Bollywood keeps its date with Lit Fest, dil se - Times of India

JAIPUR: Nothing beats the pleasure of listening to speakers like Gulzar, Javed Akhtar and Prasoon Joshi. Cramped for space, hundreds of Bollywood fans and lovers of the verse several of them not even managing to find a place inside the venue tent listened with rapt attention as the three shared their views during the session Gata Rahe Mera Dil/The song that moved us’.

Initially, the event was slated to be held at Darbar Hall but owing to the huge crowd, the organizers decided to shift it to the Baitak. Gulzar was first to break free from the crowd and ascend the stage. He started the session single-handedly as his companions were held up. He took the audience back to the era of silent movies where during the intervals artistes use to play dholak, tabla and harmonium.

The din at the venue died down, with Gulzar taking centestage. Soon the other two speakers managed to find their way.

Joshi spoke about the importance of lyrics, saying, “Songs are a collective response to emotions, one that compels the others to join in.” Akhtar lamented that simplicity in poems and lyrics are vanishing these days from Hindi film music. “Dignified poetry is no longer cool,” he said, adding that today’s songs lacked tameez’ and tehezeeb’.

He also referred to an ongoing debate over the importance of songs in films, with many opting to use them in the background. “Our films have a distinct structure, a distinct grammar. When nobody is ashamed of songs in the Opera in Italy, why have a debate here?” He added that today’s songs lacked peace and calmness, which was a reflection to low self-esteem and lack of confidence.

The poets also discussed how lip singing is disappearing from the movies of present times.

Gulzar, terming songs as depiction of the society, culture and values, said numbers like Main Tulsi Tere Aangan ki’ had vanished. “It is simply because people are living in apartments. So, a writer who is residing on the 27th floor can’t think and write like that,” he said.

Everyone in the audience the younger generation and those who have followed Gulzar and Akhtar for decades seemed smitten by the three. The appreciative applause extended well beyond the limits of the tent, with illustrious members of the audience, like noted film-maker Vidhu Vinod Chopra and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje, joining in. It was without doubt the most successful session of the day, so much that on popular demand, an inter-active session was arranged later on the front-lawn, which could accommodate more numbers.