stay healthy and safe. I’ll see you on stage as soon as I can but right now what’s important is committing to this quarantine, for the sake of all of us. pic.twitter.com/qeiMk2Tgon
The American concerts were supposed to be held at the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, and the Gillette stadium in Foxborough. Brazil was supposed to have its concert in Sao Paulo at the Allianz Parque stadium.
While refunds have been announced for the same, Brazilian fans, in replies to Swift’s cancellation post, have sought for the artist’s support to be able to retrieve their refunds from the website Tickets for Fun. While some urged her to take action, others understood the situation.
The “we’re in a pandemic” tweets GIRL YES I live in a third world country don’t try to explain the obvious. What I meant was we know there’s a pandemic, we just wish she didn’t cancel so we didn’t have to lose all our money since we’ll have no refunds whatsoever
and she can do!! billie did it and her shows were cheaper and smaller i'm sure taylor is able to help us! pls taylor a lot of brazilian fans got into debt to buy your tickets now the company is holding the money and offering only expiring in-house credits during a pandemy !
While the singer’s Twitter post does not mention it, the official page declaring the cancellation mentions that the refunds policy will be based on the terms and conditions of the management company, Tickets for Fun. The latter has declared on its website that instead of refunding the amount of individual tickets, “may be converted into credit for future purchase”.
Besides news surrounding the cancellation, Swift also announced on February 11, that her album Fearless will be a remake of her first six albums, comprising 26 songs.
I’m thrilled to tell you that my new version of Fearless (Taylor’s Version) is done and will be with you soon. It has 26 songs including 6 never before released songs from the vault. Love Story (Taylor’s Version) will be out tonight. Pre-order now at https://t.co/NqBDS6cGFl 💛💛 pic.twitter.com/Vjyy2gA72O
“I have decided I want you to have the whole story, see the entire vivid picture, and let you into the entire dreamscape that is my fearless album. That’s why I have chosen to include 6 never before released songs on my version of this album. Written when I was between the ages of 16 and 18, these were the ones it killed me to leave behind,” the statement read.
Her latest releases include the Evermore album and the Folklore album.
Pop singer Lady Gaga’s two dogs were returned to the Los Angeles Police Department on Saturday two days after they were violently stolen during an armed robbery incident. The French bulldogs, Gustav and Koji, were safely brought back by a woman.
The incident took place on Wednesday night when Lady Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer was taking them on a walk. The robbers managed to steal two of the singer’s three dogs. Fischer was shot at while resisting the assailants.
According to a report by CNN, a home surveillance camera caught the entire incident on camera. The footage showed that at least two individuals came up to the dog walker. “The footage also contains vivid audio in which the victim can be heard telling the attackers, ‘No, no’ as he struggles with the men,” the report said.
Fischer said that he sustained injuries to his lungs and chest and the police said that he is currently stable.
A report by Variety said that the dogs were returned to the LAPD Olympic station and were picked up by Lady Gaga’s representatives. The robbers have still not been caught.
The armed robbery had prompted the A Star is Born actor to put out a statement where she offered a $500,000 reward for finding or returning her dog.
CNN said that the woman who brought the dogs back will remain anonymous while the investigation is ongoing. “The woman’s identity and the location the dogs were found at will remain confidential due to the active criminal investigation and for her safety,” the police said in a statement. It is also unclear if the woman claimed the reward.
Lady Gaga also praised her dog walker for his actions. “I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero,” she wrote on social media.
The Poker Face singer is currently in Italy preparing for shooting a film based on the book The House of Gucci: A Sensational Story of Murder, Madness, Glamour, and Greed.
Rihanna, who faced backlash for commenting on the ongoing farmers’ protest in India, is in the eye of the storm again after she posted a topless photo of herself with a Ganesha necklace on social media on Tuesday.
The American pop-star was accused of cultural appropriation, the usage of certain symbols belonging to particular cultures by the dominant sections, by netizens, especially by the Indian audience who found the post that endorsed her lingerie brand collaboration Savage X Fenty, “offensive” and “insulting”.
The photo got 9.7 million likes on Instagram and got 2,31,000 likes on Twitter, with around 44,000 retweets.
The comment section stands polarised with one section calling out on her and the other passing it as casual.
“Super offensive wearing Ganesha like that. My first god, a holy sentiment to millions of people celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi every year. Sorry RiRi, you disappointed me and others,” read one reply to her tweet. Meanwhile, another social media user’s reply read: “Continuation.. whatever she did is just to wear a god as a pendant. Let’s just be welcoming in our religion. Our temples have sex sculptures right on gopura’s lets not forget that. Lets respect her body and her beliefs. Please be reasonable.”
The Indian Express reported that the singer has posed with the necklace of the deity in several occasions in the past.
On February 2, Rihanna posted about the ongoing farmers’ protest in India, becoming the first international icon to do so. This resulted in highlighting the current scenario, including the internet shutdown in parts of New Delhi following the violent farmers’ clash with the police on Republic Day. International voices, including teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, former adult-actor Mia Khalifa, YouTuber Amanda Cerny, US House Representative Jim Costa, and Meena Harris, also tweeted in support of the farmers’ protest.
The Union Home Ministry released a statement urging social media users to refrain from sensationalising issues by using hashtags and comments in matters of serious nature.
This is not the first time that international celebrities have been called out for promoting cultural appropriation.
In 2013, American pop-singer Selena Gomez was attacked for wearing a bindi while performing at the MTV Awards. Calling it offensive, Rajan Zed, the leader of a Hindu organisation reportedly said, “The bindi on the forehead is an ancient tradition in Hinduism and has religious significance,” and emphasised that the actor-cum-singer apologise, according to the Daily Mail UK
In 2016, American band Coldplay’s music video, Hymn for the Weekend, had stirred controversy as soon as it had released. The video, which featured Hindi actor Sonam Kapoor Ahuja in a split second, was criticised for featuring pop star Beyonce as a Hindi actor who was and for depicting India as a land of elephants, poverty, and snake charmers.
Sasidharan Muniyandi, the veteran bass guitarist and music composer Ilaiyaraaja’s brother-in-law, died at Madurai on his birthday on January 31 due to age-related illness. He had gone to Madurai to play in a concert.
The late musician was 60. He had recently undergone a heart surgery.
Sasidharan, brother of Jeeva (Ilaiyaraaja’s wife), had worked with the music composer as a bass guitarist for over three decades. After completing schooling in 1969, Sasidharan was enrolled at the Ramakrishna Mission Vivekananda College in Chennai. After he completed a course in typewriting and shorthand, he worked as an accountant.
In an interview, Sasidharan had said that he realised his inclination towards the guitar when he babysat Ilaiyaraaja’s eldest son and music composer Karthik Raja to soothe him. He was tutored by classical guitarist Thangadurai Samuel as he began learning how to play the guitar. Soon, he began to perform in concerts.
He also performed for Ilaiyaraaja in various songs, including Kodiyile Malloigai Poo (Kadalora Kavithaigal), Vaanile Thenila (Kakki Sattai), Chinna Chinna Vannakuyil (Mouna Ragam).
Singer KS Chitra condoled the death of the musician and wrote on social media, “Heartfelt condolences on the sudden demise of Sasidharan Muniyandi (Bass guitarist) yesterday on his birthday. May his soul rest in peace and may God strengthen his family to over come this loss.
Speaking to Silverscreen India, music composer Nivas K Prasanna said, “I came to know about bass guitars through him (Sasidharan) and for musicians like us, who have come from live musical scenes (performing live music), we have studied and observed Ilaiyaraaja sir’s bass notes. Sasidharan sir has contributed to his songs and if not the whole team, we could not have heard Raja sir’s music as a whole composition. His demise is unexpected and may his soul rest in peace. He is a great musician. I really hope upcoming musicians look up to his work. He has done many musical nuances that would help them to get better.”
Calling Sasidharan a “dear friend”, musician Drums Sivamani told Silverscreen India, “He is a very good musician and is also a percussionist. His musical harmonies in Ilaiyaraaja sir’s compositions are very powerful and unique. It is a big loss for the industry and pray for his soul.”
Sasidharan’s last rites took place at his residence in Besant Nagar in Chennai on Monday.
Jee main aata hai tere daman mein sar chhupa ke ham rote rahe from the song Tere bina zindagi se koi shikwa nahi is one of the most tender lines in Hindi film songs, in my opinion.
When love has run its stormy course and assumes a mellow form in an older age, it acquires new and unstated forms of intimacy. Companionship and empathy replace the youthful struggle of love to establish its legitimacy with relation to ego.
It is these leftovers that make up the famous song from the film Aandhi (1975), remembered usually for its mischievous and masked rendering of India’s first lady prime minister Indira Gandhi. It is not the political ploy in Aandhi that interests me, for that is the most well known and obvious aspect. But Aandhi comes to mind as a relationship of an older couple- grey haired, somewhat tired and damaged by the world. It is to Gulzar’s credit that this love is not about being not able to live without someone, for there is no complaint about an absence – no shikwa – rather it is the changed meaning of life that the absence entails.
