Saturday, November 30, 2002
T A L K I N G   P O I N T


"Hindi films haven’t fully tapped my talent"

HariharanHARIHARAN — the name spells magic. The talented son of noted Carnatic singers HS Mani and Alamelu Mani and the protégé of Padma Shri Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan has come a long way since he made a promising debut as ghazal singer in the early eighties. To have a science graduate, qualified lawyer and above all a South Indian singing ghazals was a novelty. But Asha Bhonsle, who presented him (then known as Ravi Ananth) in the album Sukoon, had predicted a bright future for him and she has been proved right. From ghazals to film songs to pop numbers, Hariharan’s inimitable style can be seen everywhere. A two-decade-long music career, many award-winning albums and an enviable number of film hits later, what does the singer think of the current music scene? Bibhuti Mishra meets the versatile singer to find out.

You began as Ravi Ananth, then became Hariharan and then Harry teaming with Leslie in Colonial Cousins. What next?

You may call me dirty Harry (ha...ha...ha...). Well I remain Hariharan the singer. I remain the same no matter what I sing.

But many feel that you have diluted your image by going into pop when you had carved out a niche for yourself in the ghazal world.

I don’t agree. Now too I sing ghazals. I don’t think we should consider any music inferior or superior. In fact I do not relish sticking to any image. There are always newer horizons.

 


Since you learnt Carnatic music from your parents, and then were under tutelage of famous Hindustani classical exponent Ghulam Mustafa Khan, do you not feel under utilised while singing pop?

You see it is not as if I have gone completely into the pop world. I teamed up with Leslie Lewis to bring out Colonial Cousins, which was a tremendous success and set a solid trend. The next album The way we do it did not do that well. We are teaming up for a third album shortly. In ghazals I have cut many albums. Besides, I have sung for many South Indian films — Tamil, Kannada, Telugu — and for Hindi films. Everywhere I cannot sing the same song in the same style. Phir aajkal toh fusion ka zamana bhi aa gaya: our life is a fusion too. There’s nothing bad about that. A good singer remains a good singer; yes you have to only assess his or her range and versatility.

What about Hindi film music? You have come a long way since ajeeb saniha mujh par in Gaman but do you feel that the Hindi film music composers have been able to tap your talent at all? Don’t you feel you tend to get typecast in particular kinds of numbers?

Oh yes, you are absolutely right. Hindi films have not utilised me at all. But it is their loss. But it could be because composers are not allowed to compose to their full capacity. There is a lot of interference. Rehman has been able to do something, of course. But I feel composers like Jatin-Lalit or Anu Malik can do much more than what they are allowed to do.

What about South Indian films?

In the South the understanding is better; they are open to new ideas. There is more technique in gayaki. But in Mumbai it is the plain kind of thing that gets lapped up. Gaane mein mediocrity aa gayi hai.

Have you tried to do any semi-classical stuff in Carnatic music?

No, because there is no market for it. I restrict myself to just film music.

Don’t you think technology has killed real music?

No it’s not like that. Technology to chahiye, but yes it has produced a number of non-singers. It covers up the flaws but does nothing to improve good singing. For instance, how can a machine for pitch correction help a trained singer?

What do you have to say about the video boom? Music is more video than audio today.

Oh yes, nowadays, people watch music. But there are also more opportunities now. The only thing that is missing is that singers do not seem to have patience. Let them get properly trained, let them do sadhna and fame and money will come ultimately. But they have no patience. Everybody wants overnight success. And today public memory is so short you are as good as your last album. Of course that is not the case in ghazal singing.

You usually compose your own music in ghazals. Would you like to compose music for films too?

I would if I were to get absolute freedom. Suggestions would be acceptable, but not interference.

You used to come out with a ghazal album every year, but you have been silent for the last couple of years when it comes to pure ghazals — why?

Yes, perhaps I wanted to do something new. I did not want to get stuck in a groove so far as composition goes. But my album Kaash did well. It was a new door opening to ghazal gayaki and I was confident that people would love it. The sound is blended with poetry. It is a new wave thing which I called Urdu blues. I don’t like doing the same thing over and over again. Then there is Dil Aisa Kisine Mera Toda, which is not a pure ghazal album.

What do you think of the remixes flooding the market today?

I don’t like the trend. The only plus points if you can call them that are that the singers are making money and the youngsters are listening to old numbers. But it is detrimental to music.

Have you ever thought of diluting your raagdhari compositions and simplifying the lyrics to make them more appealing to the listeners?

No I have always stuck to my style. Never thought that it would be heavy for the audience. If they have come to listen to ghazals, they would understand.