Page 52 - Seniorstoday January 2022 Issue
P. 52
Music
Beyond bhangra &
shaadi songs
Punjabi music has a rich history and many classic songs, and while they are
known within the community, it’s time efforts are made to widen its reach
further, writes Narendra Kusnur
Just over two decades ago, it had become Pratigya. But what happened after 2000
a fad. Quite a few Hindi film songs would was unexpected. The trend of using Punjabi
have a couple of Punjabi words, just to add a words or entire songs only continued to
certain flavour. Examples were ‘Tera Roop grow. In 2019, one heard such numbers in
Balle Balle’ from Soldier, ‘Aaja Mahiya’ from Student of the Year 2, Luka Chuppi, Jabariya
Fiza and ‘You Are My Soniya’ from Kabhi Jodi and Simbba. Of course, there have been
Khushi Kabhi Gham. Industry-watchers felt cases when the subject and geographical
that this was done following the success of setting demanded it, like in the recent
Punjabi pop in the late 1990s, and to cater Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui. But more often
to the Punjabi diaspora in the UK, US and than not, such words have just been forced
Canada. without any valid reason.
Of course, there had been Punjabi songs The truth, of course, is that there is much
in Hindi films before that, which used the more to the genre than such film songs. Like
actual language rather than a smattering all other forms of regional music, Punjabi
of words. Back in 1956, the Raj Kapoor film music can be divided into commercial and
Jagte Raho had ‘Main Koi Jhooth Boliyan’ traditional forms. But before we go into
by Mohammed Rafi and S Balbir. Rafi also detail about them, here’s a look at some facts.
sang the popular ‘Main Jatt Yamla Pagla Before the lockdown, the Punjabi music
Deewana’ in the 1975 Dharmendra film industry was estimated to be at Rs 700
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