The gentle strings of the sitar, followed by the flute bring in Lata Mangeshkar at her most melodious. Unlike most songs, the visuals are understated since it’s the most accomplished pair of actors – Sanjeev Kumar and Suchitra Sen – who communicate so much through silence. This is not the age when you sing songs, but they play in your head, and it is to this interiority we are exposed. The relief to be able to cry unfettered, uncontrollably in the companionship of a gentle partner is a strange kind of desire. Or is it even desire?
Kishore Kumar’s voice as he sings Tum jo keh do to aaj ki raat chand dubega nahi is not about the male partner’s masculine strength in plucking the moon out of the sky, but of asking his partner to arrest time, extend the night, and make the stillness longer.
The same couple in their youthful days sing Tum aa gaye ho, noor aa gaya hai, nahin to chiragon se lau jaa rahi thi. If flames lose their heat and only presence brings radiance; it puts a heavy burden on being there, being with.
However, love becomes more expansive when intimacy is not about being there, but being able to cry on someone’s shoulder, of being held when long travels of life are conveyed.
A friend remarked to me, “I want to tell you things that I am not particularly proud of. But I want to be held at that time.” The intimacy of those words haunts me for it is neither sexual nor platonic, it is about being vulnerable in body and spirit.
That Sanjeev Kumar could have pulled off the role of being a husband who takes a step back to wait and watch the unfolding of political ambition and success in his wife’s life is also particularly appropriate.
The conjugality of Aandhi has more conviction even in its estrangement as tests the fundamental question of why we even need to be together.
Sophie Xeon, the Grammy-nominated artist who was known for her work in the hyper-pop genre, died in an accident in Greece on Saturday morning. Xeon was 34.
According to a statement on Twitter by her record label Transgressive Records, Xeon slipped and fell when she climbed up the stairs to watch the full moon.
According to CNN, her publicist said in a statement that she had died at her home in Athens.
“SOPHIE was a pioneer of a new sound, one of the most influential artists in the last decade,” the statement said.
Xeon debuted in 2018 with the album Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides. It earned her a Grammy nomination in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category.
Condolences and tributes poured in for the late singer on social media. Artists like Sam Smith, Charli XCX, and French pop star Christine and the Queens, took to Twitter to condole her death.
Sophie was a stellar producer, a visionary, a reference. She rebelled against the narrow, normative society by being an absolute triumph, both as an artist and as a woman. I can’t believe she is gone. We need to honor and respect her memory and legacy. Cherish the pioneers. pic.twitter.com/3kyRl1KabY
Heartbreaking news. The world has lost an angel. A true visionary and icon of our generation. Your light will continue to inspire so many for generations to come. Thinking of Sophie’s family and friends at this hard time ❤️ pic.twitter.com/7qr4aI0DDi
An outspoken trans-activist, Xeon was born in Glasgow on September 17, 1986. A New York Times report stated that the singer was a self-taught musician who learned to make music using cheap synthesisers.
According to a report by Variety, she began to work as a disc jockey and produce music at the age of 13. By 2013, she had already released singles like Nothing More to Say and Bipp/Elle.
In 2015, she co-produced the song Bitch I’m Madonna with pop singer Madonna. She also did production work on Charli XCX’s extended play Vroom Vroom.
Xeon came out as trans in 2017 when she released the song It’s Okay to Cry. In an interview with Paper Magazine, she said, “For me, transness is taking control to bring your body more in line with your soul and spirit so the two aren’t fighting against each other and struggling to survive.”
Ilaiyaraaja, the renowned music composer, on Monday issued a statement denying rumours that he would be returning his national and state awards as a sign of protest after both the Tamil Nadu and Central governments remained silent during his feud with Prasad Studios.
Ilaiyaraaja and Prasad Studios were long engaged in a tussle over the former’s recording studio and chamber within the studio’s premises being tampered by the management.
In his video statement, clarifying the rumour, Ilaiyaraaja said: “It has come to my attention that a statement made by an individual has been doing rounds as a statement that I said. I would like to convey that it is completely false. I would also want to state that I have never released such a statement from my side.”
He was referring to a statement issued by Dhina, the president of the Cine Musicians’ Union which stated that veteran musician would be returning his awards to the government over his unhappiness regarding his feud with Prasad Studios.
After the musicians’ organisation held a press meet to address Ilaiyaraaja’s rights in Chennai on Monday, Dhina said that Ilaiyaraaja’s belongings were damaged and Prasad Studios’ actions were unjustified. He had said that this would not have happened if former Tamil Nadu chief ministers J Jayalalithaa, M Karunanidhi, and MG Ramachandran were present.
“Not a single voice was raised from the government when a man, who has worked for the cinema industry for 45 years, was insulted,” he said.
Clarifying the rumour, Dhina said in a video statement later on Monday: “There has been a misunderstanding in today’s meeting. I had mentioned that Prasad Studios had insulted the awards earned by Ilaiyaraaja but it got twisted and came across as if Ilaiyaraaja was returning his awards to the Central government. It is completely false news. It is my request to everyone to understand what has happened.”
The feud between Ilaiyaraaja and Prasad Studios began in September 2019 after Sai Prasad, the grandson of studio’s founder LV Prasad, took over the studios. In July 2020, the music composer had filed a complaint against Sai Prasad for “tampering with his musical instruments, notes and valuables” and for threatening to cut electricity, water, and other supplies. The complaint also said that Sai Prasad had forcibly entered the recording theatre and threatened him for using the premises. Prasad Studios had denied Ilaiyaraaja entry into the premises if his intention was to compose music.
In December, 2020, the Madras High Court granted permission to the musician to visit his chamber and vacate it on December 28. As the high court attempted to settle the feud, the bench said that the composer could meditate in the premises for a day before vacating.
The chamber in the studio reportedly contains several of Ilaiyaraaja’s photos and his Padma Bhushan award. However, despite housing such memories, the composer refused to visit the studio after he realised that it had been converted into an IT server room.
Ilaiyaraaja had also filed a complaint after he was denied access to Prasad Studios, citing renovation work. He moved the high court to stop the owners from interfering with his use of a recording theatre on the studio premises, where he has been composing music for the past four decades. He also demanded Rs 50 lakh as relief for the mental agony caused to him due to the forcible eviction.
Speaking about the influx of young talent, Haobam Paban Kumar, chairperson, non-feature film, said in a press release: “More than 60-70 people are new filmmakers which is a good sign. Even the opening film, Saand Ki Aankh, is also made by a young filmmaker.”
A total of 23 feature and 20 non-feature films have been selected for the flagship Indian Panorama Section of the 51st of International Film Festival of India. Among them, Saand Ki Aankh was selected as the opening film in the Panorama section.
Speaking on the occasion, the film’s director Tushar Hiranandani said that there were many hidden stories that need to be told. The real-life characters of the film, Chandro and Prakashi, were unknown in their town Meerut, he said, adding: “When I made this movie, I hoped that they will be noticed.”
Talking about Saand Ki Aankh being chosen as the opening film, the jury members said that they appreciated the music, cinematography, editing, and script. The film is based on Chandro Tomar and Prakashi Tomar of Johri village in Uttar Pradesh and are among the world’s oldest sharpshooters and winners of several national championships.
Sanghamitra Chaudhuri, a filmmaker, journalist and one of the jury members, lauded the efforts of debutant film directors participating in the festival and coming up with contemporary ideas.
The jury, however, pointed out the fewer number of documentary films as compared to last year. Speaking about the importance of documentaries, the chairperson said: “Only thing lacking this time was there were very few documentaries and more short films.”
Six iconic Marathi films will be screened under the Indian Panorama section and 15 films will compete for the Golden Peacock Award at IFFI’s International Competition section. The festival started on January 16 and will continue till Sunday.
Lady Gaga, the Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter, will sing the US national anthem while singer-dancer Jennifer Lopez will present a musical performance at the West Front of the US Capitol in Washington DC, where President-elect Joe Biden will be sworn in as the country’s 46th president on January 20.
Along with Biden, Kamala Harris will also be sworn in as the vice president. Harris will be the first female, Black and Asian vice president.
The singers announced news of their performances on their social media handles.
The ceremony will also feature Academy Award-winning actor Tom Hanks hosting a 90-minute primetime television show, which will include musical performances by Justin Timberlake, Jon Bon Jovi, Demi Lovato and Ant Clemons as part of the swearing-in celebrations.
While Lady Gaga will sing The Star-Spangled Banner, other performances include Andrea Hall, a firefighter, who will lead the Pledge of Allegiance, Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, from Los Angeles, who will recite a poem, Variety reported. Biden’s family friends, Father Leo O’Donovan and Reverend Silvester Beaman will deliver an invocation and benediction, respectively.
Lay Gaga was among the Hollywood personalities to openly support Biden and Harris. She had campaigned for the duo in Pittsburgh on November 3, 2020, a day before the presidential elections. Referring to Trump as “a man who believes his fame gives him the right to grab one of your daughters or sisters or mothers or wives by any part of their bodies,” she had said: “Vote for Joe. He is a good person.”
She had later congratulated Biden and Harris after they won the presidential election.
. @JoeBiden@KamalaHarris and the American people, you just gave the world one of the greatest acts of kindness and bravery humanity has ever seen. ❤️ 🙌🙌 nothing but love for our new Commander in Chief and the 1ST female VP elected to the White House. Also, way to go PA 😭❤️ pic.twitter.com/uXiMTWs6Hk
The inauguration ceremony in 2017 of outgoing President Donald Trump and outgoing Vice President Mike Pence saw Jackie Evancho, a 20-year-old finalist of reality show America’s Got Talent, singing the national anthem. The event also saw performances by singers Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood, and rock band 3 Doors Down.
In the 2013, when former president Barack Obama was being sworn in for his second term, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter Beyonce had sung the national anthem.
Trump has issued an emergency declaration for Washington, the capital of the USA, after pro-Trump supporters attacked the Capitol on January 6 while the Congress was counting presidential votes. More than 10,000 National Guard troops will be guarding the city, with about 5,000 more on standby, reported BBC. Biden’s ceremony will also be in line with the Covid-19 protocols, including social distancing. He has also requested people not to travel to Washington, in view of the pandemic.
Trump had earlier mentioned through his Twitter account, that now stands suspended, that he will be skipping the inauguration of his successor, making him the first outgoing president to do so since 1869.
What does it do to you to have been documented by someone else, to have your existence noticed which you thought had besmirched the earth? Does a novel based on what you thought was your worthless life end up inspiring you? Does that fiction also chart a path for you, in addition to reflecting your path?
In Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s directed film Anupama (1966), Uma (played by Sharmila Tagore), a quiet, shrinking violet kind of person, finds herself the subject of a novel called Anupama. Such relations between Uma and Anupama’s life disrupt the chronology of fiction and life. What’s more, they occur in a film making the ‘real’ in fictional even more complicated.
This strange dialectic, where both life and fiction lend material to each other and get locked in mutual definition and modification, is the central theme of the film, in my opinion.
Chances are that the film has been remembered for the cruel treatment meted out by a father to his daughter. Mr Sharma, Uma’s father, lost his wife at childbirth and couldn’t bring himself to look at his daughter because she reminded him of his deceased wife. An eerie part of this antagonistic relation is that he does go to her room when he is drunk, even if it’s only to remember in his inebriated state that the daughter is not responsible for his woes.
But I have no intentions of dwelling on this less interesting aspect today, for it is the role of writing that has got subsumed by this story that interests me more.
Ashok (played by Dharmendra) is a poor man, but observant of Uma. He understands what she has not told him. This becomes evident to us when he sings the following song in Hemant Kumar’s haunting voice: Ya dil ki suno duniya walo, ya mujh ko abhi chup rehne do, main gham to khushi kaise keh dun…
Through this song, Ashok becomes Uma’s unspoken voice and a witness to her fate. The song is odd, its sung at a birthday party. Trust Hindi cinema to sometimes produce the most morose songs in a party, and at times, a dance when you expect understated grief!
Poetry and songs tell of a speaker’s subjectivity. However, this poetry speaks of a subjectivity that we have not seen being shared between Uma and Ashok. It communicates not Ashok’s subjectivity, but his knowledge of Uma’s subjectivity. So how does Ashok know this?
The awareness of untold things come to Ashok for being both a writer and lover, and this intimacy in the film is extremely gestural. Uma and Ashok never even hold hands, which is unusual compared to the fact that the previous generation (Uma’s parents) lived a throbbing life of desire in a marital relationship. Think of the oddity of a younger man singing the Hemant Kumar song Ya dil ki suno in an understated manner; while the song Dheere dheere machal ae dil e bekaraar characterises the relationship of Uma’s parents.
Meanwhile, the novel Anupama tells the story of a girl who didn’t talk, nor felt any desires, until a stranger walked into her life. When Uma is being forced to marry someone else and is held captive at home, she reads the novel and discovers Anupama’s (rather her own) next steps and walks out to claim her freedom to love. The writing has managed to witness, inspire, document and forge an intimacy that touching and speaking have not.
The film takes the turn of a classic romcom at the end where Uma rushes to the railway station to join Ashok. The lover/writer has understood her story, and all is well with the world.
The film reminded me of the Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari-directed Bareilly Ki Barfi(2017), where a pulp fiction writer writes about a sassy and feisty small-town girl.
While the novel’s protagonist has a hypothetical presence, the fact that a male writer has acknowledged the existence of such a woman in an independent and conservative society is enough to make the girl look for the author.
Acts of writing within the filmic narrative have seldom received our attention, but they circle back to other acts of writing the film, creating an inseparable chain of stories overheard, told and incidentally, shown.
On January 1, a host of classic books, music, and films created in 1925 became free for anyone to use without licensing or getting permission from a copyright holder. Books such as F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby, Virginia Woolf’s Mrs. Dalloway, Ernest Hemingway’s In Our Time, Sinclair Lewis’ Arrowsmith, Aldous Huxley’s Those Barren Leaves, Agatha Christie’s The Secret of Chimneys, and The New Negro have all come on the public domain.
Copyright on films like Buster Keaton’s Go West, Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman, The Merry Widow, and Lovers in Quarantine have lifted, while songs like Always by Irving Berlin, Yes Sir, That’s My Baby by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson, and songs by Gertrude “Ma” Rainey’s and Bessi Smith can be used for free as well.
What does coming under the public domain mean?
In the USA, copyright terms are set by the Congress. According to the Duke University Law School’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain, “when Congress passed the first copyright law in 1790, the copyright term lasted for 14 years, with the option to renew for another 14 years if the copyright holder was still living”.
In an amendment in 1998, the copyright term was increased to 70 years after the author’s death. Later, the term was changed to 95 years since a work was published. After a gap of two-decades of no new works being free from copyright, in 2019 works of 1923 came under the public domain.
The year 2021 marks the third time since copyrights have expired and the works brought under the public domain.
What’s coming in 2021?
“It’s a blockbuster list from 1925,” says Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University Law School’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain in an article about this year’s Public Domain Day.
“1925 brought us some incredible culture. The Harlem Renaissance was in full swing. The New Yorker magazine was founded. The literature reflected both a booming economy, whose fruits were unevenly distributed, and the lingering upheaval and tragedy of World War I. The culture of the time reflected all of those contradictory tendencies. The BBC’s Culture website suggested that 1925 might be “the greatest year for books ever”, and with good reason. It is not simply the vast array of famous titles. The stylistic innovations produced by books, such as Gatsby, or The Trial, or Mrs. Dalloway, marked a change in both the tone and the substance of our literary culture, a broadening of the range of possibilities available to writers, while characters such as Jay Gatsby, Hemingway’s Nick Adams, and Clarissa Dalloway still resonate today,” writes Jenkins.
Here are some of the works from 1925 that will be available from this year:
Books
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
In Our Time by Ernest Hemingway
The Trial (in German) by Franz Kafka An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser Manhattan Transfer by John Dos Passos
Films
Harold Lloyd’s The Freshman
The Merry Widow
Stella Dallas Buster Keaton’s Go West
Music
Always by Irving Berlin Sweet Georgia Brown by Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard and Kenneth Casey
Works by Gertrude “Ma” Rainey Looking for a Boy by George and Ira Gershwin (from the musical Tip-Toes) Manhattan by Lorenz Hart and Richard Rodgers Ukulele Lady by Gus Kahn and Richard Whiting Yes Sir, That’s My Baby by Gus Kahn and Walter Donaldson
You can find the complete list on the website of the Center for the Study of the Public Domain, a Duke University project that tracks copyright expirations.
I associate the voice of Shamshad Begum with my father’s generation, nay, with my father. Hazy memories of early childhood appear before my eyes when a Shamshad and Talat Mahmood song would play in the background, and my father would sit listening, with a cigarette in his hand, and Gujarat Samachar before him.
I associate the voice of Kishore Kumar with my life, listening avidly to songs of Amitabh Bachchan and Rajesh Khanna. So when I recently chanced upon a lilting and lovely duet, Mere neendo mein tum, mere khwabon mein tum from the film Naya Andaz (1956), it felt like the coming together of two different eras.
Voices, some at least, carry the imprint of their times. A great example is Talat Mahmood for instance, which a dear friend rightly remarked, was a voice of undivided India. It has a cohesion and low-key serenity that is seldom heard again after independence/partition.
The song Mere khwabon mein tum is alluring even visually, with Kishore Kumar singing both on and off stage; and Meena Kumari (as Mala in the film), joining him, waltzing and dancing, and expressively looking into his eyes. I had type-casted Meena Kumari from Pakeeza and Sahab Bibi Aur Ghulam, or even Kajal. She had become for me a synonym of the long-suffering look, and with her early and tragic death, I was not far off the truth. It seems Nargis wrote an obituary for her in which she says, “Meena, I am glad you are no more, for you deserved better”.
Be as it may, the song took me to this hardly-known film Naya Andaz. The film had some surprising elements, and a delightful script for the first half. True to its name, the film shows the son Chand (played by Kishore Kumar) as a new poet, who has no patience with the didactic poetry of his father. His is a new style- for he mixes metaphors, English with Hindi, expressing unusual turns of phrases, and making Urdu an intimate and everyday affair. The surfeit of poetry and cleverness manifest in witty comeback and parody of and through language appears from our times like a different universe.
