The A-List of B-music!

Never thought this would actually give me enough dope for a story but yeah, looks like there is an A List in place when it comes to our good old Bollywood music! We are living in interesting times when it comes to this genre of music in India. Not only are Hindi film songs the most sought after and ‘downloaded’ kind of music across all ages, it cuts across barriers of race, culture, community and geographies. Even the West is acknowledging us and no I don’t mean it as having reached the pinnacle of popularity but it definitely means we are hard to ignore as a country when it comes to our music! I doubt if regional music has caught on, if it does, it would definitely be time to take a bow because I know there is so much talent and beauty waiting to be explored in there. 

Coming back to our topic today, music in Bollywood has widened its gamut to embrace new talent, unconventional voices, international influences- regional strings attached (thanks to shows like Coke Studio and earthy ethnic musicians getting their due on music reality shows on GECs)! All this brings good music to our ears and manages to surprise us every time we fall in love with a particular song and realize, it may be sung or composed by a name you didn’t know existed but can’t seem to get enough of! No longer do you need to count the good guys on your fingers like the Shankar Ehsaan Loys, Salim-Sulaimans, Vishal-Shekhars and so on. Giving them company today is a crop of musicians who are off beat without being off track and not reluctant to show it.

So here’s to the A-list of Bollywood’s musical mavericks made of established and budding artists both, who seem to have not only carved their niche in the pulsating and competitive music industry today but also seem to be thriving on their individual might and identity. These guys are pushing the limits of how music should sound, innovating with new styles and strings and finally emerging triumphant, with their fans screaming for more. Put them in a concert together and see what a storm they can whip up!

A R Rahman- He went full-fledged Bollywood with the much touted Rangeela, following it up with the mellifluous Bombay, with his guardian angel Mani Ratnam. He made a befitting impression with Roja which although a film from the Tamil film industry, effectively established Rahman as a man to watch out for in the Hindi film music scenario.  His music transcended the film’s eventual success at the box office, so endurable was its effect. Songs from Dil Se and Swades can still send true lovers of soulful music in to raptures. Rahman’s music even rose the standard and contributed to the success of the film by several yards. Pukar, Zubeidaa, Fiza, Taal, Yuva, Guru are cases in point. An Oscar may have evaded him at this stage but the Academy Awards nominated Lagaan nailed it in terms of its music, firmly positioning him among the top musicians of the industry. Suddenly, there was no stopping this guy. He could churn out a youthful Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na alongwith the historical Jodhaa Akbar and the breezy Ghajini the same year.  In fact 2008 saw him at his peak with Slumdog Millionaire which finally won him the covetable Oscar.  A brief lull was followed by his resurgence with the power packed Rockstar that made one out of him as well. And just when we thought he was getting too techno-western in his language, he threw a Raanjhanaa in our faces with all its small town grandeur and desi beats. Take a bow Rahman.

Ajay-Atul- Make way for the Maharashtrian brigade. Brothers in arms Ajay and Atul are firmly

rooted in their Indian traditions, which comes through in a very zany, soulful, sun kissed way. They have already given music to commercial potboilers like Bol Bachchan and Singham. But it was the soundtrack of Agneepath which gave this National Award winning duo the fame they deserve. Abhi mujhme kahi and O Saiya are my personal favourites. Watch out for more!

Amitabh Bhattacharya- He catapulted himself to instant fame with Dev D’s  chartbusting songs which made pathos sound so trendy, every youngster wanted to drown himself in his music. His wall of work includes hits like Udaan, Once Upon a Time in Mumbai, Band Bajaa Baarat, Ready, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Ek Main aur Ekk Tu, Cocktail, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani for many of which he has also flipped to being playback singer apart from being the lyricist. Anyone who doubts this man’s calibre has to tune into Lootera and listen to his rendition of Ankahee and Shikayatein among others.

Arijit Singh- He was raw yet likeable in his first public appearance as singer on a national

platform with a show called Fame Gurukul on Sony. He didn’t go on to win in spite of being the best which says a lot about the quality of reality shows. You cannot ignore the power of sheer talent though and true to his mettle, Arijit bounced back resurgent with back to back hits in Cocktail, Barfi! and finally his comeuppance in Tum Hi Ho and Meri Aashiqui from Aashiqui 2. Want to see his versatility- he is the same guy who also sang Dilliwali Girfriend from Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. Take that!

Amit Trivedi- There’s one name that links Dev.D, Wake Up Sid, Ishaqzaade, Kai Po Che! and Lootera and that is this man’s. Labelled as edgy, quirky, avante garde- simply put, Amit’s compositions are path breaking, uplifting and dynamic without losing the melody. No wonder then that the youth is lapping up everything he belts out. With a consistency that has surprised even the harshest of critics, looks like Amit is upping the ante with every project he takes up. His next being Bombay Velvet, one can only hope his career graph has yet to see its peak!