Bridging musical barriers

Unlike most lyricists, who show signs of nervousness on the eve of a film's release, Akhtar stays cool. But was it different writing songs...

Unlike most lyricists, who show signs of nervousness on the eve of a film8217;s release, Akhtar stays cool. But was it different writing songs for a period film? quot;Initially it seemed a difficult task. Once I read the script, it became easier. I had the characters of Karisma Kapoor, Rekha and Manoj Bajpai in my mind. The songs 8212; especially Dheeme Dheeme and Mehndi hai Rachnewali 8212; have turned out beautifully,quot; he says. quot;The transition is not difficult. A true artiste is one who caters to all categories of clients. There are no watertight compartments in creativity,quot; he reasons.

Why can8217;t we today have the melodius songs of the 50s and 60s? Many lyricists and composers say the audience8217;s taste has changed over the years. Akhtar disagrees: quot;Tell me who is making a Mughal-e-Azam or Ganga Jamuna today? Then, songs were written keeping in mind the likes of Dilip Kumar or Meena Kumari. Today, we don8217;t have actors like them. The songs suit the characters that we have,quot; he explains, adding quot;One should change with time. It will be intellectual arrogance on my part, if I say that I will stick to a definite format.quot;

It is to experiment with new generes, that Akhtar came out with Tarkash Quiver, the first audio album of Urdu poetry. quot;I have no regrets that I have not written lots of poetry. I joined the film industry because I loved cinema. I am writing poetry because I love it too,quot; says Akhtar, who hails from a family of poets he is son of the great Urdu poet Jan Nissar Akhtar and son-in-law of Kaifi Azmi.

When the music-album industry saw a boom, Akhtar welcomed it, especially as he had been thinking of Breathless for many years. He contacted many singers, unsuccessfully. quot;I spoke to Pandit Bhimsen Joshi, too, but it didn8217;t work out. Then, I approached Shankar Mahadevan, who instantly agreed. The album came out very well,quot; he remembers. After Breathless, came Silsile with Alka Yagnik, which also fared well. Currently he is working on an album with Hariharan. quot;We have not named it yet. But I hope it will also be a hit,quot; he smiles, continuing: quot;My struggle is still on. Life has been kind to me, yet, there is a lot more to do.quot;

Mohammed Wajihuddin