The dialogues have a sunny quality that makes poetry light and natural, so that from selling soap to soul, it has the repertoire needed for a living language. Our association of Urdu with only poetry, and imagination of it like lying like a moribund maiden is clearly a historical development. Chand leaves home for he is thrown out of college for responding to each examination question with a poem, and along with him is his friend Karim (played by Johnny Walker). The pair calls itself Chand-Suraj and meet up with a man called Tara (Chand).
Meanwhile, the song Meri neendo mein tum occurs as a leitmotif, first playing as a theatrical performance by Chand and Mala on stage; but the performance becomes real as the song is now played for them, to say those words to each other and not to us. The disjunct between the Meena Kumari I had type-casted and imagined in Lata Mangeshkar’s voice and a waltzing, gown wearing woman lip-syncing to Shamshad’s voice lingered. So did the fact that Kishore Kumar was singing in a song that Talat Mahmood should or could have.
Where was this disjunct coming from, and what was it saying to me? I found the answer in the logic of memory. Here’s the thing- songs do not come in singles. They come as leftovers of another song, a spillover of some other note somewhere. And while listening to this one, I was haunted by Milte hiaankhen dil hua diwana kisi ka from the film Babul (1950).
The opening notes have a similarity and the fact that in both songs, the men are playing the piano while the women are singing freely in a duet. Shamshad’s voice remains common to both, but it is only natural that the naya andaz (new style) was best captured by the impish Kishore Kumar than Mahmood.
The disjunct I experienced was one of trying to fit a pre-Partition voice to the modernity of another film, or creating a seamlessness between long-suffering looks and the sweetness of Mangeshkar’s voice – both of which Meena Kumari escapes in Naya Andaz.
Now that I know the genesis of my disjunct, I can live with the two moments of Babul and Naya Andaz, both from the same decade and similar visuals but apart by temporalities created through different voices.
A beloved singer. Possibly the greatest football player the world has seen. A basketball talent cut short by a freak helicopter accident. The creator of a much-loved comic. In 2020, the world of cinema, art and sport lost these and several other stars who shone just as bright.
Silverscreen India pays tribute to the stars that fell this year.
SP Balasubrahmanyam
SP Balasubrahmanyam
Singer SP Balasubrahmanyam died on September 25 at the age of 74 due to Covid-19 complications. Popularly known as SPB, the singer has sung thousands of songs in South Indian languages. People from across the country claimed him as their own when he died. Known as Paadum Nila or the singing moon, SPB lent his voice for stars including MG Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. An active stage performer, SPB brought energy and mirth to the table every time he sang. Aside from singing, SPB was also a voice over artist and an actor.
Irrfan Khan
Irrfan Khan
Irrfan Khan, one of India’s finest actors, died in April after being diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumour. The 53 year-old actor’s filmography boasted stunning, empathetic performances including roles in movies like The Lunchbox, The Namesake, Paan Singh Tomar, Maqbool and Piku. He displayed clarity and depth off screen, especially in candid interviews where he spoke about his initial struggle and his rise in the Hindi film industry. The actor, who has also acted in several British and Hollywood films, will be remembered fondly by the world of cinema.
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor
Rishi Kapoor, the Hindi actor known for his portrayals of romantic heroes in his films, died in April due to a long battle with cancer at the age of 67. His youthful energy took over the screens as he danced to some of the biggest hit songs of the generation. The actor was known in his later years for his hilarious social media presence. Kapoor began his performance as a child artist in 1970 in Mera Naam Joker and continued to act for nearly 50 years, ending his career in 2019 with The Body.
Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput, the Hindi actor who began his career in television, died in June at the age of 34, leaving his fans and the entire film industry in utter disbelief. Rajput, whose notable films include Kai Po Che and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, died by suicide. Speculation behind the cause of his death soon snowballed into an online campaign on social media. The actor is fondly remembered for his sensitive and candid interviews about the struggles of being an actor without a film background. Videos of his love for science, dreams and journey dominated Twitter and Instagram for days after his death.
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee
Soumitra Chatterjee, the veteran Bengali actor known for his collaborations with master filmmaker Satyajit Ray, died in November at the age of 85 from Covid-19 related complications. The city of Kolkata came together to bid farewell to the star, whose is known for his legendary performances in the Feluda series, Devi, Charulata, Aranyer Din Ratri, Ghare Baire, Koni and Atanka. Chatterjee has received world-wide acclaim including France’s highest civilian award, the Chevalier of Legion of Honour.
Saroj Khan
Saroj Khan Source: Bollywoodhungama.com
Saroj Khan, the noted Bollywood choreographer, died at the age of 71 in July following a cardiac arrest. The National Award-winning choreographer has worked on over 200 songs, including the iconic Ek Do Teen from the movie Tezaab, which is loved and mirrored by dancers all over the country.
Sachy, the Malayalam writer and director, died in June after a cardiac arrest. His film Ayyappanum Koshiyum had just released to wide critical acclaim and box-office success, and the 48-year old was at the peak of his 12-film old writing and directing career when he died.
Naranipuzha Shanavas
Naranipuzha Shanavas Source: Instagram
Naranipuzha Shanavas, the Malayalam director and screenwriter, died at the age of 38 in December, after suffering from a cardiogenic shock. Shanavas was best known for the Malayalam romantic drama Sufiyum Sujathayum, which released earlier this year. Several coworkers wrote about his kindness after his demise. The director made his debut in the year 2015 with the comedy-drama Karie.
Nishikant Kamat
Nishikant Kamat Source: Bollywood Hungama
Nishikant Kamat, the director best known for directing the Hindi films Drishyam, Force and Rocky Handsome, died at the age of 50 in August after suffering from chronic liver disease. He began his career with the Marathi movie Dombivali Fast and went on to direct Hindi movies like Mumbai Meri Jaan.
Chiranjeevi Sarja
Chiranjeevi Sarja Source: Instagram
Chiranjeevi Sarja, the Kannada film actor and nephew of Arjun Sarja, died at the age of 39. Although the young actor was said to have been completely fine in the days leading to his death, he died of a sudden cardiac arrest. He had starred in 22 films before his demise. Sarja’s debut film was the 2009 Kannada romance Vayuputra, produced by the Sarja family’s production house, and his last movie was Shivarjuna.
Jayaprakash Reddy
Jayaprakash Reddy Source: Facebook
Jayaprakash Reddy, the actor who played the antagonist in several notable Telugu movies, died in September at the age of 74 due to a cardiac arrest. Reddy, who did a mix of both comic and serious roles, was well known in the Telugu states. His notable films include Gabbar Singh, Narasimha Naidu and Samarasimha Reddy in Telugu. The actor also featured in a few Kannada and Tamil films.
Visu
Visu
MR Viswanathan, the Tamil actor, writer and director who was popularly known as Visu, died at 75 due to a cardiac arrest. Visu, who started his career with theatre, later went on to act and direct several super hit films, including Manal Kayiru and Samsaram Adhu Minsaram. His movies were much like his stage plays – they relied heavily on punch filled dialogues and wordplay to convey social messages. The mix of witty wordplay and moralistic family-based plots in his movies made him widely popular. He went on to become a talk show host on television.
MK Arjunan
M. K. Arjunan Source: Fotokannan
MK Arjunan, the Malayalam music composer fondly known as Arjunan Master, died in April at 84. Arjunan Master made his debut in playback music composing through Karuthapournami (1968) and created his best work in the 1970s, when he composed numerous soulful melodies that have outlived the films they were featured in. When he won the Kerala State Film Award for music composition for Bhayanakam in 2018, many expressed disbelief that it was Master’s first state award in his career that spans five decades.
Thavasi
Thavasi
Thavasi, the Tamil actor known for playing character roles in movies like Varuthapadadha Valibar Sangam and Rajini Murugan, died in Madurai at 60. Thavasi made his acting debut in the 1993 Tamil drama Kizhakku Cheemayile, helmed by veteran director Bharathiraja, alongside actors Vijaykumar and Radhika Sarathkumar. The actor suffered from esophageal cancer and his deterioration was swift and brutal. A plea for financial assistance from his family, featuring a photo of the actor looking frail and emaciated, went viral weeks before his death. His last film was Annathe, starring Rajinikanth, which is yet to be released.
Wajid Khan, who composed music for movies along with his brother Sajid Khan, died at the age of 47 after contracting Covid-19. Under the name Sajid-Wajid, the brothers composed several popular songs including Hud Hud Dabangg from Dabangg, Jalwa from Wanted and Fevicol Se from Dabangg 2.
P Krishnamoorthy
P. Krishnamoorthy
P Krishnamoorthy, the decorated art director and costume designer, died in December at 77. Krishnamoorthy, who won the National Film Awards five times – thrice in the Best Art Direction category and twice in the Best Costume Design category – has worked in the Kannada, Tamil, and Malayalam industries. Krishnamoorthy’s best known Tamil films include Thenali, Pandavar Bhoomi, Imsai Arasan 23rd Pulikecei, and Naan Kadavul.
Erode Sounder
Erode Sounder
Erode Sounder, the writer best known for Puthum Pudhu Payanam, Nattamai and Samudhiram, died at a private hospital in Chennai in December from kidney disease-related complications. He was 63. Sounder also acted in Dasavathaaram and Lingaa.
