Halleluiah!! I just discovered Himesh Reshammiya!!!
You might wonder which planet I‘ve been living on, since the rest of the world seems to be divided into ‘those who love Himesh’ and ‘those who love to hate him,’ but then I don’t watch TV or listen to Hindi music unless it’s courtesy my darling daughter, and so missed out on the pleasure of making his acquaintance till she came home for the hols.
When my darling daughter saw this sensation and heard him singing ‘Jhalak Dhiklaja’ on some music channel, she immediately pouted and declared “Ma, I must have” and of course, being a doting mother, I got her the music she wanted. I’ve heard him sing this masterpiece at least a couple of hundred times (again thanks to my darling daughter) in the last two months (why, he’s playing on my comp for the 232nd time even as I write this!), and have heard too many of his other songs since then too.
Now, I’m no music snob. My playing of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata can bring tears (of joy, I hope) to your eyes, but I can also climb onto the nearest table and belt out “Dailamo dailamo’ with the best of them. So after careful consideration of what's good about his music, and what his music is good for, here’s my verdict-Himesh Reshammiya must be heard by every single music lover on this earth.
Wait up, hold onto that rope – don’t get ready to lynch me yet. I have my reasons for saying what I just said, and hey, who knows, maybe by the end of this, you will agree with me too.
1 – Consistency. You know exactly what you are going to get, even before you tear the plastic wrapper off the cassette/CD! Enough has been written about the importance of consistency. The success of Advertising, Science, IT, etc., depends on it’s ability to repeat a formula and get the same results every time, so why not music? Everybody, from Freud to Dr.Spock, talks about how critical consistency is - it teaches a person about boundaries and limits. Himesh has learnt this lesson well. He knows what he is good at-throwing a handful of catchy beats together and presenting them the listener in his curiously Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan-like voice (well, at least in HR's opinion)- and gives it to us again, and again, and again, and (sigh!) again. Look at the way his music flies off the shelves - Kill innovation, viva sameness!
2 – Teaches you appreciation for truly good music.In these days of ‘best played at ear-drum splitting decibels’ westernised beats, how many of you will voluntarily reach for a Naushaad Ali or a Madan Mohan on a regular day? And after listening to Himesh and his ilk, how many of your have had your eyes opened to how beautiful those oldies’ music actually is? I personally have embraced the music of Ravel, M.S.Subbulakshmi and even Jeff Healy, with renewed fervour. Yes, Himesh definitely has his place in a music lover’s cabinet.
3 – He is symbolic of dumb luck.Do you dream of your place in the spotlight, your 15 minutes of fame, and your name on everybody’s lips (or growled through their gritted teeth as it can sometimes be)? Does your singing shake your bathroom tiles loose, and drive your neighbours to despair or to the nearest pharmacy for some cotton wool and Calmpose? Do you ever despair of making it? Don’t give up hope. Listen to Himesh. What does he have in his bag of musical goodies? If he, with a nasal voice, a couple of plagiarised beats (listen to JLo and you will find out where that screechy instrumentation in Jhalak Diklaja has been lifted from), and some dumb luck could succeed, there’s no reason why you can’t.
4 – Guilty pleasures.We all need them- Tubs of ice cream quickly eaten in the dead of night, risqué magazines hidden under the mattress for fear of their falling into the wrong hands, Govinda movies to guffaw at- everybody needs their pressure releases in this crazy world, and if Himesh Reshammiya's music is the guilty pleasure flavour of the day, more power to him!
And finally
5 -Practicality. What kind of music, my friend, will you listen to when you have to move that body in the gym and who will you dance to when you go out partying on a Saturday night- SD Burman, Pink Floyd, or some ugly musician playing what sounds like a dirge, on an obscure instrument? Face it; we need those pounding beats stabbing urgently into our consciousness, to numb our sense of music appreciation and to get our bodies moving.
Bring on your albums buddy- they serve to raise the spirits (even if quite literally) and make the party more exciting. Long live Himesh Reshammiya!
Looks like I over-estimated my ability to 'do sarcasm,' and apologise for the resulting confusion. Here's the synopsis of this review in plain English.
1 - Once the novelty of Himesh's music wears off, it sounds maddeningly 'same' - Music is not maths that one has to stick to same formula over and over again!
2 - Listening to HR's repetitive beats allows one to truly appreciate the genuis of musical greats whom one might have taken for granted earlier.
3 - Don't lose hope - If someone like this, with minimal talent, could make it big, anyone can.
4 - Most people do at least one thing they wouldn't want to be caught doing. HR's music gives them one more option to choose from.
Finally, and there's no sarcasm when I say this
5 - One does need a snappy beat to dance to - HR provides it.
So if I don't care all that much for his music why am I recommending it? (Sorry Sweets Desire, I'm going to have to break your heart on this one!) Because just as one needs darkness, sorrow and the occassional bouts of illness to appreciate sunshine, joy and good health, so does one need this kind of music to appreciate the truly good stuff that is so easily taken for granted otherwise.
Even after all the tweaks and editing, it does seem like this review is still only about as clear as mud - Sorry dear reader, I've done my best. However, I have changed the rating and recommendation, to minimise the confusion I seem to have created.
Peace!
