The plight of playback singers in Bollywood
A cross-section of playback singers on whether the specialised art of playback singing has been compromised in recent times
Alka
Yagnik:
I
agree
with
Shaan
completely.
Playback
is
a
very
specialised,
difficult
job,
but
what
we
are
getting
are
'general'
singers.
Technological
advantages
have
made
things
easy,
unlike
in
our
times
when
what
we
recorded
was
what
everyone
heard.
But
fundamentally,
the
problem
lies
in
this
attitude
of
sab
chalta
hai.
Everyone's
on
a
trip
to
be
different
or
new,
without
realising
what
they
are
doing
to
music
and
to
the
art
form.
I
must
also
say
that
with
this
diffusion
of
work,
the
younger
generation
of
genuine
playback
singers,
including
Sunidhi
Chauhan,
Shreya
Ghoshal,
Mahalakshmi
Iyer
and
Shaan
and
his
contemporaries
have
never
even
got
the
long
time-span
my
generation
and
my
singers
had
to
flower.
For
example,
there
are
already
options
present
for
Sunidhi
and
Shreya
as
their
clones!
But I am an optimist. I think that a reversal will happen and that music and singers are not doomed! Yeh bhi ek daur hai!
Udit
Narayan:
I
agree
with
Shaan
too.
Playback
singing
for
me
is
about
imbibing
the
artiste
on-screen
within,
whether
it
is
Amitabh
Bachchan
in
Deewaar
or
Shahid
Kapoor
in
Vivah.
But
today,
in
the
name
of
newness,
experimentation
or
other
excuses,
playback
singing
is
no
longer
in
a
healthy
phase.
The
ironic
thing
is
that
there
is
no
shortage
of
talent
-
talent
in
our
country
is
burgeoning
every
year,
but
the
tapasya,
mehnat
and
application
are
missing!
A playback singer is one who understands what a song needs and a composer wants and then delivers the correct emotions in words delivered clearer than a mirror so that we understand and absorb the song immediately. Sab ko chance milna chahiye is fine, but what is needed even more vitally is a true, good artiste. Let me tell you a home-truth - it is only such a singer who will endure. The rest will be passing sensations. It is not for nothing that Lataji and Rafisaab flourished for decades.
Mahalakshmi
Iyer:
"Anything
goes!" is
the
mantra.
Newness
and
experimentation
are
buzzwords.
Now
budgetary
constraints
and
too
many
new
entrants
are
also
key
factors,
along
with
the
multiplex
culture
that
is
about
low-budget
films
with
OST-kind
of
soundtracks
where
only
bits
and
parts
of
a
song
are
heard
in
the
background.
The result is that music isn't what it used to be and songs are just being put into a film and do not generate real excitement. Music directors today come from diverse origins like bands and have their own teams. But the scary part is th lack of quality control. New voices, if chosen, should have basic skills in the specific needs of playback and the disheartening and alarming part of this fad or trend is that singers who lack these are employed. The vocal quality has gone down, though there are some truly deserving new singers too. No one is in awe of true-blue playback singers any more and I only hope that like with the pop craze only the most deserving ones remain.
KK:
I
believe
in
"Live
and
let
live".
It
is
the
music
director's
prerogative
to
cast
a
singer
and
try
out
new
voices
and
if
the
public
likes
the
voice,
what's
wrong?
After
all,
anyone
who
does
not
ike
a
particular
voice
has
the
option
of
switching
off
the
song!
You
must
remember
that
the
song
remains
within
a
film
for
just
a
few
minutes,
but
after
that
it
has
a
life
of
its
own
-
so
the
suitability
on
an
actor
is
something
that
I
do
not
consider
very
important.
Having said that, things have changed a lot in music. I do accept that singers, especially those who are untrained or not professional, should keep their mental balance and not turn arrogant because one or more songs have become popular. They should not stray from the pitch of the song. I admit that a lot of riff-raff has come in of late, but that group will never last long and only singers who improve on the job will sustain.