Diego Maradona, one of the greatest ever football players, died from a heart attack at the age of 60 in November. Maradona inspired a legion of fans at his home country, Argentina and abroad to take up the game, and was best known for winning the 1986 World Cup for his country.
According to a report in Reuters, in Buenos Aires, people began pouring on to the streets to mourn the nation’s favourite son, gathering in the San Andres neighbourhood, where he lived. Although drug and alcohol addiction marred his career in the later years, he continues to be remembered as one of the greatest names in football history.
Kobe Bryant, one of the best basketball players of all time, and his daughter Gianna died in a helicopter crash in January; an ominous precursor for the year. Kobe was 41, and his daughter, 13. The news of their death broke the hearts of millions of fans across the world. “Just to see the joy he played the game with, the joy he brought to fans, was pretty remarkable,” Lakers legend Jerry West said to the Los Angeles Times. “You don’t get players of that skill and that caliber that are able to do those things and bring that joy.”
Chadwick Boseman
Chadwick Boseman Source: YouTube
Chadwick Boseman, the actor best known for playing the role of King T’Challa in the groundbreaking superhero film Black Panther, died in August. The 43-year-old actor was battling colon cancer. Despite his short life, Boseman essayed roles asserting the representation of the African American community in Hollywood. Whether it was James Brown in Get On Up, Thurgood Marshall in Marshall or T’Challa in Black Panther, Boseman’s unfussy versatility and old-fashioned gravitas helped turn him into one of his generation’s most sought-after leading men wrote the The New York Times.
Sean Connery, the iconic actor who played the first ever James Bond, died at the age of 90 in October. Connery debuted in an uncredited role in the film Lilacs in the Spring and went on to act in films like Dr. No, Marnie, The Hill and The Murder on Orient Express. Connery retired from acting in 2006, when he received the American Film Institute’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
Eddie Van Halen
Eddie Van Halen Source: Wikipedia
Eddie Van Halen, the rock star, best known for songs including Jump died at the age of 65 in October. According to Variety, Van Halen’s innovative and explosive guitar skills kept the hard rock band that bore his family name cemented to the top of the album charts for two decades. The musician’s razzle-dazzle guitar-playing — combining complex harmonics, innovative fingerings and ingenious devices he patented for his instrument — made him the most influential guitarist of his generation.
John Lee Carre
John Lee Carre Source: Krimidoedel Cropped, Resized
John Lee Carre, the British novelist, who authored bestselling books including The Spy Who Came In From The Cold and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy died from pneumonia in December. Many of the Lee Carre’s 25 engaging works of fiction became successful movies and television shows, including the Night Manager and The Constant Gardener. Born as David Cornwall, Le Carre worked in the British Foreign Office and published under a pseudonym, as staff were not allowed to publish books while in service. According to the BBC, his career as a spy ended in 1964 after his name featured in a Soviet Union list of double agents. The incident inspired a plot line in Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.
Alex Trebek, the beloved host of Jeopardy!, died at the age of 80 in November due to complications from pancreatic cancer. In 2019, Trebek announced his pancreatic cancer diagnosis, and continued to host Jeopardy! while he underwent treatment. Trebek also acted in films like Free Guy with Ryan Reynolds.
Diana Rigg
Diana Rigg Source: hbo.com
Diana Rigg, the actor who played Olenna Tyrell in Game of Thrones, died in September. Rigg, who was 82, had been diagnosed with lung cancer in March. She had a long and storied career in theatre, film and television, winning several BAFTA, Tony and Emmy awards. According to the BBC, she was the only actor to have played the role of Mrs James Bond in a movie (On Her Majesty’s Secret Service).
Italian composer Ennio Morricone’s iconic composition for one of the greatest introduction scenes of all time in the Clint Eastwood film The Good, the Bad and the Ugly is a legacy he carries to the grave. The legend who composed the music for over 500 films, particularly Hollywood spaghetti western films, died at the age of 91 earlier this year. He won the Oscar, the Golden Globes and a number of other awards during his prolific career.
Mary Higgins Clark
Mary Higgins Clark Source: Wikipedia Cropped, Resizeed
‘Queen of Suspense’, Mary Higgins Clark who authored over 50 bestseller books died at the age of 92 in February. Clark started writing novels after she turned 40, and continued writing until 2019. She wrote gripping and pacy mysteries which kept readers engaged.
Iconic actor Ian Holmes, known most recently for playing the role of Bilbo Baggins in the Lord of the Rings series, died at the age of 88 from Parkinson’s-related ailments. The actor received the Best Supporting Actor Oscar nomination for the 1981 movie Chariots of Fire.
Kirk Douglas, the Hollywood legend who acted in films like Lust for Life, Spartacus and Paths of Glory, died at the age of 83 in February. Best known for his rugged looks and dimpled chin, this actor is said to have appeared in at least three movies a year during his peak. He won the Honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement and the USA’s medal of freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honour. He is the father of Michael Douglas.
John Saxon, the actor best known as Bruce Lee’s friend in the cult classic Enter the Dragon, died at the age of 83 due to pneumonia. Saxon’s prolific career included appearances in three of the Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
Albert Uderzo
Albert Uderzo Source: Wikipedia
Albert Uderzo, the co-creator of the wildly popular Asterix comic series, died in March at the age of 92. He created the series in 1959 along with writer René Goscinny, and illustrated the comic until Goscinny’s death in 1977. After 1977, Uderzo wrote and illustrated the comic and continued working on it until 2009 – almost 50 years since he first created the comic.
The world of cinema also lost comedians Fred Willard and Jerry Stiller this year.
Literature also lost gems including Tamil writers S Ramakrishnan, SA Kandasamy, Kovai Gnani and Kerala’s poet Sugathakumari.
The world of music witnessed a number of deaths, including Neil Peart, the drummer of Candian rock band Rush, American musician Little Richard, and R Purushothaman, a band member of music director Ilaiyaraaja.
In February, three members working on the sets of Kamal Haasan’s Indian 2 died, including Krishna (34), an assistant director in filmmaker Shankar’s team, Madhu (29), and Chandran (60), who were part of the catering team, as a heavy duty light came crashing down.
After a long battle between music maestro Ilaiyaraaja and Prasad Studios, the Madras High Court last week, granted permission to the musician to visit his chamber and vacate it on December 28.
Ilaiyaraaja was seeking to restrain the owners of Prasad Studios from interfering with his possession of a recording theatre in the studio premises. As the high court attempted to settle the feud, the bench said that the composer could meditate in the premises for a day before vacating.
The chamber in the studio reportedly contains several of Ilaiyaraaja’s precious photos and his Padma Bhushan award. However, despite housing such memories, the composer refused to visit the studio after he realised that it had been converted into an IT server.
How did the talks break down between the studio and the composer? Silverscreen India takes a look.
Eviction
The feud between the music composer and Prasad Studios began in September 2019 after Sai Prasad, grandson of founder LV Prasad, took over the studios.
This July, the music composer filed a complaint against Sai Prasad for “tampering with his musical instruments, notes and valuables” and for threatening to cut electricity, water, and other supplies. The complaint also said that Sai Prasad had forcibly entered the recording theatre and threatened him for using the premises.
The complaint stated that Sai Prasad had been damaging his property at the studio.“I have learnt through my known circle that the said Mr Sai Prasad through his men has been removing, stealing and damaging many of my belongings and articles which are worth several crores,” the complaint said.
The legal battle
Earlier this month, Ilaiyaraaja filed a complaint after he was denied access to Prasad Studios, citing renovation work. He moved the high court to stop the owners from interfering with his use of a recording theatre on the studio premises, where he has been composing music for the past four decades. He also demanded Rs 50 lakh as relief for the mental agony caused to him due to the forcible eviction.
On December 19, the Madras High Court asked Prasad Studios to consider Ilaiyaraaja’s request to let him meditate within the studio premises for a day. While the court stated humanitarian grounds, Prasad Studios filed a counter case a couple of days later saying the composer would not be allowed within the premises if his intention is to compose music.
Last week, the high court allowed Ilaiyaraaja to meditate in the studio for a day and retrieve his belongings.
What lies ahead?
After stating that Ilaiyaraaja’s personal belongings were manhandled, his lawyer Saravanan said that they were assessing the inventory and holding discussions with the composer.
In a video shared by Thanthi TV, Saravanan also alleged that his room was broken open and the management removed all his belongings from the room, without informing him.
“Only to visit his chamber one last time where he has been working for the past 35 years, Ilaiyaraaja withdrew all his pleas against the studio management in the court. However, after coming to know that all his belongings were removed, he has no reason to visit the place and he is heartbroken,” he said.
Sources close to the composer said that Ilaiyaraja and his team are yet to determine further course of action.
For several decades, the Tamil month of Margazhi which falls between December and January, has been known for Carnatic music concerts and Bharatanatyam dance performances, which have often been associated with elite and upper caste groups.
Only recently have there been discussions about entry barriers created and upheld by members of the upper caste in entering these cultural spaces.
In a bid to ensure inclusivity, the Neelam Panpaattu Maiyam or the Neelam Cultural Centre, formed by director Pa Ranjith, has organised Margazhiyil Makkal Isai 2020.
