‘Folk music is our biggest identity’

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Shantanu Moitra is all smiles these days. And why wouldn’t he be? Coke Studio @ MTV is on a real high these days. It has topped popularity charts and is being loved by viewers. So, what’s so special about the ongoing second season? “I feel the producers and the singers, who have come together, have made this season really special. We have had creative songs being played and the audience is really enjoying them.”

The show that began in July 2012 revolved around the theme of “diversity” this time. There were original compositions that merged diverse talent across the country. There has been a lot of concentration on folk music and the self-confessed folk music enthusiast admits, “Folk music is our country’s biggest identity. We have to invest in it. There are so many languages and so much of rich culture that is a strong influence to the making of India as a country. I mean one has never heard of a Mizo or Bangladeshi song so extensively.”
Coming to the kind of music being made by Bollywood today, especially with songs like Halkat Jawani from Heroine and I Want Just You from Joker, Moitra believed that it is a very good time that Bollywood is going through in terms of music. “For every Halkat Jawani there are songs like Main Kya Karoon from Barfi. So the audience gets a variety of options to choose from. Further, people should not look at Bollywood purely for art — the main job of Bollywood is to entertain. Investment in art should be made separately,” he feels. Moitra credits his success to his family that has been very supportive. He believes that nothing would have been possible had it not been for his parents, wife and son who have been very understanding about his passion for music.
He also feels that the kind of songs AIR played when he was growing up as a child played a major role in giving him exposure to all kinds of music. It included a mix of classical, folk, Bollywood and English. “I would have been a very one-dimensional music composer otherwise,” he says.