Background score in films- it matters !!

I accidentally pressed the mute button! And the TV went silent........ only action, no sound......and it was then that I realized what sound meant to a film and even more what background score meant…It brought back a memory of a film with the most unusual background score. Kahte Hain Mujhko Raja, a 1975 film with Biswajeet as the hero, fighting Shatrughan Sinha the villain. Those were the days when the words Dhishoom & Dhishkyaun a punching sound effect was used in fight scenes and the sounds were clearly dubbed by a human.  However in this film the filmmaker decided to get unique. After all Dhishoom, is a sound when you hit with your hands, so he thought what should be the sound effect if you are kicking the villain with your shoes…and so there goes Biswajeet to the man-made sound of “Boot, boot” ……and goes on to alternate between Dhishoom and Boot Boot. I almost collapsed in my seat laughing. No, I am not lying cause I never ever forgot this!!!

Like a good comedy, I do believe that timing is everything. It is the background score that makes you ready to feel and anticipate what we can't see yet and then our imagination begins to take flight and makes up the rest. The score send chills down the spine making the hair stand on end as the different sounds, like that of thunder, a creaking chair, or footsteps on wooden staircase, which of course by themselves are not frightful but when combined with these effects manipulates the mind to anticipate and maximize the terror unfolding on screen. This in itself then becomes another ball game.

Those were the days when sounds of walking down a staircase for example, were made by people stomping their feet or coconut shells cut in half and stuffed with padding used to make horse hoof noises in a recording studio. Then there also came Hitchcock's deadly film “Psycho” that changed the sound of horror music, and the famous stabbing shower scene became a must in every horror film made in Bollywood. I remember one such funny shower scene from Purani Haveli or one maybe its another Ramsay Bros film (I forget the name but the not the scene) which I must share. Of course its a shower scene where the deadly half-cut hand comes crawling out of the batroom drain to the clanging of the drain cover, crawling across the floor, until it strangles the bathing beauty (ha ha ha)!!! With every moving scene background score became relevant whether it was the traffic noise, a running train, a screeching car, slamming of doors, swishing of curtains, gunshots,  rain, thunder, lightning especially those for the fight and rape scene so Bollywood.  Sholay is perhaps the best film to understand background score. How can one forget that outstanding scene where Gabbar kills the family and Master Raju stands turned to stone with the swing swinging to and fro as Gabbar rides his horse downhill with the clip clop sound creating  a sense of one actually being there and feeling the pressure and fear? Or when glass bottles are broken for Basanti to dance on or the very first scene when the train pulls into the station? Without these crucial background noises, our films would feel unnaturally quiet and feeling-less. And who can forget that piano, a permanent fixture in the haveli, playing ominous tunes in the dead of night or the tinkling sound of the chandeliers swaying back and forth. Who can forget the empty swing of the film Mahal or the white saree-woman walking around the haveli with candelabra in the hand to deadly background scores or songs. On the other hand, there was also the sweetness of the flute? Remember Rajendra Kumar in Geet or Jackie Shroff's Hero, where the flute is suggestive of the love between him and the heroine.

I for one always felt that one of the major reasons for the failure of any film was ineffective background music. I for one, yes, pay complete attention and appreciate the sounds in film and am always aware when the soundtrack fails the scene and never forget it either…… but other film-goers I am sure, most likely, don’t even notice and probably not care either. If they did they would realize that it plays a huge role in creating the entire ambiance of the films. It is the soul of the film and carries the story ahead and merges with the story. Just imagine scenes without ambiance sound. Take a few of films for example. Can you imagine Dhoom without its dhoom dhoom and bikes roaring sounds or even Jaws stalking the waters without that deadly music build-up or imagine Sholay’s scene between Amitabh & Jaya without the mouth-organ playing or the very silence before AK Hangal says “itna sanaata kyon hai bhai”. Most filmmakers know this and use it to their advantage to heighten drama.

Action and  emotions are entwined and when the score is used skillfully it can cover up for a lot in a film, but some of the film makers just ignore that aspect using ready made ghise-pitte tracks used for hundred years or totally mismatching the scenes........ and yes as I said before, I do notice.  If film makers realize that there are more like me out there paying attention to the background score of every scene then maybe, just maybe, they would treat  background music with a bit more of seriousness for the entire film. After all the background music can make or break the best of a film if not used effectively in a film.

Films.......Make .....remake !!!

A news item in the paper today “Twenty two years on and it’s….. “, and again remake time for Shahrukh Khan’s Darr that got me thinking.  Why would a director or an actor attempt to recreate magic that’s immortal on celluloid? Can anyone other than King Khan go K..K…K…Kiran again?? The list of remakes, however, is endless as Zanjeer becomes Zanjeer, Hero becomes Hero, Mr.India becomes Mr. X, Himaatwala becomes Himaatwala again, Golmaal becomes a Bol Bachchan, Don becomes Don again and again. Have creative juices really disappeared from the industry or is it just pure laziness or is it just let’s try it one more time. Sometimes I think yes and sometimes I think it’s neither of these and wonder.