The eight-day event, from December 24 to December 31, had a number of folk artists and independent musicians performing traditional art forms like ganaa and oppari as well as hip-hop and rap. The festival was held in venues like Vani Mahal, Mylapore Fine Arts and Raja Annamalai Hall in Chennai, locations which have been associated with Carnatic and Bharatanatyam performances during the Margazhi season.
Speaking about the programme, festival director and well-known rapper Arivu says, “When we say Margazhi, people usually tend to associate it with classical music. However, this time, the month has taken a different route and our Makkal Isai festival has been received well. Every day, we have had performers showcasing different genres. Oppari, like rap, is a form of cultural form of showcasing oppression. The festival attempts to highlight all these aspects,” he says.
The event aims to educate people about the plight of the oppressed castes. Performances have explained methods of the oppressors, the need to organise revolts and the importance of establishing justice, equality, and liberty.
Arivu says that since the festival began, they have been receiving tremendous coverage from the media and support from the public. “From next time, we will conduct it in a grand manner,” he says.
The rapper says that the festival has helped people from marginalised communities come to the forefront.
“The festival has helped them in a big way. There are artists who have been singing oppari for decades but have never stepped onto a stage before. For long, sabhas [performing stages] have been treated as a place for just one group of people. With such an event, these stages have become more accessible to artists even from groups which have been marginalised. Sabhas are a common platform which anyone can book and use. That is what we are doing,” he says.
Arivu points out that this leads to democratisation of the music scene in Tamil Nadu. Visitors of regular sabhas have also been attending their festivals, he says.
“We have been witnessing mixed audience from different communities and it is a very positive response. We deem it a big deal as people are paying to watch oppari performances as it is an art form has been associated with death,” he says.
Dalit Subbiah, a performer from Madurai, took the stage by storm on December 25 with his nine-member band Viduthalai Kural. The band writes, composes, and performs songs on issues such as social justice, equality, untouchability, women’s freedom, environment. The band had performed 10 songs during the festival. “We are used to performing in open spaces without a proper setting. Getting a full-fledged stage for us among educated audiences in a well organised programme has been important for our growth,” he says.
The festival has paved the way for equality, Subbiah said, adding that his band will be performing the next year as well.
The festival has included traditional parai (drum) performance by the Kalai Nan Mani MSP Thangavel Dingukkal Parai Isai Kuzhu.Gaana artists from Chennai, including Thudumbattam and Newton Kuzhuvinar, have taken part.
The festival also witnessed hip-hop performances by Vedan, Black Boys, Mc Debes, VJ Vijay, Kalki, Shanthini, and indie musician Siennor.
Ghibran, the music director, started his career in 2011 with the Tamil romantic film Vaagai Sooda Vaa, that earned him several awards. Till 2020, the prolific composer has worked on over 30 films.
As 2020 draws to a close, Ghibran ends the year on a successful note with Maara, the upcoming Tamil romantic musical drama starring R Madhavan and Shraddha Srinath, for which he has rendered tunes.
The film’s trailer which released on Tuesday, shows Paaru (Shraddha) who travels across the country in search of a man named Maara (Madhavan) based on his paintings of a fairy tale. How she attempts to trace him and how they meet forms the crux of the story. The film’s trailer features traces of Ghibran’s upbeat tunes.
Ahead of the film’s release, Ghibran speaks to Silverscreen India about the film, the need for indie music to proliferate in India and how streaming services can pave the way for individualistic music.
Making the most
Ghibran says that the lockdown jolted him into working on independent music. He looked at the Covid-19 pandemic in a positive light and made decisions that helped him change direction, he says.
“The moment lockdown happened, the whole film industry froze. For the last couple of years, I wanted to work on independent music. When the lockdown occurred, like everyone, we [music directors] also suffered since no films were being released or shot. This is when I began working on a spiritual song series. I also worked on independent songs. I also wanted to complete my MBA degree for a long time. I chose to finish that during the period too,” he says.
In times of uncertainty, he says that being qualified in two or three professions is always a good fallback measure. This is where his MBA degree could come in handy, he says.
Aside from achieving personal goals, Ghibran has also composed light and empowering tunes to uplift spirits during the time of the dreaded pandemic.
Ghibran says that the lockdown did not hinder or limit the creativity of his peers. Many ended up spending long hours in their respective recording studios where they most felt at home, he says. The collaboration was a result of this “lockdown creativity”, he says.
“Kamal sir initiated the idea of this song. He knew that we were starting to feel a bit of the frustration and wanted to let people know that they were not alone during these times. I had all my equipment and we did remote recording to bring out the song,” he says.
Ghibran equates this song to a scene in the cult 1997 film Titanic. “When the ship goes down, musicians will be still playing. That is what we do,” he adds.
Maara
Ghibran says that like the fictitious ‘Heart of the Ocean’ diamond featured in Titanic, his music in Maara is the “heart of the film”.
“When Director Dhilip Kumar discussed the movie with me, he discussed that music was one of the main characters of the film. Where there are places where emotions can be best expressed through words that characters say, there are places where music too should act as a voice, to ensure that audiences feel inexplicable emotions,” he says.
Ghibran says that some people have made it fashionable to term movies with one or two songs as musicals. In Maara, it was different, he says.
“Once he conveyed that it was a musical, it became a dream-come-true moment for me,” he says.
Maara’s album has 10 tracks. The music director attempted to ensure that the texture of the sounds in the movie would align with the film. He is confident that since the all the songs have a similar “texture and tone”, people will not be tempted to skip songs while watching the film.
Ghibran values discussion and understanding the director’s vision before making the music. This is why he has several discussions in order to understand the musical palette, he says.
He says that he usually adds some Hindi words and some general gibberish in place of lyrics until the song is fully composed. Recalling a Maara-specific incident, he says “During the composition of the song Oh Azhagey (sung by Benny Dayal), I presented the song in Hindi. Maddy [Madhavan] liked it so much that he wanted me to do a Hindi version of the song. However, we knew that audiences would be put off if there is a Hindi track in the middle of the film. As a gift to him though, I did a Hindi version of the same song and added it as the tenth track of the film.”
He says that although the film is a remake of the 2015 Malayalam film Charlie, the director put no pressure on him to replicate the music.
“Maara happens in three segments and I was trying to bring music out of these three environments,” he says.
Independent music
According to the director, while films like Maara could be packed with songs and present a coherent story, there is a also a place for music without the added baggage of visuals. He says that music has the power to survive independently without a visual medium and believes that the world of audio is well worth exploring.
Ghibran feels that the rise of OTT platforms will pave the way for the independent music industry as more people will search for new songs and give music a patient hearing, without the visual accessory.
“I have been listening to a lot of stories targeting OTT platforms. Many believe that the use of few or no songs is a bad move. However, I feel like this paves way to create independent movies. The slow separation of the two industries is good for music,” he says.
Maara-FL-900×511
“We are in a golden era. Any artist with the talent to create art, need not depend on an opportunity in films. If you are an artist who is capable of creating something, you can reach the masses without anyone’s help. Many are proving to be bigger than any film media and are challenging films by creating movies at their homes and studios. I think the golden era has taken off,” he says.
Ghibran says that he has a few film projects lined up and thanks OTT platforms for providing him with consistent work. “I hope we will overcome the second wave of Covid-19 soon. I am looking forward to a positive year,” he adds.
Maara will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on January 8. The film also features Mouli, Alexander Babu, MS Bhaskar, Guru Somasundaram, Kishore, and Abirami in pivotal roles.
Vairamuthu, the lyricist and poet who has been accused of sexually assaulting women in the wake of the Me Too movement, announced that he will be launching a project to restore the pride of Tamil songs. According to a report by The Hindu, the lyricist, who has predominantly worked in the Tamil film industry felt that this project will raise the standards of songs in Tamil films.
The report said that Vairamuthu had claimed in a statement: “I am belling the cat. I intend to open diligently a new royal road for Tamil. A generation can travel on this.”
He said that the number of good Tamil film songs have drastically reduced in the last couple of years and blamed music directors, lyricists and directors for the current state of music.
“The violence of noise in the name of music, the molestation of language with discordant music, the artistes that are ignorant of what is happening in a song, and the meaningless lip-sync of the actresses have left lyricists like me in bewilderment, wondering if some songs need any language at all,” he said in the statement.
Reacting to The Hindu report, singer Chinmayi Sripada wondered on Twitter when he would apologise to the women that he had sexually assaulted.
Also Vairamuthu Saar’s maelaana karuthu on ‘meaningless lip sync of actresses’ leading to the ruin of the language in film songs.
Wonder when he’ll actually agree to what he did and apologise for his actions that includes threatening and molestation. pic.twitter.com/M80rRFXKJj
Music composer Achint Thakkar’s opening track for Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story is so gripping, its changing one major TV-watching habit – no one is skipping the introduction sequence anymore.
Since its release in early October, the opening track (which stars Pratik Gandhi, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Hemant Kher and Nikhil Dwivedi), has been marching towards 12 million views. Thakkar, who is based in Mumbai, says he’s “absolutely clueless” about why its so popular. (In fact, if anyone can tell him why, he would make ten more, he says.)
