“The kind of music being composed these days and the meaningless lyrics don’t
encourage me to accept many assignments. I am out of the Bollywood rat race,”
explains Kavita, who was recently in the Polish capital with her husband and
musician L Subramanyam for a concert.
Presently, Kavita wants to concentrate on international assignments. “Now I
want to do only quality work. I am working with my husband on a Hindi album. We
are collaborating with Pandit Jasraj and Hariharan. I am also exploring jazz and
fusion. I want to expand my horizons,” she says.
Kavita comments on India’s rich musical heritage saying, “Indian classical
music is appreciated the world over these days. But we are not valuing our own
traditions. When we can do original work, what is the need to become copycats?”
Kavita feels that the golden era of Hindi film music was between the 50s and
60s. “Composers like Madan Mohan, Anil Biswas, Naushad, SD Burman, Khayyam, RD
Burman and Laxmikant-Pyarelal used to have their signature tunes.
They had mastery over their styles,” she says adding that the current
scenario lacks creativity. “Today music has become soulless. It’s too
mechanical. Where is the scope for melody? These days, you don’t have to be
trained in classical music because the computer can do cutting and pasting for
the singers. Duets are recorded without both the artistes being present. Only
Ismail Darbar and AR Rahman have a sense for music,” she says.
Paying a tribute to singer Manna Dey, who helped her in her struggling days,
Kavita says, “He always treated me like a daughter. He coached me painstakingly
for years. My grounding in classical music is largely his contribution. I have
yet to see a man of such integrity in the film industry than Manna uncle. I
admire his dedication. Even at the age of 86 he gives stage performances that
normally last for more than two hours.”
Bollywood
