Oscar-winning composer MM Keeravani points out the difference between Indian and Western music industries. Keeravani made India proud by becoming the first-ever Asian to win the Academy Award for Best Original Song for magnum opus RRR. In a recent interview with the Hindustan Times, the musician who has been immensely neglected by the mainstream cinema prior to his win shows his utter disappointment about the current state of the Indian music industry. One of the major contradictory natures between the Western and India music industries as Mr.Keeravani points out is the process of creating. While in the West the musician single-handedly takes all responsibility behind the creative in India they are unlikely to be divided into categories. Let’s check out some more interesting distinctions the talented musician made.
MM Keeravani said don’t have music stars but playback singers who are dependent on films
The composer of the global sensational song “Natu Natu” told the outlet, “In India, music is still very much about movies, and music artistes are dependent on filmmakers for their work to reach a wider audience, At the end of the day, it all depends on a film’s success. If the film is a hit, the songs will do well. They do not shine on their own, which is disappointing. We need more and more independent musicians.”
While drawing a comparison between the two industries he noted, “One does music, the other writes lyrics, a third person sings, the fourth would arrange it, and another one features in it. And the one featuring in the video is mostly a film star or a popular actor from any medium. That’s not the case internationally.”
Later on, he explains, “In their countries, there is one person who does everything — from writing to composing the whole track, and they often become the face of the video, too. That’s why, artists globally have a huge fan base and people know them well. However, in India we don’t have music stars, but playback singers. That’s the major difference and this situation is not encouraging.”
However, Keeravani acknowledged the gradual changes occurring currently, stating, “Also, the way music is consumed these days is changing, and we as artistes need to adapt to it. Earlier in the 70s or 80s, it was only about listening the melody. Now people want a visual experience as well. And because it’s more about watching the video of the song, it’s important that artiste become the star of it.”
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