But everything in the song – the fusion, the absence of lyrics, the Gujarati twang – is designed to reflect the environment of the show musically, he tells Silverscreen India in an exclusive interview.
Why fusion?
Despite the fusion of Western and Indian music, Thakkar insists on calling the track “earthy and Indian”.
He says, “Most of us in India are neither truly Indian nor truly Western. We are both. We have grown up with so much of Western influence. But, at the same time, we have these Indian sensibilities. It’s just a part of us. So, it is only natural that when an artist makes stuff, both sides will come out.”
Achint Thakkar’s previous work, including his collaboration with vocalists Bhutta Khan and Multan Khan, is evidence of his fusion skills. Their album, Achint and The Khan Brothers, has Rajasthani folk songs fused with Western instruments. One of the tracks, Saavan Mod Muhara was used in the 2020 film Taish, which released on Zee5.
Scam 1992‘s opening track tries to recreate this same fusion magic.
“That’s the music I have grown up listening to,” says Thakkar, who is originally a Gujarati.
Thakkar was brought on-board Scam 1992 by Jai Mehta, Hansal Mehta’s son. (The two Mehtas are directing the show.) Thakkar says, “Scam 1992 is about who Harshad Mehta is. His Gujarati-ness is very strong. I have used a lot of Indian instruments and stuff [to reflect this].”
The song has a “Gujarati twang” and Thakkar says this is because he could relate to the characters. He says, “Characters like Pranav bhai and a lot of other guys, I grew up around uncles like that talking about the stock market. A lot of my father’s friends, they knew Harshad Mehta.”
Early Days
Thakkar traces his tryst with music to the days when he was in the school orchestra. At that time, it was just an excuse to skip class.
“I did not really play anything. I would just go and play around with the instruments so that I could miss classes. Music was one thing that I sort of pretended to play on my way along. And as I pretended, I actually learnt and I started playing in the school band,” he says.
From then on, his slight interest snowballed into a passion. In college, he was in a boy-band, Rosemary, which performed across India for a while. After playing through many collaborations and covers, Thakkar finally got a break with the Amazon Prime Video’s original web series, Four More Shots Please!
He went on to work closely with music composers Parth Parekh and Natania Lalwani to help composer and songwriter Mikey McCleary compose the music for Four More Shots Please!
Making Scam 1992‘s Theme Song
Thakkar’s two web series (Four More Shots Please! and Scam 1992) are very different, in terms of not only the genre and the storyline, but also their texture.
He says, “Four More Shots is also a fun show. They [the makers] wanted to show that side of Bombay. The characters are part of the elite [section]. Whereas, Harshad Mehta came from nothing, came from a chawl in Ghatkopar and is making his way up. The two shows are in stark contrast. The music in Four More Shots is light-hearted. The texture of it is very different from Scam 1992.”
The track of Scam 1992 went through several revisions and trials until the right cord struck. The monosyllable, “hey,” echoing throughout, was a Gujarati sample that the composer made a tune out of before incorporating it.
He says, “It’s not analysed or anything. I was throwing things in and seeing what would stick. So, it felt right and it sounds Gujarati enough for it to be in there. There’s no reason for why it is just one word.”
The theme song has no lyrics. He says, “When you add lyrics, you sort of pin-point. You lose that open-to-interpretation thing. You are zeroing-in on a particular thing. Most of the time, the music speaks much louder than the words.”
Thakkar explains that his peg for creating the music for both shows came from the environment or the vibe of the show.
“The idea is to reflect the environment of the show,” he says.
“In both cases, it was Bombay, but which part of Bombay is it being shot in? What are the motivations of the characters? We were surrounded by all these Gujarati theatre actors. So, the environment has a certain flavour to it. With Four More Shots Please! it is these really urban girls in South Bombay. So, the music had to reflect that,” he explains.
For him, it’s not only the vision of the director that goes into the song. Everything that goes into the making of the film or a web series, matters.
He says, “The characters and the way they are talking. Not just the main characters but all the characters. The situations that they are in. The locations that are used, the way the production design has been done. All of that matters. The environment that is created on-screen, we basically have to react musically to that environment.”
Asked what of these many factors made the song so popular, Thakkar says, “I have absolutely no clue, honestly. I am as clueless as you are. If I knew that, I would make ten more of these.”
The Harshad Mehta Story revolves around the Indian stock broker Harshad Mehta who was accused of market manipulation during the 1992 securities scam. The web series is based on the book The Scam: From Harshad Mehta to Ketan Parekh, by Sucheta Dalal and Debashis Basu. The show is currently streaming on Sony Liv.
“We don’t meet men from outside the family, usse gairat hoti hai,” I was told this by women of pastoralist families in Kutch. Meeting men from ‘outside’ is prohibitive; it would mean perhaps both gazing and being gazed at by a non-legitimate member. So, what is the extent of the family, I wondered, but didn’t ask.
But the idea of gair and gairat have haunted me since. The noun gairat and the adjective gair signal not only the outsider, but the process of making an ‘outside’; a form of externality; not necessarily out of rejection but out of seeing its impossibility in your own realm. Defining one also helps define the other, or the other way round.
When Shakeel Badayuni and Naushad collaborate (in the 1954 film Amar) and produce through Lata Mangeshkar’s voice one of the most stunning ghazals in the history of Hindi cinema – Na milta gham toh barbadi ke afsaane kahaan jaate- it’s difficult not to think of an entire ecology it comes with.
My ruminations are about the ‘strange’ reveling in the idea of suffering that ghazals and Hindi films songs do.
Situated as we are in neo-liberal commitment to happiness, it is strange that someone should think there is something emancipatory in the idea of suffering. We may be hasty enough to brush it aside as usual melodrama and self-pity. So, let me come back to gair to show you the train of thought.
The second line of the opening couplet says, “Mubarak gair ko khushiyan, mujhe gham se mohabbat hai,” (Let others have happiness; but I have love for misery). I was struck by how that gairat had been made.
Na milta gham to barbadi ke afsaane kahaan jaate, agar duniya chaman hoti to viraane kahaan jaate (If we were not to receive unhappiness what would happen to tales of destruction, had the world been a beautiful garden what would happen to deserted lands).
Suffering finds its justification; it has to, for we must endure it with certain dignity. One way of doing it is to think of happiness outside our own realm; to see its gairat; its out sidedness from our world. This is almost to say that suffering is intimate; made your own but consummation and celebration are alien to this world of intimacy.
The next couplet says, Chalo acchha hua apnon mein koi gair to nikla, agar hote sabhi apne to begaane kahaan jaate (Thankfully, at least one person turned out to be gair from our own. If all were our own, where would outsiders go?)
The illegitimate outsider has suddenly been provided with a legitimate reason to exist. Where would our non-own go, where would strangers seek refuge; and deserts find appreciation, and tragedies noticed?
Duaaye do mohabbat, hamne mit kar tumko sikhlaa di na jalti shamaa mein to parvaane kahaan jaate (To the lover who has been jilted, the female voice says you need to thank me for teaching you how to love; had flames not annihilated themselves, where would the moths go?)
She follows it up by saying that even you need to be thanked for giving me this treasure of suffering; how would I have managed to go begging misery from all and sundry?
Tumhi ne gham ki daulat di badaa ahasaan farmaayaa zamaane bhar ke aage haath phailaane kahaan jaate (If you need to go begging for suffering from others; it also means that suffering is an important part of existence, we all need to have its share)
The ones we can’t share suffering with are gair, for they are the ones with happiness. Finally, the lover who has provided suffering is not the one to share suffering with. It is this that makes him an outsider, but he can’t cease to be completely an alien either. He stands therefore on the threshold – neither fully intimate nor fully an outsider.
The song therefore moves with both thoughts – of putting him outside but also accommodating him in a tragedy. Some place needs to be made in our stories for even those who did not become our own; and that is what lends the stories their tragic element. Upon a superficial reading, this song may appear as a strange masochism and almost a principled distance from pleasure. However, on closer look, it opens up an ecology in which suffering is made intimate; almost pleasurable, hence hamein gham se mohabbat hai (I’m in love with suffering).
This state of being-in-love-with-pain is familiar to us from a long-standing tradition of ghazals; and we know that the pain is also pleasure of being closer to the divine. We may choose the human or divine; but we might need to see that narratives that appear to be marked by melodrama may well be ones of immense fearlessness. Isn’t the biggest fear one of having to suffer?
Andhadhun‘s Telugu remake, starring Nithiin Reddy and Tamannah Bhatia, began shooting on Sunday. The original film is a Hindi black comedy crime thriller that released in 2018. The team announced the news with a still from the shoot.
Reddy will take up the role played by Khurrana, and Bhatia and Natesh will reprise Tabu’s and Apte’s roles respectively. This will be Reddy’s thirtieth film.
While the Hindi film was helmed by director Sriram Raghavan, the remake is set to be directed by Merlapaka Gandhi. Gandhi will also write the dialogues. The remake is being produced by N Sudhakar Reddy and Nikitha Reddy under the Sreshth Movies banner.
The music will be composed by Mahati Swara Sagar and Hari K Vedanth will be handling the camera. The rest of the cast and crew members are yet to be announced.
