Music directors often add a few tidbits of nonsensical gibberish or a few words from another language to make things sound, well, different. I'm guessing they think it adds to the music, but I see no value addition.
Take the e.g. of Harris Jeyaraj and that song from Kaakka Kaakka - Uyirin Uyire. The 'Ummahazeeyah Waahi Aala' part is patently nonsensical and I'm willing to bet a good amount of money that the words don't belong to any standard language. Poor Jyothika, she mouths the words with such sincerity! Another instance that comes to mind is 'Naakuvenchaalo Aaguvenchalo' from Raavan's 'Beera Beera'. Or 'Aiiya ja, Aiiya ja' from 'O Re Kanchi' (Asoka) and the 'Dil Dero, Dil Dero Dil Dero, oooo...' fisherman chant from 'Chinna chinna Aasai' (Roja). In a similar mould are AR songs from R.O. Mehra movies. They invariably contain some stuff said in French, while one would never guess the need for it from the context in the respective movies, Delhi-6 and RDB.
Empty Words.
Wednesday, June 09, 2010
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Rahman and Drugs
The transitions in Rahman's music are mood altering, magical, evocative. The music grows on you and you gradually lose the power to resist listening to the music. Addictive stuff. Thank goodness it'll never be made illegal.
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
While on the subject of Naxalism...
The songs 'Thok de Killi' and 'Beera' from Raavana give me the impression that Raavana has a Naxalism/rebellion-against-the-state-by-a-Robin-Hood-like-character storyline. A friend suggests (by way of speculation) that the Stockholm syndrome gets to Ash in the course of the movie, I concur. She gets kidnapped by the baddies since she is the daughter of someone important. She is probably engaged/married to Vikram in the movie and Vikram is probably a good cop. In a twist to the Ramayana tale, she falls in love with her captor, Abhishek who does a Robin Hood/Kishenji routine in the movie.
Let's see if idle speculation matches reality.
Let's see if idle speculation matches reality.
I don't think you'll understand...
"The right thing to do is to stop the violence. How can you kill innocent people and expect your demands to be heard?"
"I don't think you'll understand, we wouldn't if we could help it..."
"Then make me understand. On moral grounds, your case doesn't stand. In the long term, this doesn't even make tactical sense. Your demands will never be met. You are fighting the might of the state."
"I know. I'm fighting a lost cause. The only hope I had was if I aligned myself with the ideologues."
"You didn't stand a chance even if you aligned with them. I suspect you knew that."
"I did, but they made me feel empowered. Holding a gun can be very liberating... I still go hungry, but at least I'm not as afraid as I used to be. I have what resembles a purpose in life, however shallow it might seem from the other side. You think I would have taken this position willfully if the state hadn't forced me to? They rape my land, my women, my rights and expect me to keep mum? And allow them to keep buggering me?"
"Some logic."
"I told you, you wouldn't understand..."
---------------------------------
Very A. Roy-ish, the above attempt. (In essence, not in terms of quality of prose)
I don't know if the logical conclusion of Green Hunt i.e. a win for the state, will improve the lot of the tribals. I'm guessing marginally and on a long term basis if the GoI is genuinely concerned. I'd like to believe that it is. Some things it will hopefully not neglect once it stops gushing about it's (eventual) victory over the cadre and the ideologues : Tribal property rights legislation overhaul -- profit sharing and/or reasonable relocation compensation or/and employment/possiblity of subsistence (in case of land acquisition for mining/development) and a semblance of administration. Not too much to expect, no?
I'm on this side of the fence. I belong to those who don't understand. I don't think I will. I don't think the tribals* can have it both ways, reap the benefits of development and yet remain isolated. Perhaps they don't want to remain isolated. I'm clueless about their demands. I only get to hear noise from the ideologues. IMO, the best deal they might get,from a preserving-the-culture point of view (if the GoI is in the mood for it), will resemble Indian tribe reservation in the U.S.
* - Oversimplification -- grouping all tribes into one
"I don't think you'll understand, we wouldn't if we could help it..."
"Then make me understand. On moral grounds, your case doesn't stand. In the long term, this doesn't even make tactical sense. Your demands will never be met. You are fighting the might of the state."
"I know. I'm fighting a lost cause. The only hope I had was if I aligned myself with the ideologues."
"You didn't stand a chance even if you aligned with them. I suspect you knew that."
"I did, but they made me feel empowered. Holding a gun can be very liberating... I still go hungry, but at least I'm not as afraid as I used to be. I have what resembles a purpose in life, however shallow it might seem from the other side. You think I would have taken this position willfully if the state hadn't forced me to? They rape my land, my women, my rights and expect me to keep mum? And allow them to keep buggering me?"
"Some logic."
"I told you, you wouldn't understand..."
---------------------------------
Very A. Roy-ish, the above attempt. (In essence, not in terms of quality of prose)
I don't know if the logical conclusion of Green Hunt i.e. a win for the state, will improve the lot of the tribals. I'm guessing marginally and on a long term basis if the GoI is genuinely concerned. I'd like to believe that it is. Some things it will hopefully not neglect once it stops gushing about it's (eventual) victory over the cadre and the ideologues : Tribal property rights legislation overhaul -- profit sharing and/or reasonable relocation compensation or/and employment/possiblity of subsistence (in case of land acquisition for mining/development) and a semblance of administration. Not too much to expect, no?
I'm on this side of the fence. I belong to those who don't understand. I don't think I will. I don't think the tribals* can have it both ways, reap the benefits of development and yet remain isolated. Perhaps they don't want to remain isolated. I'm clueless about their demands. I only get to hear noise from the ideologues. IMO, the best deal they might get,from a preserving-the-culture point of view (if the GoI is in the mood for it), will resemble Indian tribe reservation in the U.S.
* - Oversimplification -- grouping all tribes into one
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