Inspired or otherwise!!! .A remake is a remake no matter how much of mix and match you do… and hey we are still around. We are those very people who have seen the earlier version and will be around to see the new one too. Besides the remakes are claimed to be “different”  with the songs choreographed differently na, and I am expected to dance with joy?  Really, when I am sitting there thinking the steps of the song is so unconnected to the words!!! So what if the hero is singing “chunaari chunaari” and there is no chunaari seen for miles.. I ask why, oh why does the ever melodramatic sick mother, or villain taking the sister hostage, two best friends fighting over one girl and illogical sequences that is so Bollywood go missing….. And either use the original songs to revive the magic (we are alive you know yet) otherwise please do spare us unnecessary tracks and definitely do not add item numbers.  It’s too repetitive, distracting the storyline, boring and a waste of time and today everyone is in a rush.

If makers do not understand the heart of the film and what made it tick, obviously a remake is bound to fail. After all it’s we, the audience that kept the memories alive of favourite bits of the movie you chose to rehash, re-cook and serve it up again.  You should realise, that a movie in its totality is very rarely loved. It’s a song, a dance move, a dialogue, a scene, an actor that make it all a success and memory, so  careful when you cut, edit  or try to visually recreate the magic. Then there is that belief that the actor will use his own mannerisms,  his style and persona to give a dialogue/film a new look but that too, my friend, can fail miserably. Remember what “Jab tak baithne ko na kaha jaaye sharafat se khade raho ... yeh police station hai ... tumhare baap ka ghar nahi” sounded like when Amitabh Bachchan said it (shivers down the spine) and then here comes Ram Charan Teja… and need I say more!!!!

History sometimes however does repeat itself too and remakes do perform superbly such as Agneepath, Don, Devdas. Why? Simple, it was Hritik and Shaharukh !!!!! These films did justice to the characters and the story of the originals and the casting was just right. Then we have the disastrous ones, remade from English movies such as a Kante/Reservoir Dogs, Ek Ajnabee/ Man on Fire, The Killer/Collateral, God Tussi Great Ho/Bruce Almighty. Obviously the makers think “kaun dekhta hoga yeh sab English, Korean, Japanese films” and that too in the far flung remote areas of our country, but guess you forgot about that up to date net savvy urban audience.  I somehow do believe, remakes are for sharing with the younger generation the magic of cinematic success in a revised format true to times of today….but if you are thinking that you have cracked it then just don’t forget with the advent of the internet every movie is out there and being watched and so easily connected to what is being seen on celluloid.  Imitation is the best form of flattery and re-hashing the drama just because the film is in another age and time zone justified. Yes, I got that, but at end of the day I am going to compare?

That is when I begin to question and ask, what is the need for me to watch the same old wine in a new bottle?  Why would I want to see some young actor rehash and crush my memories of say an Amitabh Bacchan in Zanjeer or Don?  So what if the hero is singing in the valleys of Switzerland instead of the Film City sets or cars are flying into the sky instead of rolling down a hill …and so what if hero is throwing twenty people into the air to fall in slow motion instead of breaking through brick walls in the studio……End of the day, a remake is a remake…..is a remake.

They call me an Alzheimer patient

Dedicated to all those suffering with Alzheimer....All we need is to understand and hold our hands out to them................Dedicated to Sailesh Mishra, Silver Innings for his fantastic work and dedication in this field....

Oh maan meri, where do you wander?

Kehne ko toh saath hai tu, aye maan, par saath nahin

Kuch dhundhali yaadon mein kho gaya hai tu kahin

Meri duniya mein, sirf main hun , sirf main

Anjaane se veerane,  koi awaaz nahin

Tum kaun ho joh aaye ho aaj paas

Mere dost ho, dushman, ya mere koi khaas

Din raat, raat din, aur nahin koi mere saath

Kaun bhool gaya mujhe,  kisne choda haath

Savera na hoga, Shaam na hogi is man mein

Kehne ko to saath hai tu, aye maan, par saath nahin

Mind oh mind, you are with me, but not with me anymore

You are fading memories that were my life for sure

It’s just me and only me that I recognise

Dark and forlorn, a heartbeat that’s no more mine

Memories that flash by, disturb and never last

Is it today I remember or is it the long gone past

Eating away at the person I must have been

The loved ones, hard work and life I must have seen

I recollect things I cannot change that aren’t real

Flashing thoughts, shadows and words that fizzle

Oh mind of mine, where do you wander?

Aging, Not Me!

Aging, Not Me!