Earlier in October, it was announced that JJ Fredrick would direct the Tamil remake of Andhadhun and actor Prashanth would play the lead role. The Tamil remake would be produced by the Prashanth’s father, producer Thiagarajan.
Thiagarajan had earlier said, “The story of Andhadhun revolves around a pianist, and Prashanth is a trained piano player. He studied western music and piano at the Trinity College of Music in London. Being a pianist, the role in the Tamil remake will come naturally to him.”
Andhadhun is the story of a pianist who pretends to be blind and ends up witnessing to a murder. The rest of the film follows the problems he subsequently faces.
Andhadhun won many accolades at the national and international levels. While the film won the Best Hindi Film award at National Film Awards 2019, Khurrana bagged the award for Best Actor. He also won the Best Actor award at the Filmfare Awards that year.
The South Korean parliament on Tuesday passed a revision to the country’s existing military service law that can allow K-pop artists, including BTS, to postpone their military services until the age of 30.
Under the current revision, Korean pop stars who have won government awards and can get a recommendation from the Ministry of Culture Sports and Tourism are eligible to defer their military services until they turn 30.
The bill was passed by a huge majority in the South Korean parliament, with only two out of the 270 votes cast against the amendment. The President of South Korea is expected to sign the bill into a law in the next couple of weeks.
The bill has been unofficially referred to as the ‘BTS law’ as it helps the iconic K-pop band to defer conscription. While the bill covers all K-pop bands that are eligible for a recommendation, BTS can be said to have been the direct catalyst for the change. The amendment comes exactly three days before Kim Seok Jin, the oldest member of BTS, turns 28. Had the bill not been passed, Jin would have had to mandatorily enlist himself for military service.
Kim Seok Jin during the Dear Class Of 2020 speech.
The Military Service Act 1949
South Korea is one of the few countries that follows mandatory conscription. Since South Korea is still technically at war with North Korea, the country considers military drafting as crucial for national defence.
Under the Military Service Act 1949, which became effective in 1957, it is mandatory for all South Korean men between the ages of 18 and 28 to serve in the country’s military for 18 to 20 months. While it is mandatory for men, women can enlist themselves for active service or voluntary work.
If a person receives a notice of enlistment and fails to enlist without any justifiable reasons, they can be imprisoned for up to three years. Over the years, hundreds of men have been imprisoned for evading the mandatory military draft.
In 2018, however, South Korea’s Constitutional Court ordered the government to bring alternative services for conscientious objectors. A few months later, the government passed a legislation that allowed civilian service in prisons for three years.
Were there any exemptions before?
Despite the mandatory military service for all able-bodied men, South Korea provides exemption to athletes who win gold at the Asian Games or medal of any colour at the Olympics. Over 42 athletes have been able to avoid military service in South Korea so far.
English football team Tottenham Hotspur’s forward Son Heung-min and his teammates in 2018 were granted exemption from military service after they won the Asian Games football tournament against Japan. Son had to only complete three weeks of mandatory military service, which he finished this year in May.
Artists who come first or second in South Korea’s 27 listed global contests can also get exempted from conscription. Pianist Seong-Jin Cho, who won the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in 2009, was granted exemption.
However, no such exemptions had been provided for K-pop artists before.
One such victim of mandatory military drafting was Super Junior, a 13-member Korean pop boy band. The second oldest member Heechul enlisted on September 1, 2011, and the youngest member Kyuhyun enlisted on May 25, 2017. It took over six years for all the members of different ages to complete their service. However, by the time everyone completed their service, the group was reduced from 13 members to 10.
Musical video of Super Junior’s Sorry, Sorry.
Crucial time for BTS
The South Korean government’s decision to pass the ‘BTS law’ comes at a particularly crucial time for the boy band. BTS has been drawing global attention ever since their debut in 2013.
Last week, the band managed to receive its first ever proper Grammy Award nomination for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for its first English song Dynamite. BTS will also be the first K-pop band to be nominated for a Grammy Award.
Ever since its release in August, Dynamite has been topping the Billboard charts for weeks. Following the release of their new album Life Goes On, BTS has become the first-ever group to rule Billboard’s Artist 100, Hot 100 and Billboard 200 charts at the same time. The single Life Goes On is also the first ever non-English language song to debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts.
BTS’ Life Goes On single.
BTS contributes enormously to the South Korean economy and image. Dynamite topping the charts added an estimated 1.7 trillion won ($1.5 billion) into South Korea’s economy.
Reactions
Over the past few years, BTS fans, dubbed as ARMY, have been appealing to the South Korean government to exempt the K-pop band from mandatory military service. Even the former Prime Minister of South Korea, Lee Nak-yon, in 2018 had requested the military to “come up with a more reasonable measure by reflecting the public’s growing demands”.
However, many lawmakers had been against exempting Korean pop groups. According to The Guardian, a lawmaker had said, “If you win a classic music competition such as in violin and piano, military exemption is granted. However, winning a pop music competition, say the Billboard albums chart, gets you nothing.”
In 2019, BTS member Jin had acknowledged getting drafted to the military and has said, “As a Korean, it’s natural. And some day, when duty calls, we’ll be ready to respond and do our best.”
Exemption for Korean pop artists is a contentious issue in Korea. Even in a recent poll released by E-Today, a local news outlet, 53% of the respondents wanted special treatment for BTS and 47% opposed it.
While several felt that it is unfair to name the bill using BTS’ name, most of the BTS ARMY has lauded South Korea’s ‘BTS law’ and have been calling it an early birthday gift for Jin.
Yo yo yo!!! The New BTS Law is passed in SKorea! Which means Jin’s military service is postponed till he is 30! ARMY REJOICE! 👏 pic.twitter.com/jllHshXhYW
— feel sad? stan jin i mean kim seokjin (@anjinkananaman_) December 1, 2020
One thing we should clear out here— BTS never asked for this. They’ve always said that when duty calls, they are always…
A bad listener is the first indication of a potentially bad relationship.
In Basu Chatterjee’s Rajnigandha (1974), Sanjay (played by Amol Palekar) is not only a poor listener, but insensitive in other ways. Perhaps it’s all part of the same terrain. However, he is consistently committed to Deepa (played by Vidya Sinha). So, what saves the day for him, and why is this elegant and intelligent woman so beatifically tolerant of him?
It is with some such lack of charity that I watched the beginning of the film, that had stayed in mind for decades as a mélange of images, but remained unfamiliar in terms of lines of the narrative. Upon re-visiting the film recently, I was struck by how comfortably Deepa meets Sanjay at her home, and how she plans to appear for an interview for a job in Bombay (while she lives in Delhi) at a time when such decisions were even more unusual than today. However, the idea of a relationship and marriage are a given; so, there’s no point in my fussing over that issue. It is when she finds herself attracted to her ex-boyfriend Navin (played by Dinesh Thakur) in Bombay that the film acquires huge interest, as not only one about romance and choices; but about the remnants of desire and silent ways in which it steals upon her.
Who draws boundaries and who breaks them? Who reminds us of monogamous commitments and also its difficulty? How is both policing and transgression of boundaries in the same heart, that strains to jump free, and returns? An enormously timely and expressive song manages to say all this. The song starts almost mid-conversation,
Kai baar yun bhi dekha hai, yeh jo man ki seema rekha, man todne lagta… anjaan aas ke pichhe, anjaani pyaas ke pichhe… (It often happens that the heart breaks its own boundaries and thirsts for the unknown)
The love at India Gate is different from love at Gateway of India. Sanjay, whom Deepa has left behind for five days in Delhi, acquires a haziness in her mind. She finds herself selecting the saree that Navin likes, and is reminded of how oblivious and inattentive Sanjay was to her desire to be seen and noticed. Sanjay couldn’t have enough of whining about his office; the lack of promotions, the cut in dearness allowance. His garrulity drowned out Deepa’s responses; and her studied silence remained unnoticed. On other hand Navin is sensitive; quiet, not making gaffes about women working, or earning, and simply plays a gracious host. He is worldly wise and confidently strides through the advertising world of Bombay.
Given Chatterjee’s penchant for cities, we see one pair walking through New Delhi’s Lodi Garden and a reconfigured pair walking in Hanging Garden of Bombay. The companionship shifts with each urban landscape, and Deepa finds herself being drawn to Bombay as a city where she experiences sensuality. She longingly looks to Navin to say something to her; but in vain.
Meanwhile, her home, back in Delhi, is filled with rajnigandha (tuberose) flowers. The song that had played in the first few scenes merging as it were her love for the flowers and Sanjay, is muted. I refer to the famous song, Rajnigandha phool tumhare mehke yuheen jeevan main…
The flowers now appear to surveil Deepa’s desire for Navin, whose letter she waits for. She has to turn her back on the flowers to indulge in fantasies about Navin. She hopes the letter would make love to her but instead, it ends before it begins.
Meanwhile, the rajnigandha flowers are as regular and constant as Sanjay and both remain in her life. This was the truth of her life. Yahi sachi hai, as the title of the story by Mannu Bandhari goes, and forms the basis of the film. As spectators of today, we are left somewhat bewildered by such narrow possibilities of truth, that lies between two men of which neither is good for the woman.
