Says, “Bollywood is making few meaningful films, should popularize folk music”
Popular singer composer Kailash Kher has slammed Mumbai film industry saying it is making “few meaningful films and most of them are ‘faltu and timepass’ ”
Appearing in Rajat Sharma’s iconic Aap ki Adalat show, Kailash Kher said: “I am saying, film industry is not a bad place. It’s a good place, they toil hard and show the mirror to society. I watched few films since childhood, but let me say, very few meaningful films are being made. Timepass Aur Faltu Type Ki Cheezen zyada hoti hai (they are mostly timepass and meaningless).”
“In such a scenario, I want folk music should be popularized. Folk music can come only through non-film music. At a time when Kaanta Lagaa, Chaman Jab Khilta Hai song remix are being made, which are shallow, I would like songs like Tere Naam Se Jude Hai Saare Naatey.”
When Rajat Sharma said, are you not being ungrateful to the film industry when you say they are showing ‘chaat masala’, ‘khichdi’, Kailash Kher replied: “I went to Mumbai to make albums to showcase tehzeeb wala sangeet (traditional music). Films have music which is a mixture of many. I am grateful to God for allowing me to sing in films. Whatever songs I sang became hits, one song of mine proved better than 100 other songs. Fortunately, good, meaningful and motivational songs came to be written for us. Then, I started getting songs mostly in praise of Lord Shiva. Nearly 60 out of 100 songs that I sang in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil for South, were in praise of Lord Shiva. Yeh Kudratan baat hai.”
Kailash Kher said: “Folk songs used to be sung in homes and villages of India since ancient times. They are dying. Films came only a hundred years ago. We had thriving music before films. Even our classical music was derived from folk music. ”
The singer composer said: “If we become fully dependent on films and film marketing, where will our culture go? We have to preserve our culture. Our culture and folk music are the real tatwa (element), real satwa (substance), and our kritya (creation). This is eternal truth. They continue to live on. Men may come and go. Films come and go. Those and their families who were related to film world and were popular are now forgotten. It means, it is a shallow (satahi) world.”
Kailash Kher narrated how he struggled from a lower middle class family to become the singing sensation. Till date, he has sung more than 2,000 songs in 21 languages in a short span of his career. Son of a purohit, Kher left home and worked as a tailor, in a printing press, as an assistant to a CA, and even dabbled in exports of artefacts to Hamburg. He did odd jobs in Delhi, and from there he went to Parmarth Niketan ashram in Rishikesh to learn the ropes of a purohit. He then tried his luck in Mumbai.
MY FIRST AD JINGLE
Kher narrated how he got a phone call to do his first ad jingle for Nakshatra diamonds. “I went to Famous Studios in Mahalaxmi, was asked to go to the dubbing room and asked to sing a commercial jingle for 40 seconds, without any rehearsal or planning. I prayed to Shiva and suddenly I sang “Tanaa tanna, dhoon tan..” When I come out of the dubbing room with trepidation, fearing a severe scolding, the executives sitting outside praised me. That was my first jingle and I was asked to send an invoice for Rs 5,000, which I sent, but I am yet to get that money till date. The executives exclaimed, “Wow Man! What a voice, man! Your voice is amazing!”.
“When words spread through mouth, I got my second ad jingle for which I got Rs 8,000. When I got the ad jingle for Bombay Dyeing, I was paid Rs 20,000. I then shifted from a PG to a one BHK rented flat.”
On Narendra Modi
Kailash Kher, who was awarded the Padma Shri in 2017, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, saying: “Modiji Bahut Pyare Lagte Hain. Bahut Hi Gehri Aatma Hai (He is lovely. He has a deep soul). Never before has our Sanatan dharma, our saints, our mahapurush, our holy places, our cultural signs got so much respect.
Rajat Sharma: You composed a song after Operation Sindoor?
Kailash Kher: I sang for the glory, the valour of lour armed forces and for the pride of Indians. There was a necessity to sing.
Rajat Sharma: You also composed a song when BJP won Delhi assembly elections?
Kailash Kher: There are such moments when if you belong to Delhi and seen its woes, you would like to sing. The song came from my heart and it is the duty of an artiste to not only sing, but create awareness.
Rajat Sharma: In 2011, you were singing in praise of Arvind Kejriwal?
Kailash Kher: No, I did not sing in his praise. I sang that song for Anna Hazare Ji. I did not even know the man whom you are naming.
Rajat Sharma: In 2017, you did a magic during UP elections. You described Mayawati as ‘Saakshat Devi’, in another song, you sang “Dhadak Dhadak Akhilesh”, and in the third song, you praised Yogi Adityanath for liberating people from Gunda Raaj. You made the lotus bloom, you rode the cycle and also the elephant.?
Kailash Kher: Congress Ka Bhi Gaaya Tha, Sir. Kya Baat Hai! Chaaron Ke Gaaye They. What happened was, the songs were released at different times. The first politician you named, I sang at the beginning of my career. At that time, I used to see Devi and Devta in every Manushya. Beginning Toh Aise Hi Hoti Hai. Slowly you gain knowledge and you realize what to do and how. In 2013, I sang sadak, sadak, dhadak, dhadak, and then I sang for Yogi ji. What happened was, all of them released these songs at the same time. Yeh Alag Alag Time Ka Prayog Tha (this was experiment at different times).