“You don't stop laughing when you grow old, you grow old when you stop laughing.”
― George Bernard Shaw

Who wants to grow old? Someone told me "It's just a number!", and so once I crossed that threshold they call ‘senior citizen” I decided to protest. I began to hate the thought of being called old or senior.  After all for me, it had  always been “Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind it doesn’t matter”. Even then, ageing is going to happen whether we like it or not. So is it not better to face it gracefully than fight it.  I decided to live life king size and do all the things I did not have time for during my working and family years, right from learning craft on-line and making gifts for friends, to acting, to voicing, to pestering my actor friends and going to watch shoots, joining a women’s forum and organising workshops. What’s more, I even pushed my  husband to join a singing group even if I regret having to hear him sing loudly at home without a care in the world!  You can too find that one thing that was pushed on the back burner during those years when you were busy raising your family.  I am going to share with you some thoughts that you would have heard a million times, but may not have really registered it into your daily life.

Where do I start? Maybe from the day our children turn adults or maybe from the day we retire or maybe when we become grandparents. That’s when the mind begins to think “hey I am over the hill” and then you begin to feel it too. It’s that time when you are no longer burdened by responsibilities and demanding careers and the children are raised  A lost feeling takes over and then you take that morning walk in the park and look at people your age and ask yourself are they looking older than you or are you looking older? That’s where we go wrong, because it’s that time when actually “time” is yours, to use the way you want. Time comes free for you to use and spend and by the way who was that who said time and tide waits for no man. It will stop for you, if you can learn to use and control it. You get the point don’t you? so why are you putting it off saying "when I get the time?" The time is now and here already.......and “time” is what you have plenty off so make that beginning.  So just get started and don’t waste precious time. Make that wish list of things you had in the back of the head since long and would like to do before you leave this world. It doesn't have to be anything drastic like jumping of a plane or climbing Mount Everest, but if you can do that, well then go for it !!!!! Try just those simple things that you wished you had done earlier. I made new friends and then more friends by the day and as the family of friends grew, so did the activities that I could participate in like workshops, outings and new hobbies.

Do the things you like and of course things that make you happy. You won't be able to do everything like you used to, neither can I, but when I started doing things I loved...... then nothing came in my way - not even my creaking bones.  The more you begin to find new things to do the more engaging your life will become. So simply just fight fatigue of that afternoon long nap which is so common for us just because we feel nothing is waiting. Play word games and recall exercises by yourself, like I do often. Say a word for example, ‘senior’ and then a next word with the last alphabet “r” and so on and you will find yourself enjoying your own company too. I love to check out car numbers and making a total of the numbers just to keep that ticker in the head active. I looked for  shapes in the clouds, observe people, look for objects during a walk and recalling them when back home. You could join a class and learn something new not because you need to make a career of it but  just for fun.  How about sharing that expertise of yours with others?  Ageing does not necessarily need to stop us from learning. After all as someone said “there is a lot of valuable gold from experience that comes with the silver in the hair!” Break the boring routines and the change will make life interesting...... because "if you really want to do something, you will find a way.  If you don't you will find an excuse"~Jim Rohn

Most important of all; you and your spouse need not have to do the same things or share the same interests. After all, no two human’s like the same things anyways. So let loose your spouse to follow his/her interests and encourage each other to do whatever interests him/her and watch the bonding and sharing multiply multi-folds.  I believe that there is still loads to learn and enjoy beyond the certainty of growing old, but it’s up to me how to use that time and manage the later years of my life with grace, dignity and fulfillment.......and because .......

A place under the sun!

A place under the sun!

It was that grim day the harsh words crashed my world. I wished standing there that I could curse the nine month pregnant counselor shared her thoughts about my daughter’s academic performance in the most rude, insensitive and uncaring manner, but then how could I a mother myself curse her, another to-be-a-mom. I remember stepping out of that room sobbing and promising myself that I was going to prove her all wrong; and we did. I never stopped pushing (may be a bit harshly too) and encouraging my daughter to fight her demons. She on her part, the fighter that she was, not only went on to complete schooling and college, of course, at her own pace. Fail she did, many a time, but she always refused to give up. Yes, I went through trauma with her and yes, I had to find ways to overcome her learning problems. What surprised me was that my friends with similar problems reaching out to me saying that my sharing had made them open up and accept their situations. Today when I look back I often wonder whether I should have exposed her to the world so blatantly and should I be sharing this today.  I think I did it right for today she is doing well for herself working with children. 

May be there is a mother out there who is worrying about sharing and letting people know and if you are let me say that “it’s perfectly okay’. After all it’s a cut throat competition out there that needs to be won, and I do know that it matters.  I had also somewhere along the line thought that maybe it's all my fault and that maybe I did not give enough time and attention, but remember it’s not you!  I do know it’s difficult to accept that our child is not going to make it to the top rung of the financial world like other children. After all, we all want the best future for our children and can’t seem to understand why they would choose careers in non-traditional jobs that don’t have a fast track career graph.  We, always, worry endlessly about society, what is going to happen in the future, what life will hold for them and never seem to realise that all five fingers are not the same, and when we do, time has fallen in between our fingers like sand. If only we would accept and appreciate that children today are completely aware of the immense opportunities that are out there in the world of the likes we never had dreamt of in our times.  On my part,  am glad that I never  hid in the shadows but went out there and sought answers and solutions and realised that there is always a helping hand out there and that each one of us, at the end of the day, definitely finds that  place under the sun.