Making music. It’s a sweeping term which embraces all aspects, from writing lyrics to composing, singing and recording. But, in the Indian film industry, for a musician to wear so many hats is rare.
Nor is it encouraged. Roles are defined, categorised and neatly slotted. Differences are maintained, especially in the fields of music composition and playback singing. Not every talented singer in the industry makes music, nor does every songwriter croon. The boundaries are clearly demarcated and generally adhered to. Only a few choose to step beyond and blur the distinctions.
It was Shankar Mahadevan who started the trend and others have followed suit. Known as singers, these music makers are also recognised as (in industry parlance) composers. That this breed of singer-composers don’t see themselves limited to this title, is what makes them special. Skillfully stepping from playback singing to music direction, these musicians are exploring a whole new dimension of filmi music.
Vishal Dadlani, who has to his credit the music of hits like Om Shanti Om and Bachna Ae Haseeno, started his career as a singer for the rock band Pentagram. He made his mark as a composer with the film Jhankar Beats. “Composer is a very Bollywood term,” says the hit music maker. “I am first a musician, and singing, writing and composing is the most natural thing in the world for me. These differences exist only in our film industry.”
Dadlani, who looks at his music business as a one-act performance, says, “My voice is my first love. If I couldn’t sing, I wouldn’t be able to compose for sure.”
Then there’s singer-turned-composer Shruti Hassan, who debuted as a singer for Tamil film Thevar Magan and turned composer with Unnai Pol Oruvan. Shruti belongs to Dadlani’s school of thought. “Writing a song, composing the melody and singing are a part of me. I can’t differentiate between them but I’ve managed to strike a healthy balance. Even if it’s taken me some time to achieve this, I enjoy both immensely. Each has its set of strengths and freedom.”
Shruti, who never wanted to be just a singer, believes, “There are so many brilliant singers, who are talented and musically gifted. But they are honest in admitting that they can’t score music.”
However, it’s not always a question of talent or a matter of choice, as in the case of musician Sukhwinder Singh, who took to music composition only after he was firmly established as a singer. “I have always been a singer, composer and lyricist. In the movies, I took what came to me first. Music in any form is my passion. In fact, when I sing for a composer, they always tell me it’s like two music directors working on a composition.”
The Chaiyya Chaiyya singer says that not everybody can be a singer and composer. “You cannot want to be either one or both. Only when there is a talent for both, can that extra dimension be added to one’s career.”
What do these singer-composers find more creative? Dadlani says, “No singer can supersede the music composer. At the end of the day, the singer does what the songwriter wants from the song!”