The greatest composers in India. Review on Ten Best Hindi Music Directors

Creating a list of ten music directors is not without it pitfalls. Because, very soon you realize that it would be more interesting if you could rank them as well. Since the last two movies which I saw turned out to be absolute duds, I thought I might as well share the joy of writing on *Advice on Music. *Thus follows the list:

10. Naushad: With classics like *Mother India *and *Mughal-e-azam *under his belt, this perfectionist was the quintessential Indian composer. No less of an innovator than the others in the list, he had a limited output, but enthralled the people of the times with his variety. Best known for the song *Pyar Kiya to Darna Kya, *he was definitely in the big league as far as I am concerned.

9. A. R. Rehman: Rehman composed Roja, and then went into a rut. Personally, I have loved his music, it’s intricate, it’s mostly wonderfully melodic, and the orchestration is spot-on. But somehow, I find the charm and innocence of Roja missing in whatever he has composed after that. Over-expectation? Yes, I guess.  But there’s no denying the talent in Rehman, and I sincerely hope his best is yet to come.

8. Shankar-Jaikishen: This is the duo in Indian film music with a humungous amount of filmfare awards to their credit(not that the awards are any measure of real talent). This pair were great composers in their own right, the reason why they are not a little higher up on my list is probably because I felt that there orchestration styles were just a little limited. Of course, that doesn’t take away the numerous hits which they gave to the music-lovers, and their tremendous contribution to Indian music. Who can forget the lilting melody of *Ajeeb Dastaan hai yeh, *one of their simplest songs, and one of my personal favorites.

7. O. P. Nayyar: A very versatile composer, whose tendency of using the clip-clop *in a large number of hits cause few people to think otherwise. He was one person with a profound knowledge of both Indian and Western Classical music, and a person who could combine the two in a heady concoction which pleases instead of sounding jarring. Personal favorite: *Aiye Meherbaan from Howrah Bridge**.

6. C. Ramachandra: This composer was the thinking-man’s composer. With wonderful erudition, he could churn out some wonderfully emotional yet extremely composed tunes. From the raunchy *Ina Mina Dika to the sedate Yeh zindagi usi ki hai, he is probably the most under-rated amongst the great composers in the present times.

5. S. D. Burman: The first Burman to make his mark felt on Bollywood, S. D. Burman’s songs were an interesting mixture of contemporary ideas and melody. In fact, melody was something which he never did compromise upon, and never for the sake of garish orchestration or a more populist number. He was every bit a non-conformist as Naushad, but someone who was more receptive to change. His musical knowledge was by no means limited, and he is frequently regarded by numerous critics as being one of the most talented music directors to grace the industry. Who can forget the pathos in the song Jaane woh kaise log the jinko *from the movie Pyaasa, impeccably rendered by Hemant Kumar or the ebullient *Mere Sapno ki Raani *from *Aradhana. Both two sides of the coin as far as musical thought go, but refreshing in their own way.

4. R. D. Burman: He was a revolutionist, a person who could compose a song with just the right amount of mass appeal, and then compose a song which could just as easily be considered one of the classics of film music. The most popular music director in the seventies and the eighties, he was responsible for introducing sea-changes in the way instruments and percussion was used in orchestration of a song. A person who could just as easily compose a Yeh Dosti *as he could a *Mera kuchh samaan lauta do, *he is definitely one of the greatest composers I have had the privilege to listen to. I just wish his swansong wouldn’t have been *1942, A love story somehow, it pales in comparison to the greatness of his earlier work.

3. Illayaraja: A genius in his own right, Illayaraja is a graduate of the Trinity College of Music in Classical Guitar, and there is no doubt of his musical erudition. