Section: Music

10 Songs Of Friendship In Tough Times

BY Ananya Shankar On

One of the most relatable things in cinema is the portrayal of good friendships. It’s a reminder that even difficult times can be managed, when friends are around. Here’s a list of 10 popular Indian songs that celebrate the appreciation, loyalty and absolute love that friends show and share with each other.

  1. Kattu Kuyilu (Thalpathi, 1991)

Composed by music director Illaiyaraaja, this song features actors Mamoothy and Rajinikanth breaking into song and dance as they cement their friendship in the iconic Tamil film Thalapathi. Sung by KJ Yesudas and the late SP Balasubrahmanyam, this is one of the best-known compositions on friendship, from a movie that is also focused on the importance of loyalty, friendship and sacrifice.

  1. Behti Hawa Sa (3 Idiots, 2009)

A movie about the trials and tribulations of college life will inevitably have songs about friendship. But this song stands out from the typical fun-loving friendship sons. Sung by Shantanu Moitra, the song features R.Madhavan and Sharman Joshi’s characters reminiscing about and praising their friend, estranged for many years. The lyrics are filled with feelings of nostalgia as the duo travels to Ladakh in the hopes of meeting their friend again.

  1. Hai Junoon (New York, 2009)

Set before the September 2001 attacks in New York, Hai Junoon shows the spirit of three college-going friends sharing light-hearted, warm moments just before their lives change drastically.  The movie focuses on what follows after John Abraham’s character is falsely accused of being a terrorist. Hai Junoon captures their feelings of happiness and innocence.

  1. Oh, my Friend (Happy Days, 2004)

A melodious and slow song, Oh My Friend is from the Telugu film Happy Days. The song follows a group of friends on a trip together for the first time, and depicts their excitement and happiness at being around each other. Friendship in Happy Days is realistically portrayed – just a group of middle-class friends in an engineering college in Hyderabad, who deal with relatable issues like ragging, exam pressures and failures.  This song showcases their closeness and special bond.

  1. Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Todenge (Sholay, 1975)

Sholay is iconic, and this Amitabh Bachchan and Dharmendra song is practically a friendship anthem. With Dharmendra riding on a scooter and Amitabh Bachchan sitting in the sidecar, this song (which took 21 days to shoot) continues to resonate with modern-day audiences, for the chemistry between the duo, and for unabashedly warm lyrics like Tera gham mera gham teri jaan meri jaan. Aisa apna pyaar (trans: Your sadness is my sadness, your life is mine. That is how my love is).

  1. En Friend Ah Pola Yaaru Machan (Nanban, 2011)

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A remake of the Hindi film 3 Idiots, Nanban also follows the tale of three friends (now named Pari, Venkat, and Senthil) navigating their way through college. This song, resonating with the theme of the film, is about Pari (Vijay). Pari is described as that one-of-a-kind friend whose love pushes people to become their best selves. With lyrics like Natpaala namma nenja thachan (trans: He stitched our hearts with his love), the song expresses sentiments of awe and nostalgia, though in a more light-hearted vein than Behti Hawa Sa.

  1. Tumhi Ho Bandhu (Cocktail, 2012)

Despite being a movie about a love triangle, Cocktail’s songs mostly revolve around friendship . Tumhi Ho Bandhu is an ode to good friends, unlike the film’s other songs, which mostly focus on losing friendships and creating memories. Sung by Kavita Seth and Neeraj Sridhar, it is known for lines like Jab yaar kare parvaah meri, mujhe kya parvaah iss duniya ki? (trans: When friends care and look out for me, what care do I have in this world?).

  1. Tu Meri Dost Hain (Yuvraaj, 2008)

A drama film starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, Yuvraaj is best remembered for this song, composed by A R Rehman, with Gulzaar’s lyrics, and Shreya Ghoshal and Benny Dayal’s singing. The opening lyrics Aaja main hawaon pe bithake le chaloon, tu hi toh meri dost hain (trans: Come, I’ll take you through the winds, as you are my friend) speak not only to friendships, but also romantic relationships. In the song, the male lead sings to signify the importance of friendship even within a romantic relationship. Gulzaar was even nominated for a FilmFare award for his work on this album.

  1. Dost Mera Dost (Pelli Pandiri, 1997)

Sung by SP Balasubrahmanyam and Mano, this song won acclaim for its visuals and lyrics. Directed by Kodi Ramkrishna, Pelli Pandiri is a tale of two childhood friends (Jagapathi Babu and Prithviraaj) who come from different social classes and end up falling in love with the same girl. In one of the lighter moments in the film, this song shows them cherishing and celebrating their close bond with each other.

  1. Allah Waariyan (Yaariyan, 2014)

This a song about tragedy and loss in a friendship. In the movie Yaariyan, the song comes at a time when the protagonist (Himash Kohli) loses his best friend in a tragic accident. Sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, Allah Waariyan is a plea, that even if everything else breaks, friends should never leave. It goes as far as to say that it is okay if even God leaves, but friends should stick around.

Singer Sia Faces Criticisms from Autism Rights Groups for Portrayal of Autistic Girl in her Film ‘Music’

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Autism rights activists have asked Australian singer and songwriter Sia and HanWay Films, the production company backing her debut feature film directorial titled Music, to cancel the film’s premiere for casting an actor with no developmental disability as an autistic teenager. The film, starring Kate Hudson and Leslie Odom Jr., has been scheduled for an early 2021 release.

The trailer for Music released on November 19 and showed 18-year-old dancer Maddie Ziegler, who appears in several of Sia’s music videos, playing the role of an autistic teenager. The trailer soon began to draw flak on social media from users who questioned why Sia had not considered casting an actual autistic actor to play the part of the titular character Music. On November 20, an online petition was launched by an autistic woman Hannah Marshall to cancel the film. Within a week, the petition has garnered 1,081 signatures.

Criticisms

One of the major reasons Sia faced backlash was over Ziegler’s casting as a nonverbal autistic teen, even though she is not autistic.

Irish actor Bronagh Waugh was among those who questioned Sia’s casting choices and pointed out that the portrayal of the character was offensive. “People with disabilities are not broken and don’t need fixing,” she wrote.

Sia was quick to respond and wrote on Twitter, “I agree. I’ve never referred to music as disabled. Special abilities is what I’ve always said, and casting someone at her level of functioning was cruel, not kind, so I made the executive decision that we would do our best to lovingly represent the community.”

Sia’s mention of the phrase “special abilities” to describe autism also didn’t sit well with Twitter users. According to the Disability Language Style Guide, “the word ‘special’ in relationship to those with disabilities is now widely considered offensive because it euphemistically stigmatises that which is different”.

Another user named Jordana Golbourn stated that the singer “should know better than to allow able-bodied & neurotypical to represent the disabled community”.

“I actually tried working with a a beautiful young girl non-verbal on the spectrum and she found it unpleasant and stressful. So that’s why I cast Maddie (sic),” replied Sia.

Earlier, replying to other criticisms, Sia had defended her choice of casting Zeigler and said, “(The) Character was pretty low functioning and after attempting a few actors on the spectrum, they suggested I use Maddie.”

“The movie is both a love letter to caregivers and to the autism community. I have my own unique view of the community and felt it is underrepresented and compelled to make it. If that makes me a shit I’m a shit, but my intentions are awesome,” she wrote on Twitter.

While some of her fans came to her rescue, they were outnumbered by the people who were angry over Sia’s replies.

Who is Maddie Zeigler?

In 2014, Sia reached out to Zeigler, who was known for her performances as a child in Lifetime’s reality show Dance Moms, and asked her to appear in the Chandelier music video. The video clocked nearly 2 billion views on YouTube. Zeigler has appeared in several music videos of Sia, including Cheap Thrills, Big Girls Cry and her latest hit Thunderclouds. 

Credit – A screenshot from the official trailer of Music

How Sia reacted

Helen Zbihlyj, an actor and director of Community for ReWrite Media, wrote that many autistic performers, including herself, were available to perform on a short notice. “The fact of the matter is zero effort was made to include anyone who is actually autistic,” she wrote on Twitter.

Responding to her, Sia wrote, “Maybe you’re just a bad actor.”

After waging a war with several from the autistic community, Sia’s ire came out in the form of a tweet which said, “Fuckity fuck why don’t you watch my film before you judge it? FURY.”

Marlee Matlin, who is the only deaf performer to have won an Academy Award, asked Sia whether this was the response she was expecting when discussing such an important topic referring to the singer’s angry tweets.

Talking to Silverscreen India, Zbihlyj said that Sia’s comment made her laugh. “While I am also an actress, my career for over a decade has been doing community management for video games. Because of my career, I’m pretty used to internet trolls insulting me. It looked like just another internet troll. After all, this woman has never seen my work and doesn’t know anything about me. Upon seeing the account was verified, however, I was honestly concerned because clearly she must have taken my comments personally (and I never meant to offend, just to inform). I followed up with a response that we in the autistic community would love to have a conversation, and that we should talk rather than fight,” she said.

“Sia didn’t consult the autistic community but she promoted it as being a ‘love letter’ to the autistic community. Talking to one or two people on the autism spectrum is not representative of an entire group, and the portrayal in the film is indicative of that. The actress, who does not have autism, admitted her preparation for the role was watching autistic children on YouTube having meltdowns. These videos are often exploitative and don’t at all represent or portray the nuances of autism. It just reinforces negative stereotypes of people with autism,” she said.

View of the autistic community

Marshall in her petition mentioned “no autistic individuals were consulted on the film. Stereotypes are used throughout the trailer, and the visuals are nauseating to autistic people who would’ve wanted to see the film.”

“Sia has got this one wrong. There are so many talented autistic actors out there,” the National Autistic Society wrote in a Twitter post.

Talking to Silverscreen India, Marshall said, “I want people to see that autism doesn’t make us into monsters. We are human beings with our own feelings and opinions. And we want to be represented, just not like this. Sia is not representing us. She is representing a stereotype that paints us as mentally deficient sub-humans.”

“But this isn’t just a personal dislike. Sia is working with an ableist organization (Autism Speaks) to create a movie that insults autistic individuals. It’s hateful, to be frank,” she added.

Involvement of Autism Speaks

Twitterati got more infuriated when Sia cited Autism Speaks as a group that backed her film. Autism Speaks is an organisation that receives immense celebrity support, but has been condemned by several disability rights groups. Speaking about this organisation’s involvement with Sia’s film, Zbihlyj said, “Generally, when someone is doing a creative project- be it a movie, a song, or even a video game- they want positive support for it. To do this, they do research into organisations and people who are wanting to publicly be associated with the project. Choosing organisations that are highly controversial and potentially harmful to members of a community that are represented in the art is going to do the opposite of what the creators want to accomplish. While the controversy may give the project some initial publicity, the long-term legacy will be tainted by the negativity generated by it.”

Will Music be canceled?

While HanWay Films are yet to respond to Silverscreen India’s email, Marshall told her supporters  that she has informed the production house about the petition and the number of signatures it has garnered.

Recently, Anne Hathaway‘s character in The Witches was called out by people with disabilities for its problematic depiction of the character. Along with Warner Bros., Hathway too issued an apology and wrote, “As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry.”

Grammy Awards 2021: Historic Year For Women With All-Female Rock Performance Nominees

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On

Despite controversies over its alleged snub to chart toppers The Weeknd, the 63rd edition of Grammy Awards has made history with all-female nominations in the previously male-dominated Best Rock Performance category. Nominees for 2021 Grammys in this category include Fiona Apple, Big Thief, Phoebe Bridgers, Haim, Brittany Howard, and Grace Potter.

This is the first time that all-women nominations have taken place in this category since it was introduced in 2012. Till 2016, the Foo Fighters and Coldplay dominated the category with three and two nominations each. Even though the band Alabama Shakes had been nominated twice before, it was only in 2016 that they won an award for their song Don’t Wanna Fight.

This year’s Grammy will be the second time that a woman will win the award since then. Brittany Howard, who holds the record for the highest nominations in the Best Rock Performance category (five), shares four of them with the band, Alabama Shakes.

Even as charges of sidelining black artists continued, the Grammy Awards seem to have tried to make a statement. Women dominate not only the Best Rock Category, but in fact almost all nominations. Both Beyonce and Dua Lipa lead the race with five nominations each. Meanwhile, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish have four and three nominations respectively.

This year’s Best Country Album category too is making history with women accounting for all five nominations in the category. Four out of the five nominations in both the Best Country Song and the Best Country Solo Performance categories were women.

Mickey Guyton, who was nominated for her racially empowering Black Like Me in the Best Country Solo Performance, is the first ever Black female solo artist to be nominated for a country Grammy. She is the second Black woman to be nominated for a country performance Grammy after the Pointer Sisters won two awards in the mid-1970s.

The nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards were announced through a livestream on November 24. The awards will air on January 31 on CBS. The Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah will host the event. Noah said in a tongue-in-cheek statement, “Despite the fact that I am extremely disappointed that the GRAMMYs have refused to have me sing or be nominated for Best Pop Album, I am thrilled to be hosting this auspicious event.”

Nominations for Best Rock Performance:

SHAMEIKA – Fiona Apple

NOT – Big Thief

KYOTO – Phoebe Bridgers

THE STEPS – HAIM

STAY HIGH – Brittany Howard

DAYLIGHT – Grace Potter

 

Nominations for Best Country Album:

LADY LIKE – Ingrid Andress

YOUR LIFE IS A RECORD – Brandy Clark

WILDCARD – Miranda Lambert

NIGHTFALL – Little Big Town

NEVER WILL – Ashley McBryde

 

American Music Awards 2020: Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, The Weeknd, BTS Lead The Winners’ List

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Justin Bieber, Taylor Swift, The Weeknd and BTS bagged top honours at the 2020 American Music Awards (AMA) held on Sunday, November 22, at the Microsoft Theatre in Los Angeles. This year, the fan-voted show was hosted by actor Taraji P Henson and attended by many artists virtually due to COVID restrictions.

Taylor Swift, who won the evening’s top award, Artist of the Year, gave a video acceptance speech and explained that she could not attend in person because she was re-recording her earlier albums, which was greeted with cheers from fans. Swift has been engaged in ownership disputes over her first 6 studio albums, which were acquired by entrepreneur Scooter Braun when he bought out her former label – Big Machine Label Group. Scooter eventually sold the rights to a private equity company. Swift has since invoked the terms of her original contract whereby starting November 2020, she is allowed to record albums one through five all over again.

Swift also won Favourite Music Video award for her track Cardigan from the album Folklore, along with the Favourite Female Pop/Rock Artist award. She now has 32 AMA wins to her credit- the most any artist has won in the history of the AMA. Last year, Swift broke late Michael Jackson’s record to become the most awarded artist in the show’s history.

Bieber bagged the Favourite Male Artist- Pop/Rock for the fourth time this year, setting a record for the most number of wins in that category. Dan+Shay and Bieber also won the award for Collaboration of the year for 10,000 Hours. The Weeknd won the favorite soul/R&B song award for Heartless and the favorite male soul/R&B artist award.

BTS also bagged two wins this year with the Favourite Pop/Rock Duo award and the Favourite Social Artist award for the third year in a row.

The event featured performances from Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, BTS, Dua Lipa, Jennifer Lopez, Maluma, Lil Baby, Megan Thee Stallion, Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, Machine Gun Kelly, Bebe Rexha, Doja Cat, among other artists. Bieber and Mendes kicked off the AMAs with a pre-taped performance of their new duet Monster, marking this the first time they performed the song together.

Jennifer Lopez and Maluma performed their recent collaborative singles, Pa’ Ti and Lonely together for the first time.

Here’s a list of few top honours that were given out at the AMAs 2020:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Justin Bieber
Post Malone
Roddy Ricch
WINNER: Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Lewis Capaldi
WINNER: Doja Cat
DaBaby
Lil Baby
Roddy Ricch
Megan Thee Stallion

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar”
WINNER: Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber, “10,000 Hours”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande, “Rain On Me”
Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyoncé, “Savage Remix”

FAVORITE SOCIAL ARTIST
WINNER: BTS
Billie Eilish
EXO
Ariana Grande
NCT 127

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Doja Cat, “Say So”
Future ft. Drake, “Life Is Good”
Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande, “Rain On Me”
WINNER: Taylor Swift, “cardigan”
The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
WINNER: Justin Bieber
Post Malone
The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK
Dua Lipa
Lady Gaga
WINNER: Taylor Swift

FAVORITE DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK
WINNER: BTS
Jonas Brothers
Maroon 5

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK
WINNER: Harry Styles, Fine Line
Taylor Swift, folklore
The Weeknd, After Hours

FAVORITE SONG – POP/ROCK
Lewis Capaldi, “Someone You Loved”
WINNER: Dua Lipa, “Don’t Start Now”
Post Malone, “Circles”
Roddy Ricch, “The Box”
The Weeknd, “Blinding Lights”

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP
Cardi B
WINNER: Nicki Minaj
Megan Thee Stallion

FAVORITE SONG – RAP/HIP-HOP
WINNER: Cardi B ft. Megan Thee Stallion, “WAP”
DaBaby ft. Roddy Ricch, “Rockstar”
Roddy Ricch, “The Box”

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Chris Brown
John Legend
WINNER: The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B
Jhene Aiko
WINNER: Doja Cat

See the full list of winners here.

Photo – Twitter

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BTS’ BE (Deluxe Edition) Album Launch: A New Normal in Single Life Goes On

BY Anusha Sundar On

Popular South Korean boy band BTS launched its newest album BE (Deluxe Edition) on Friday. The music video of the album’s lead single Life Goes On was also released.

The album, according to BTS, expresses their “mixed feelings” during the pandemic time, and the “fear and anxiety mingled with the determination to overcome all this”. The song, Life Goes On, aims to “[speak] on behalf of everyone stuck in the new normality brought on by COVID-19″. The video is set in a post-pandemic world, with band members carrying on their morning routine in a seemingly deserted and aloof environment. By the end, as they spend time together indoors, the BTS members are seen performing in a stadium without an audience. All this is captured in a black and white filter.

Following a live-streaming countdown, the nearly four-minute-long video premiered on the Big Hit Entertainment’s YouTube channel. It has been directed by band member Jeon Jung Kook.

In an interview with Rolling Stone India earlier this month, when band member Jimin was asked about the pandemic’s impact on the artistic process of the album, he said, “The pandemic unexpectedly put a lot of our original plans to a halt. However, it provided us an opportunity to step back and focus on ourselves as well as our music. We reflected the emotions that we felt during this unprecedented period into this album. We were also able to take a step further by taking roles in overall production, such as concept development, composition, and visual design.”

On August 21, the band had released Dynamite from the BE album, its first entirely English song. Dynamite topped the US Billboard charts.

Earlier in April, the band was scheduled to begin the concert tour of their fourth Korean studio album Map of the Soul:7. The tour was subsequently postponed due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

People’s Choice Awards 2020: Zendaya, BTS, Ariana Grande, Will Smith Take Trophies Home

BY Anindita Banerjee On

Among several A-list nominations for this year’s People’s Choice Awards, BTS, Tiffany Hadish, Will Smith, and Zendaya were among the ones to take the trophies home.

The ceremony was held virtually this year on Monday, due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. American pop star Demi Lovato hosted the show, which aired live from the Barker Hangar in Santa Monica. Instead of a live audience at the PCA 2020 this time, the stage was surrounded by video screens of people watching at home.

Here’s a list of winners and nominees in some of the categories this year:

MOVIES

THE MOVIE OF 2020
Bad Boys for Life (WINNER)
Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
Extraction
Hamilton
Project Power
The Invisible Man
The Old Guard
Trolls World Tour

THE MALE MOVIE STAR OF 2020
Will Smith, Bad Boys for Life (WINNER) 
Chris Hemsworth, Extraction
Jamie Foxx, Project Power
Lin-Manuel Miranda, Hamilton
Mark Wahlberg, Spenser Confidential
Robert Downey Jr., Dolittle
Tom Hanks, Greyhound
Vin Diesel, Bloodshot

THE FEMALE MOVIE STAR OF 2020
Tiffany Haddish, Like A Boss (WINNER)
Camila Mendes, Dangerous Lies
Charlize Theron, The Old Guard
Elisabeth Moss, The Invisible Man
Issa Rae, The Lovebirds
Margot Robbie, Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn
Salma Hayek, Like a Boss
Vanessa Hudgens, Bad Boys for Life

TV

THE SHOW OF 2020
Grey’s Anatomy (WINNER)
Never Have I Ever
Outer Banks
The Bachelor
The Last Dance
The Masked Singer
This Is Us
Tiger King

THE MALE TV STAR OF 2020
Cole Sprouse, Riverdale (WINNER)
Chase Stokes, Outer Banks
Dan Levy, Schitt’s Creek
Jason Bateman, Ozark
Jesse Williams, Grey’s Anatomy
Norman Reedus, The Walking Dead
Sterling K. Brown, This Is Us
Steve Carell, Space Force

THE FEMALE TV STAR OF 2020
Ellen Pompeo, Grey’s Anatomy (WINNER)
Christina Applegate, Dead To Me
Danai Gurira, The Walking Dead
Lili Reinhart, Riverdale
Mandy Moore, This Is Us
Mariska Hargitay, Law & Order: SVU
Sandra Oh, Killing Eve
Sofía Vergara, Modern Family

MUSIC

THE MALE ARTIST OF 2020
Justin Bieber (WINNER)
Bad Bunny
Blake Shelton
DaBaby
Drake
J Balvin
Lil Baby
The Weeknd

THE FEMALE ARTIST OF 2020
Ariana Grande (WINNER)
Billie Eilish
Cardi B
Dua Lipa
Lady Gaga
Megan Thee Stallion
Miley Cyrus
Taylor Swift

THE GROUP OF 2020
BTS (WINNER)
5 Seconds of Summer
BLACKPINK
Chloe X Halle
CNCO
Dan + Shay
Jonas Brothers
Twenty One pilots

THE SONG OF 2020
Dynamite, BTS (WINNER)
Break My Heart, Dua Lipa
Intentions, Justin Bieber
Rain On Me, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
Rockstar, DaBaby ft Roddy Ricch
Savage, Megan Thee Stallion
Stuck With U, Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber
WAP, Cardi B ft Megan Thee Stallion

THE ALBUM OF 2020
Map of the Soul: 7, BTS (WINNER)
After Hours, The Weeknd
High Off Life, Future
Changes, Justin Bieber
Chromatica, Lady Gaga
Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
Folklore, Taylor Swift
YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny

THE MUSIC VIDEO OF 2020
Dynamite, BTS (WINNER)
Blinding Lights, The Weeknd
Holy, Justin Bieber, Chance the Rapper
Ice Cream, BLACKPINK and Selena Gomez
Life Is Good, Future ft Drake
Rain On Me, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande
UN DIA, J Balvin, Dua Lip, Bad Bunny
WAP, Cardi B ft Megan Thee Stallion

POP CULTURE

THE SOCIAL CELEBRITY OF 2020
Ariana Grande (WINNER)
Britney Spears
Justin Bieber
Kim Kardashian West
Kylie Jenner
Lady Gaga
LeBron James
Selena Gomez

THE STYLE STAR OF 2020
Zendaya (WINNER)
Janelle Monáe
Kendall Jenner
Kim Kardashian West
Lady Gaga
Lil Nas X
Rihanna
Timothee Chalamet

To check out all the winners in the 44 categories, click here.

Pikchar With Rita: Mili and the Tender Ode to Longing and Missing

BY On

In my mother tongue Sindhi, the word sik is very special. It is longing, missing, remembering but avoids the temporality of the past or present.

Sik lagi aahe yaar jee, mohab mithe mann thaar je – would mean I want to be with; but also, I am thinking of the moments I have been with the yaar (god/human) and so on. The definite absence of the object of memory implied in ‘missing’  is missing, so to speak.

Some film songs create sik but use the word yaad, and the one that comes to mind is aaye tum yaad mujhe, gaane lagi har dhadkhan from the film Mili (1975) directed by Hrishikesh Mukherjee. Sung superbly by Kishore Kumar to the music directed by SD Burman, the song is both a visual and aural treat. A pensive-looking, kurta pyjama– wearing Shekhar (played by Amitabh Bachchan) expresses, for once, a state of affection and tenderness to a neighbour who lives one floor below.

Mili (played by Jaya Bachchan) is not exactly the neighbour that I would first warm up to; she is an all-over-the-place neighbour. The one that barges into your life and home; and by being so gregarious makes you feel anti-social.

However, troubled souls are sometimes healed by simple means of being drawn out; of made to step out of self for a little while and appreciate little things. In a pesky neighbourhood, where everyone is supposed to like everyone, and lives bleed into each other, intruding, enriching, healing and hindering, an anti-social person draws much attention. Shekhar is angry all the time, with the world apparently, but really speaking with his self. Mili intuitively knows this and makes no fuss of a past that haunts him and creates this anger, except to draw his attention to what he might be able to give- a space to let children play and a telescopic view into the sky.

The relationship remains far from romantic, it builds just enough to have trust when Mili, who suffers from a terminal illness, falls seriously ill. The neighbourhood that hummed with activity has gone silent and a private man’s longing and love is made public while he sings in his house. Strange mixture this is of love that does not get spoken or heard in conversation, but finds its expression in verse and music, and one that is available for everyone to hear.

The words of this song do not particularly stand out for their lyrics; except that some of us would know when a literal and metaphoric reference has come together in a line such as jab mein raaton mein tare ginta hun, aur tere kadmon ki aahat sunta hun (when I count stars at night, and hear your approaching footsteps)- it is both the lover’s longing at night who gazes at the star-studded sky and fantasises the motion, but it is also the narrative link that makes this song integral to the story.

Shekhar had a telescope in his house and in showing Mili how to gaze at the stars; he opens up to the daily joys of meeting her and finding promise of life in her face. With Jaya Bhaduri (then) and Amitabh Bachchan in the lead roles, the film is often clubbed with Abhimaan, about the on-screen and off-screen couple, of which one  would retreat into the shadows of the other.

While the film has receded in significance for most, the song has lasted as a tender ode to both memory and promise from someone who lay closer to death than life. It is this dual element of something not being there; but infusing the present and the future by its promise that sik contains. I translate the affect of this song in my language and therefore the refrain aaye tum yaad mujhe.. brings for me associations of not yaad, but sik, a moment both over and waiting.

After all, songs are not about themselves alone, they are often about us.

Cardi B Apologises for Posing as Goddess Durga on a Magazine Cover

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On

US rapper Cardi B issued an apology on Wednesday after receiving backlash for posing as Hindu deity Durga for a footwear magazine.

Promoting a Reebok sneaker collection for Footwear News magazine, the rapper, while wearing a red off-shoulder dress by Georges Hobeika, posed holding a red shoe in her hands along with eight other hands behind her. The post caption read, “…she pays homage to Durga, the Hindu goddess, whose symbols of protection and inner strength resonate as much in modern times as they have through the centuries. Like Durga, Cardi B is a dominant female voice at a critical time.”

Social media users slammed the rapper for disrespecting the Hindu goddess. Many called her out, claiming that she was not paying homage and the post was not culturally appropriate.

Posting a series of stories on Instagram, Cardi B clarified that she was not trying to be disrespectful and admitted that she should have done her research before the photoshoot. She added that the past cannot be changed and that she would do more research in the future.

cardi B

“When I did the shoot, the creatives told me I was going to represent a Goddess; that she represents strength, femininity and liberation, and that’s something I love and I’m all about and I thought that it was dope. But if people think I’m offending their culture or their religion I want to say that was not my intent. I do not like offending anyone’s religion; I wouldn’t like it if someone did it to my religion,” the rapper said.

Following the controversy, Footwear News removed the controversial post from their Instagram account.

Sunburn Organisers Reschedule the Event After Receiving Backlash on Social Media

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On

After social media questioned the safety concerns of holding the Sunburn Festival amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, in Goa, in December, the organisers of the festival announced on Saturday that the event will be rescheduled.

The organisers, in a statement, said, “In consultation with the authorities, we have decided to re-schedule Sunburn Goa 2020, originally planned for the dates 27, 28 & 29 December in Vagator, Goa. We are overwhelmed by the response we received from our fans across India & globally. At the same time, we noted the concerns highlighted by a few relating to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. We have been constantly monitoring the COVID-19 situation both in Goa and across India. The plans for hosting a small, safe & socially distanced Sunburn event was made in view of the gradually improving situation and in anticipation of this to continue.”

The organisers also clarified that the plans for the festival were in line with the guidelines for outdoor shows specified in the Unlock 5.0 program. They also wrote that the shutting down of the industry for over eight months has put the livelihoods of many people at stake and organising the event was an attempt to re-start the industry.

“In the next few weeks, we will hopefully continue to see an improvement in the COVID-19 numbers & overall situation which will enable us to ascertain new dates for the festival. We hope to be able to announce this very soon,” they added.

The festival was originally slated to be held on December 27, 28, and 29 and with a limited capacity of 20%.

The rescheduling of the event was welcomed by the residents of Goa who had previously called out the government for permitting a music festival to be held in the middle of a pandemic.

Break the Silence: BTS Army Undeterred by Covid Precautions in Cinema Halls

BY Srishti Lakhotia On

An enthusiastic audience cheered the ritualistic ‘chant’ as the fourth documentary of Bangtan Boys (BTS) band- Break the Silence– flashed on the theatre’s screen at Inox multiplex in Quest Mall in Kolkata on Tuesday afternoon.  

“Kim Namjoon! Kim Seokjin! Min Yoonji! Jung Hoseok! Park Jimin! Kim Taehyung! Jeon Jungkook! BTS!” they roared, naming members of the seven-member boy band on the first day of the film’s screening.

Theatre owners in the city said that for the first time since theatres reopened after the Covid-19-induced lockdown, seats of theatres were close to the stipulated capacity.

BTS, which has received international acclaim and a loyal legion of fans usually features R&B, reggae, hip-hop and EDM in their music. In their fourth documentary, the band members speak about the Love Yourself: Speak Yourself 2019 World Tour.

How did this group of South Korean boys set up a loyal fan base in India and ensure maximum ticket sales for their documentary during a raging pandemic? Silverscreen India takes a look.

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(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images via ABC)

The ‘army’

During the interval, fans sang BTS’s Dynamite.

Staff members at Inox were given instructions to keep reminding fans not to form big groups.

Attending the screening on the first day, post graduate student of Calcutta University Ayesha Tahreem Siddique explained that fans of  BTS call themselves the ‘BTS army’ to show allegiance and strength in numbers.

“This is my second BTS movie screening. The chit-chat and the noise that you see around is not nearly symbolic of how loud it can get. In 2018, the entire cinema hall was packed with people and banners. Fellow movie-goers were surprised,” said school student Tisha Barnal. 

When the last three documentaries- Burn the stage (2018), Love Yourself (2018) and Bring the Soul (2019) were released, members of the BTS Army across India organised grand screenings with other experiences like flash mobs, free posters, placards and lights. 

Although the fanfare was absent on Tuesday, those attending the screening at the hall made up for it in spirit. 

Much of the action has shifted online, said fans.

Social media connection

According to members of the ‘Bangtan_Army’ a social media fan group with a presence on Instagram, the last three screenings before the pandemic were like a celebration.

This time, armies across India decided to not take the risk of organising an event with over 300 people, sources said. Fan pages have resorted to organising online events and ‘shoutouts’.

“We have been asking fans to take pictures of themselves at the screening and re-sharing them on our page instead,” a member of Bangtan_Army said.

Darsheeka Bipin Singh, a resident of Mumbai and one of the admins of Bangtan_India, one of the BTS social media fan page with pan-India coverage since 2016, said that although she was happy with the announcement of the movie release in September, she was disappointed for not being able to watch it in the theatre.

The Bangtan_India page cautioned movie-goers against going for the show because of increasing Covid-19 cases. In places where followers attended screenings, they advised caution and asked them to keep in mind the regulations set by the theatre as well as the government.

Kinkini Dasgupta, an admin of BTS Bengal Army, said that their first event in June 2018 saw 120 people coming together to watch BTS concerts recorded on DVD. However, since then, there has been a phenomenal rise in the number of fans. 

During the last screening, followers of BTS Bengal was 3,000. Now it’s 4,300, said Dasgupta.

The army projects usually take place nationally. There are 37 regional BTS fan armies which are connected to the Bangtan India group, which provide broad guidelines of the events.

According to the online fan pages, most fans are aged between 12 and 25. “There is even a  separate section called the ‘Noona Army’ for fangirls above the age of 26,” said Dasgupta. 

Until the pandemic, fan groups would collaborate with multiplexes, like Inox and PVR, for events before and after the screening. 

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This time, according to the press release issued by Inox, in Mumbai, the tickets were priced as low as Rs 150 due to the overwhelming response by the fan armies. Inox even changed its official logo and made it purple for a day as a tribute to fans, who associate the colour to the group. 

Juhi Majumdar, a member of the BTS army, said that there is only one reason for the growing fan base in India- powerful music.

“In 2017, I was undergoing a low point in my life. I was introduced to BTS by a South Korean friend. Their songs give me goosebumps when I listen to them. It’s so inspiring,” she said. 

Unlike most bands from South Korea, BTS was not introduced by a popular agency, she says. “It’s like rags-to-riches story and people love to hear that. They resonate and aspire along. It’s inspirational, if they can do, so can I,” says Dasgupta.

Dasgupta says that if BTS continues making powerful music, accompanying it with phenomenal beats, catchy tunes and perfectly choreographed dance moves, the number of people in the Indian wing of the BTS Army will surely grow.

She adds that she can already see the change with the increasing number of social media followers.

Sunburn Returns to Goa, Social Media Questions Safety Amid Covid-19 Concerns

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On

Amid news of the Sunburn electronic dance music being held in Goa in December, social media users have been quick to slam the state government for approving the festival even as the Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect lives in the country.

The music festival will be held in Vagator on December 27, 28, and 29.

On Sunday, state tourism minister Manohar Ajgaonkar said that it was fine to hold such festivals as long as social distancing is maintained. According to a report by The Times of India, he said: “We don’t want to hold it at a very large scale, this year, it would be restricted to around 12,000 people.”

Assuring that Sunburn Goa 2020 will be a safe event, COO of Percept Live Karan Singh said in a press release, “Covid-19 has literally put the pause on life. In India, we have witnessed stringent lockdown measures since March 2020. An unprecedented 7 months of staying in and staying safe. With the Unlock procedures initiated and specially Unlock 5 permitting ground events, we figured it’s time to restart lives.”

The Sunburn’s tagline for the year is, “Your safety is Our Priority.” The festival will adhere to the social distancing measures, Covid-19 protocols set by the government and WHO. The festival is expected to have a limited capacity of 20% this year. 

According to the protocols, face masks are mandatory for everyone and entries will be allowed only after a check on the Aarogya Setu app. Attendees will be checked for their body temperature and sanitisation facilities will be made available at entry gates.

In an attempt to reach a wider fan base, the festival’s organisers will be live streaming the events on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Social media users took to Twitter to express their apprehension about the festival amid the pandemic.

Some expressed their concerns over the risks posed by the festival.

Grammys Renames World Music Category Over “Connotations of Colonialism”

BY Anindita Banerjee On

The Grammy Awards changed the name of its Best World Music Album category to Best Global Music Album, as reported Billboard.

The report stated that the Recording Academy announced the name change on Monday, just 22 days prior to the announcement of the 63rd annual Grammy nominations.

The Billboard report mentioned that the announcement was made through a statement which read: “As we continue to embrace a truly global mindset, we update our language to reflect a more appropriate categorization that seeks to engage and celebrate the current scope of music from around the world. Over the summer we held discussions with artists, ethnomusicologists, and linguists from around the world who determined that there was an opportunity to update the best world music album category toward a more relevant, modern, and inclusive term…The change symbolizes a departure from the connotations of colonialism, folk, and ‘non-American’ that the former term embodied while adapting to current listening trends and cultural evolution among the diverse communities it may represent.”

In June, the Grammys decided to drop the word ‘urban’ from its awards.

This resulted in the Best Urban Contemporary Album category to be renamed as the Best Progressive R&B Album.

The new category is described on the website as: “This category recognizes excellence in albums of world music, including recordings of international non-Western classical music, international non-American and non-British traditional folk music, international cross-cultural music based on the previously mentioned genres as well as international recordings of world beat, world jazz (with a higher percentage of world than jazz music), world pop and cross-cultural music. Albums of reggae, Latin or European pop music aren’t eligible in this category and should be entered in other categories as appropriate.”

The announcement from the Grammys comes at a time when the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, popularly known as the Oscars, recently changed the name of their Best Foreign Language Film category to Best International Feature Film.

The 63rd Grammy Awards will take place on January 31, 2021, to recognise excellence in music released in late 2019 and 2020.

Chair and interim recording academy President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr will be joined by past Grammy winners, nominees, and hopefuls from remote locations across the country as he reveals the nominees for all 84 categories, according the website.

Violin Maestro TN Krishnan Dies at 92

BY Kathakali Nandi On

Carnatic music violinist TN Krishnan died in his residence in Chennai on Monday. He was 92.

Although Krishna was in good health, he had complained of a sudden uneasiness and passed away in the evening, as per a report in The Indian Express.

The violin maestro is survived by his wife Kamala Krishnan, daughter Viji Krishnan and son Sriram Krishnan.

Condoling his death on Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote that “his works beautifully encapsulated a wide range of emotions and strands of our culture”.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah also tweeted his condolences and wrote: “Saddened on the passing away of Violin maestro Shri TN Krishnan ji. As a gifted musician, TN Krishnan ji captured the imagination of several generations with his breathtaking compositions. My deepest condolences are with his family and followers. Om Shanti Shanti Shanti.”

Born in Tripunithura in Kerala in 1928, the child prodigy learned music from his father A Narayana Iyer and was later mentored by Alleppy K Parthasarathy. He gave his first solo performance in Thiruvananthapuram at the age of 11 and shifted base to Chennai in 1942.

Krishnan was considered one of the three members of the violin trinity, along with Lalgudi Jayaraman and MS Gopalakrishnan. Besides being conferred with the Padma Shri (1973) and the Padma Bhushan (1992), he was also the recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (1974) and became a Sangeet Natak Akademi Fellowship of the academy in 2006. In 1999, he received the Sangeetha Kalasikhamani Award given by the Indian Fine Arts Society, Chennai.

Krishnan also taught at the Chennai Music College and later became the dean of the School of Music and Fine Arts at the University of Delhi.

Mourning his loss, noted singer and author TM Krishna told The Hindu: “None was as gifted as Krishnan when it came to capturing the essence, taste and life of ragas. He had clarity about what he thought was good music and he followed it unwaveringly.”

“His greatest assets are his understanding of ragas and conviction about music. Even though so many things changed over decades in the music world, he had the conviction about good music and would only offer that — if you like it you come to my concert. It is very difficult to have such a conviction and be successful,” Krishna told the publication.

On Twitter, people grieved for the loss of the violin maestro and shared video clips of his performances and recalled experiences of watching him perform.

Pikchar With Rita: Hasrat Jaipuri and the Beauty of His Ghazals

BY On

Pikchar With Rita is a fortnightly column on cinema by Rita Kothari. She’s a Professor of English at Ashoka University. She does not “do” film studies. 

***

Is someone a Hindustani, or a Pakistani? There was a period in Indian history when such conundrums arose frequently.  They have not disappeared entirely; for we know of enough lives that have transborder dimensions. However, its less common to hear of them; like we would about Noorjehan or Manto, for instance. As a response to such questions, the lyricist Hasrat Jaipuri wrote the following :

Musafir hain hum to chale jaa rahein hain
Bada hi suhaana ghazal ka safar hai
Musafir hain hum to chale jaa rahein hain
Bada hi suhaana ghazal ka safar hai
Pata puchhate ho to itna pata hai
Hamara thikana gulaabi nagar hai
Musafir hain hum to…

We are mere travelers, we are simply on the move. The plural hum could have meant anyone or someone in particular.

But what does this moving or this elusive nationhood have to do with the ghazal? From the journey of the traveling body, we are introduced to the ghazal as a traveler. Or perhaps the ghazal itself as a journey. The mobility of the speaker, and that of the ghazal collapse suggesting as it were, the absurdity of asking the question of nationhood. And  yet in the next line, poet Jaipuri introduces his own location, his origin by saying, should you ask my address, this much I know, my home is in the pink city. Jaipuri was from Jaipur, although that’s a name he acquired after he became a lyricist for cinema, and left behind the name, Iqbal Hussain. The genre of the ghazal, or the song in general, has no nation, but the poet does have an address, a local name and habitation, written into and outside this poem. We are left with a fairly interesting question in this non-filmy ghazal, sung usually by Ahmed Hussain and Mohammed Hussain for their album Rahnuma.

Locale is not incidental to who we are; the Jaipur city lent to Jaipuri a specific texture of life; a memory; a childhood. But the category of ‘Hindustani’ and ‘Pakistani’ is less important than this locale, for it is abstraction of sorts; a totem produced through modernity, not actual day to day relation. While locations are important in themselves; they are not enough, they need to be expanded, and Jaipuri says in the next stanza, Ghazal hi hamara anokha jahaan hai. Only the ghazal creates a sense of the world, an amazing one. For this world has been created, enhanced, adorned by Wali, Meer, Momin, Jigar, Daag and Ghalib. To ask which nation these poets belonged to is to miss the point on several counts – genres, nations, villages, cities, homes and their interrelation with each other. How imperceptibly a complex point has been made; and escaped our notice.

In some sense, Jaipuri also escapes some attention from scholars and film historians. Figures like Sahir Ludhianvi and Majrooh Sultanpuri have drawn more attention, and perhaps deservedly so. However, we would do well to think of Jaipuri, a lyricist-poet who created one successful song after another; now playful, now poetic. There’s a particular kind of femininity forged through lines like, Baharon phool barsao, mera mehboob aaya hai or Tujhe main chaand kehta tha, magar usme bhi daag hai from the song Yeh mera prem patra padh kar.

 

Incidentally, the love letter was written by Jaipuri to a Hindu girl, where he tentatively expresses love but also says tum naaraz na hona. Raj Kapoor, upon hearing this story, made Jaipuri write it for the film Sangam (1964). Jaipuri wrote across Urdu, Persian and Braj, and has to his credit even songs like Jhanak jhanak mori baaje payaliya from Mere Huzoor (1968).

I had begun to hum the lyrics of this lyricist after listening to a radio program recently, and he has occupied this column today. He’s quite right in saying that you may find it difficult to forget words, for you will hum them when you hear them, tum muhje yun bhula na payoge, jab kabhi bhi sunoge geet mere, sung sung tum bhi gun gunaoge.

Dhanush and Anirudh to Reunite after 5 Years for Actor’s 44th Film

BY Ramya Ashok Kumar On

Kalanithi Maaran’s Sun Pictures on Friday officially announced the reunion of actor Dhanush and musician Anirudh Ravichander on Twitter.

The duo will be joining hands for the actor’s 44th film after a gap of five years. The announcement comes on Anirudh’s birthday. 

In a video, that was a little over a minute-long, montages of Anirudh’s concert in various countries were played with The Maari Swag theme music from Maari playing in the background. The montages then cut to Anirudh sitting on his terrace with a harmonium as Dhanush munches on some chips nearby. Dhanush asks him to play the instrument, and as soon as he does so, the announcement pops up – DnA is back.

Sun Pictures shared the video along with the caption: “They are BACK!”

Sharing the video, Dhanush wished “Happy Birthday” to Anirudh.

Anirudh began his musical career in 2011 with Dhanush’s 3. The two had later collaborated in movies including Velaiyilla Pattathari, Maari and Thanga Magan. However, after an alleged spat, Dhanush replaced Anirudh with Sean Roldan in Velaiyilla Pattathari 2 and Pa Paandi. 

The untitled film, referred to as #D44, will be bankrolled by Sun Pictures. Reports suggest that Mithran Jawahar will be directing the film, while Dhanush will be writing the story, screenplay and dialogues. Jawahar and Dhanush have worked before on Kutty, Yaaradi Nee Mohini and Uthama Puthiran.

Dhanush is awaiting the release of Jagame Thandiram, directed by Karthik Subbaraj. He began shooting for his Hindi film Atrangi Re on Monday. Atrangi Re will star Sara Ali Khan and Akshay Kumar in the lead. 

Anirudh is set to resume work for Shankar’s Indian 2. He is also waiting for the release of the Vijay-starrer, Master, which is directed by Lokesh Kanagaraj.

The lyrical video of Quit Pannuda from Master will be released at 6 pm during the day in honour of his birthday. 

Leonardo DiCaprio Joins Cast of Netflix’s Don’t Look Up

BY Kathakali Nandi On

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio has joined the team of Adam McKay’s upcoming ensemble cast Netflix film Don’t Look Up, Netflix announced on Twitter on Thursday.

The film already boasts of a number of Academy Award-winning actors in its lineup. The full cast now includes actors Meryl Streep, Jennifer Lawrence, Cate Blanchett, Rob Morgan, Jonah Hill, Timothée Chalamet, Mathew Perry, Himesh Patel, Tomer Sisley as well as music icons Ariana Grande and Kid Cudi.

According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the film centers on two low-level scientists who embark on a media tour to warn people of an imminent meteor attack on Earth but find an unreceptive and unbelieving populace.

Lawrence and DiCaprio will be portraying the roles of the scientists, the report added.

The film is expected to start shooting from November 19 in Boston and is likely to release in 2021.

McKay- who has previously directed films like Vice (2018), The Big Short (2015) and Step Brothers (2008)- will write, direct and co-produce the film under his Hyperobject Industries Banner, along with partner Kevin Messick.

This will be DiCaprio’s first film to be released on Netflix. The Academy Award winner had reportedly been taking a long time to weigh his decision of starring in a film which would premiere on a streaming platform. He is also working on Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, alongside Robert de Niro. Coincidentally, Killers of the Flower Moon is being produced by Apple and will be premiering on Apple TV in 2021.

Don’t Look Up will see DiCaprio reuniting with Jonah Hill after their 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street.

Streep, who was last seen in Little Women (2019) as Aunt March, will be seen next in Ryan Murphy’s musical comedy The Prom. The Prom, which will premiere on Netflix in December, co-stars Nicole Kidman, James Corden and Keegan-Michael Key.

EPR on his Music: I Don’t Want to be Another Run-of-the-mill Rapper

BY Srishti Lakhotia On

When Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer, also known as EPR, began his rap career in 2005; he brought reggae and Hindi rap together through experimental tracks. Ever since, he has worked on many theme-based projects for television and OTT streaming platforms, bringing rap to the fore.

In an interview with Silverscreen India, EPR charts his journey, speaks about his new track Death of Democracy (which released on October 9) and reiterates the importance of issue-based raps.

You completed your undergraduate degree in journalism and then switched to rapping full-time. What led to the switch? 

I was always into hip-hop music. The switch to rap was not a sudden decision. I had been rapping since college and it became my means of expression. The medium also lent itself to starting a discussion on major issues. Here, my background in journalism helped.

In your recent track, you speak about a plethora of issues in the limelight instead of focusing on a few. Was it difficult to include such a wide range? 

For me, speaking about a large range of issues is easy. Everything I discussed was on my mind for a couple of months as I could observe it all happening around me. When I see that small-time rappers, who talk of corruption metaphorically, get beaten up in Kashmir or Bihar, I consider myself privileged. I choose to openly name people in my music. I could easily be slapped with a sedition case. However, being in West Bengal helps. I am not saying that Bengal is politically perfect but the voice of dissent is certainly stronger here. 

Does dealing with issue-based rap and managing a follower base come into conflict at any point? 

For me, uniqueness is most important. The ability to make music independently, lends my music a distinct sound. I could make commercial songs. However, if I do that, I will be just another run-of-the-mill rapper.

The next song you are working on is called Q and it’s about love. Is it an attempt to reach out to other topics? 

I really like to experiment and I am not afraid to try. This is something new that I want to release. I do not want to be branded as a protest poet. I want my audience to feel like I have range. Hence, I am attempting something else this time. 

Rajan, of Rajan-Nagendra Duo, Dies at 87

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Renowned Kannada music composer Rajan of the Rajan-Nagendra duo passed away on Sunday at his residence in Bengaluru. He was 87.

According to a The Times of India report, the late musician’s son R Ananth Kumar informed that Rajan succumbed to a gastric disorder.

“He was healthy and taking music classes online as well. He suffered from indigestion for the last two days and passed away at our home at 11:00 pm on Sunday,” Kumar told The Hindu.

His younger brother, Nagendra, died in 2000. He was undergoing treatment for hernia at the time.

Hailing from Mysore, the brothers debuted as music directors with the 1952 film Soubhagya Lakshmi. They went on to compose music for 375 films, including over 200 Kannada films and the rest in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Tulu, Hindi and Sinhala. The 70s and the 80s proved to be a breakthrough period for the sibling duo with songs from Gandhada Gudi, Nyayave Devaru, Naa Ninna Mareyalaare, Paavana Ganga and Eradu Kanasu among the others.

Born to Rajappa, who played the  harmonium and flute in films during the silent cinema era, Rajan and Nagendra mastered violin and jal tarang, respectively. The duo’s collaboration with singers SP Balasubrahmanyam and S Janaki produced chartbuster romantic melodies, making them a household pair.

Hailed as the Kannada equivalent of noted Hindi film music composer duo Kalyanji-Anandji, Rajan–Nagendra have also been compared with Hindi cinema’s popular composer duos Shankar-Jaikishen and Laxmikanth-Pyarelalji.

The duo have been conferred with several awards, including the prestigious Karnataka State Film Awards. Most of their hit songs in Kannada were remade in Telugu.

Rajan continued to work along with his son R Ananth Kumar. He has also written a book titled Haado Suswara Sangeetha which explores an innovative notation system for music enthusiasts. The father-son duo also conducted music classes for vocal enthusiasts on voice culturing and film songs.

Oru Manam Song from Dhruva Natchathiram Released

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Oru Manam, a song from Gautham Vasudev Menon‘s upcoming film Dhruva Natchathiram, was released by the film’s producers on Thursday.

Produced by Ondraga Entertainment, the film features Vikram, Ritu Varma, and Aishwarya Rajessh in lead roles and is expected to release soon.

Shashaa Tirupati and Karthik have lent their voices to the song, while Thamarai has penned the lyrics. Music for the film has been composed by Harris Jayaraj. Dhruva Natchathiram marks the seventh collaboration between Menon and Jayaraj after Yennai Arindhaal (2015 ), that featured Ajith in the lead role.

The song, featuring the lead actors, shuffles between past and present relationships of the protagonist’s life. The location of the song sequence also varies, from sunny plains to wet and overcast hills.

Menon-Jayaraj’s other works include, Minnale (2001) and its Hindi remake Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein, Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006), Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007), and Vaaranam Aayiram (2008).

According to The Times of  India, the song was supposed to release in 2018 but was postponed because of delay in production. The film went on floors in 2016 and was shot across seven countries. It got delayed due to technical issues.

Written and directed by Menon, the Tamil spy film’s first teaser revolves around John (Vikram) who runs an ‘Indian covert unit’ in New York and needs to be tracked down by an anonymous man. Upon realising the threat to his mentor from the anonymous source, John returns to India in the second teaser.

Meanwhile, Menon has an array of films that are heading for direct-to-OTT releases. Paava Kadhaigal, Netflix’s first Tamil film and an anthology of four stories, will be directed by Menon along with Vetrimaaran, Sudha Kongara, and Vignesh Shivan. His next, Amazon Prime Video’s Tamil anthology film alongside Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon, Sudha Kongara, and Karthik Subbaraj, Putham Pudhu Kaalai, is slated to release on October 16.

The Show Must Go On, Say Chennai-based Musicians as Performances Become Virtual

BY Ananya Shankar On

In early August, Chennai-based music band Motta Maadi Music took to their Instagram page to announce their virtual initiative titled The Makkal Project. Their aim was to get the audience to send in video and audio clippings of a popular film song, based on a specific template. The band is the latest one in the city which is willing to go the extra mile to keep in touch with their audience.

“The idea is to recreate the vibe of our shows,” says Badhri Narayanan Seshadri, founder of Motta Maadi Music.

“Since we cannot perform live anytime soon, these digital projects showcase that we still want the audience to be the performers,” he says.

Despite the pandemic hitting the Chennai music circuit hard, many bands and artists have managed to come up with innovative ways to keep the art alive.

Staccato, a contemporary classic band, spent the lockdown warming up to the idea of performing private e-concerts. Having performed for the Art of Living Foundation, private clubs and other social events, the band firmly believes that their music resonates best in shows like these.

Coming up with personalised projects and audience-friendly initiatives has been their goal. “We have a new production coming up. The band members got talking and we each decided to come up with a song that is close to our childhood,” says band member RH Vikram. A couple of over-the-top (OTT) platforms have shown interest in picking up the band’s production, he says.

Apart from bands, a few organisers have decided to offer independent artists a platform to collaborate and showcase their work. Chennai-based arts management company Indian Arts Scene helps artists produce and distribute their original work by adapting it into short-form content and uploading it onto their page.

Unlike typical real-time events, many city-based musicians have sought to blur the lines between them and their audience. Even during the lockdown, they’ve continued to emphasise its importance. “Whenever something bad happens around us, I make it a point to release a video on my band’s platform so that the audience can feel relaxed and happy,” explains Motta Maadi Music’s Seshadri.

However, this is not always the case. Many well-known artists who perform for Sofar Chennai have decided to take over the platform’s Instagram Live to perform their pieces. After a couple of shows, Sofar decided to halt the initiative as they felt that point was lost. “The whole idea of Sofar Sounds is that nobody knows who the artist is and this surprise element was lost. The element of introducing new music is very important,” says Akshay Oliver, organiser of Sofar Chennai.

Sofar Sounds isn’t the only platform that is sceptical of performing live on social media platforms. Many artists believe that offering and showcasing free content hampers their business. With audiences already wary of monetised shows, they have a hard time making money during the pandemic. Some of them even take up side jobs to sustain themselves.

Navin Dorai, founder and CEO of Original Dog, a crowdfunding website for original music, believes that the pandemic has given people more time to appreciate virtual music gigs but they aren’t necessarily okay with paying for them.

Due to corporate shows and gigs being cancelled, many artists and band members have taken up individual projects to stay afloat. Some of them have taken up teaching, solo gigs, and requested fan funding. Talking about crowdfunding, Dorai says: “Artists have never had consistent income and their music should not suffer.”

Despite embracing the ongoing lockdown, the belief that they thrive through live art continues to hold true for these artists and bands. Staccato, which has already given a live performance, believes that though it might take time for events to take place in a full-fledged manner, it will be worth it.  “Having a virtual concert is like a normal audio system. The feeling of being in a concert is lost,” says Vikram.

Many bands have already begun making plans to host events when things open up. Keeping in mind that audience experience is key, their main focus is not just to restart their events but to also retune them, so that they offer newer ways to engage with the crowd.

Hathras Rape Case, Social Issues Find their Way into Rappers Beats

BY Srishti Lakhotia On

Asking his younger cousin brother to hold the camera still, Rapper Dule Rocker on September 29, following a pre-recorded beat rapped, “Satta ye Satta, kursi ka khel hai, baande pade hai aurat, iss charitra ke Khel mein” (Politics after politics, this is a game of power, women are trapped in the game of character). 

A Dalit rapper from Kalahandi district in Odisha, Duleshwar Tandi aka Rapper Dule Rocker was one of the first rappers to release a song protesting police action in the recent gang rape and murder of a 19-year-old Dalit woman in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras district on September 14. Filled with anger and insult, he called the video #JusticeforManishaValmiki.

“The first question which came to mind was ‘who are they [the police] to burn the victim’s body?’ It was a rape case, and then they [the police] denied it,” he told Silverscreen India over a telephone call.   

Another rapper, Mother OG, released a video on the rape culture in India on October 3. “Sarkar badal jaati, halat badalte nahi, aaj bhi inhe khakhi walo se wardi sambhal te nahi,” she said. (Governments change but still, the ones wearing khaki uniform do not know how to handle the power). 

Music and rap have been tools of expression for artists and a form of dissent for generations. Holding a mirror to the society and its politics, protest rappers across India are taking up to discussing issues including democratic dilemma, rape, and farmers’ welfare. 

Santhanam Srinivasan Iyer, a Kolkata-based rapper also known as EPR, has been making rap videos since 2005. A journalism student, EPR has written a number of raps on the inadequate coverage of issues including farmer suicide, foeticide and corruption. “In 2005, protest raps were not popular. People were more into artists like Honey Singh. I switched to rock music but I had always wanted to stick to hip-hop,” he says. 

After the success of Gully Boy, filmmaker Zoya Akhtar’s 2019 Hindi film on the underground hiphop rap scene in Mumbai, he says that he was confident of the public is ready for “his kind of rap”. In 2019’s MTV Hustle, his song Ekla Cholo Re brought attention to the issue of farmer suicide. Since then, he has churned a number of raps on pertinent issues. 

By mid-October, EPR aims to release a rap video called the Death of Democracy. “The song will take the listener through a range of issues including one on how the media has failed to be the fourth pillar of democracy. I have written on the Assam floods, the vilification of women, and the rising rape cases in Uttar Pradesh,” he says.  

Although the internet has helped these artists reach out to a large audience, authenticity has now become a challenge.  “Many protest rappers are now switching to becoming influencers. If they sell fancy t-shirts worth Rs. 1,200 and their rap subject is poverty then is it even revolutionary?” wonders Ranchi-based producer and rapper, Sumit Singh Solanki (23). 

Solanki says that he does not make music for activism but researches extensively on topics. He has also spoken about issues in his song Aparna from the eight-track album Sipping of Troubled Water, which narrates the story of Aparna, who was allegedly illegally detained in Ranchi. The woman, in the song, was coerced by authorities into accepting a crime linked with an LED explosion. Under the same album, he also talked about the Pathalgadi movement in Jharkhand, which was started by the tribals from Kunti District demanding sovereign authority. 

“Most problems faced elsewhere in the country have been widely prevalent in Jharkhand but how many people are aware of it? Instead of making music on ‘popular issues’, I try to write more about the reality in Jharkhand,” Solanki says. 

Shouting ‘Jai Jharkhand’ to a crowd from the stage of VH1 Supersonic, an annual music festival held in Pune, and the crowd chanting it back is one of Solanki’s fondest memories. He hopes to recreate more.

Actor-singer Shakti Thakur Dies

BY Shrija Ganguly On

Actor and singer Shakti Thakur passed away on Monday morning after suffering a massive cardiac arrest.

The news broke after his elder daughter Mehuli Goswami Thakur made the announcement through a Facebook post.

“My father…. no more… no more. Massive cardiac arrest….. Gone in a few hours…. My father….. Couldn’t do anything……,” she wrote.
“I had forgotten that parents leave one day…. I have never been to the cemetery before…. Today was a first…… a life without my father today onwards…….. Have you never committed any sin father?….. Otherwise who leaves in just two hours of notice saying, “I can’t take it anymore”…… I would scold you so much for rushing at everything…… Even today, who rushes at bidding goodbye, father?…..I am your carbon copy…. Even I will go away in haste like you did……… If I could write the pain, I would have been able to breathe,” she wrote.
Shakti Thakur worked as an actor and playback singer in the Bengali and Hindi film industries. He debuted as a playback singer with the 1960 release Ratan Lal Bangali. With a career spanning over 30 years, he is known for Lakhon Ki Baat (1984), Sujan Sakhi (1995), and Surer Aakashe (1988). He has shared screen space with veteran actors like Utpal Dutt and Bikash Roy.
His younger daughter and National Award winning singer cum actor Monali Thakur, who made her musical debut with two hit numbers in Race (2008), is stranded in Switzerland due to the Covid-19-related pandemic.
According to Bengali daily Anandabazaar Patrika, prior to his career in showbiz, Shakti Thakur worked as a school teacher and had a penchant for mathematics. He got his first big break as a playback singer with director Tapan Sinha’s 1976 Bengali film Harmonium. He has worked with Hemanta Mukhopadhyay and Tarun Majumdar as well.
The Times of India reported that the veteran actor cum singer was unwell as he was suffering from multiple age-related ailments.

Shakti Thakur is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Bus Drivers Keep Alive the Magic of SPB’s Melodies

BY Sanjana Ganesh On

P Veerapandian, a driver of a Tamil Nadu State Transport Corporation (TNSTC) mofussil bus was on duty on the Sivakasi-Coimbatore route when he first heard the news of the singer SP Balasubrahmanyam’s death on September 25.

“There was a discussion among the passengers and the conductor later broke the news to me. While most people expressed shock and grief, some people began asking us to play their favourite songs. It was like all of us were collectively paying homage to him on our ride,” he says.

Drivers of buses, including those run by the TNSTC and private operators, say that the death of the singer has deeply impacted them. His voice served as a distraction and a companion during long rides through winding roads and monotonous highways, they say. SPB’s loss is similar to that of a family member’s, they add. In the last 10 days, drivers say that they have been swapping songs via pen drives, downloading melodies and adding to their repository of ‘town bus melodies’ as a means to remember SPB by.

“SPB made it seem like his songs were a conversation. His distinct sounds and laughs made it seem like a chat in the middle of the night when passengers are asleep. It has always been a delight to play his songs,” says R Beemaraja, a TNSTC mofussil bus driver plying between Rameswaram and Coimbatore.

R Sukumaran, who has been driving tourist vans across southern Tamil Nadu for over 20 years, says that SPB’s ‘love songs’ reminds him of his home. “When we set out on long journeys, we are constantly reminded of leaving behind our families and those we love. Listening to his songs serves as a reminder to me. Someone is waiting for me back at home and I must return,” he says.

Veerapandian says that he has four memory cards filled with songs by SPB and is likely going to get more such memory cards. “How else can we listen to all of his 40,000 songs?”

Beemaraja says that although travellers usually complain about the song choices on buses, they do not raise any complaints against songs by SPB. “Some say that it helps them sleep,” he says.

T Dharmaraj, head of department of folklore and cultural studies at Madurai Kamaraj University says SPB could be considered one of the gateways to music composer Ilaiyaraja’s genius.

“Ilayaraja’s music is magical as it expands a second or a moment to make one believe that they could be in the past and the present at the same time, while they are travelling. Ilayaraja’s magic is made accessible through SPB. In many ways, SPB is the gateway to Raja’s genius,” says Dharmaraj, who has authored Ilayarajavai Varaithal (Drawing Ilaiyaraja), which dedicates a chapter on listening to music composer Ilayaraja’s songs while travelling.

He states that many, like him, have had the privilege of listening to songs while looking outside the window and staring at the journey ahead. In his book, he explains that Ilayaraja aids in providing a passenger the ability to transcend the physical nature of time.

He compares SPB to waves and Ilayaraja to a mighty ocean. “While the depth of the ocean is daunting, the waves gives one the opportunity to merely wet their feet and enjoy the ocean. One does not need to know about Ilayaraja’s interludes, ragam, or the way a song is composed. One can merely enjoy it by listening to SPB sing,” he says.

Mofussil buses in Tamil Nadu

For S Maruthi Kumar, a 26 year-old co-founder of Instagram page ‘Repeat Audience’, SPB’s songs like Maankuyile Poonkuyile have often woken him up from slumber while travelling from his hometown Chennai, to his college located between Tiruchi and Thanjavur.

Inspired by these trips to college, Repeat Audience co-founder Prajnesh Karthic created ‘Mofussil Melodies’, a post discussing popular songs played in buses including hits by SPB like Chinnamani Kuyile from Amman Kovil Kizhakale.

“As passengers, we would wake up to songs sung by SPB and composed by Ilayaraja and they would liven the experience of travelling. One could say that this was a major connection for our generation, to the songs of the 80s,” he says.

Bus drivers anticipate that there will be a time when songs of the 80s, especially those sung by SPB, will lose preference with the younger generation.

Sukumaran says that youngsters often request for songs by naming young actors of the present generation.

“Maybe they (youth) will not want to listen to SPB but his songs are not for them to cherish. We [drivers] will continue playing his songs in the night. He is one of our own and we will never forget him,” he says.

Dhruva Natchathiram’s Song ‘Oru Manam’ to Release Soon

BY Shrija Ganguly On

After years-long long delay, Sony Music South announced on Twitter on Saturday that the song Oru Manam, from Gautham Vasudev Menon‘s Dhruva Natchathiram featuring Vikram, Ritu Varma, Aishwarya Rajessh, and Simran in lead roles, will be soon be released.

The song, composed by Harris Jayaraj,  with lyrics by Thamarai, is sung by Shashaa Tirupati and Karthik. This marks the seventh collaboration of the director and the music composer after their 2015 release Yennai Arindhaal featuring Ajith Kumar. The duo’s other works include Minnale (2001) and its Hindi remake Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein, Kaakha Kaakha (2003), Vettaiyaadu Vilaiyaadu (2006), Pachaikili Muthucharam (2007), and Vaaranam Aayiram (2008).

According to The Times of  India, the song was supposed to release back in 2018 and has only released now because of delayed film production. The film, which went on floors in 2016 and was shot across seven countries, was delayed due to technical issues.

Produced by Ondraga Entertainment, the first and second teaser of the film was released in 2017 while  the third teaser released in 2018.

The Tamil spy film is both written and directed by Gautham Menon. The first teaser revolves around John (Vikram) who runs an ‘Indian covert unit’ in New York and needs to be tracked down by an anonymous man. Upon realising the threat to his mentor from the anonymous source, John returns to India in the second teaser. What follows is an action-packed film shot in foreign locations in the third and final teaser.

Menon’s following ventures will be releasing on OTT platforms. Paava Kadhaigal, Netflix’s first Tamil film and an anthology of four stories will be directed by Menon along with Vetrimaaran, Sudha Kongara, and Vignesh Shivan. Apart from this, he is collaborating with four other directors for Amazon Prime Video’s Tamil anthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai, alongside Mani Ratnam, Rajiv Menon, Sudha Kongara, and Karthik Subbaraj.

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His last feature film was the 2019 release Enai Noki Paayum Thota and directed the 2020 Tamil short film Karthik Dial Seytha Yenn that featured Simbu and Trisha Krishnan.

Vikram was last seen in Kadaram Kondan (2019) after which he made a cameo in his son Dhruv Vikram‘s debut film Adithya Varma (2019) Ritu Varma was last seen in the 2020 release Kannum Kannum Kollaiyadithaal opposite Dulquer Salmaan. While Aishwarya Rajessh’s Ka Pae Ranasingam, featuring Vijay Sethupati, released on Zee Plex on Friday.

Confer Bharat Ratna on SP Balasubrahmanyam: AP Chief Minister to Centre

BY Silverscreen India Staff On

YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister wrote a letter to the centre, with a request to confer the Bharat Ratna on legendary playback singer S P Balasubrahmanyam, who died at a private hospital in Chennai on September 25 due to complications from Covid-19.

The Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian honour in India.

“Our state of Andhra Pradesh is fortunate for being the birthplace (Nellore) of the great music maestro, Sri SP Balasubrahmanyam,” Jagan Mohan Reddy wrote in a letter addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

While pointing out that S P Balasubrahmanyam’s “untimely departure” caused distress to fans, the chief minister charted out the singer’s achievements in his 50 years in the industry. In addition to six National Awards for best male playback singer, the singer was the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2001 and the Padma Bhusan in 2011.

“His immense popularity and the deep impact he left on the global music industry in his 50 years of legacy, can be gauged by the continuous flow of rich tributes from music afficionados all over the world. The unending saga of his staggering achievements go beyond music,” the letter stated.

In the letter, Reddy also pointed out that in the past, Lata Mangeshkar, Bismillah Khan and MS Subbulakshmi were conferred the Bharat Ratna.

“Earlier the music stalwarts like Smt. Lata Mangeshkar, Sri Bhupen Hazarika, Smt. MS Subbulakshmi, Sri Bismillah Khan and Sri Bhimsen Joshi were conferred Bharat Ratna award by Government of India. As a tribute to the legendary singer for his outstanding contribution in the field of music and art, I request you to confer Bharat Ratna award upon him. This will be the highest recognition to his remarkable work which lasted for 5 decades and stays in our memory forever,” the letter said.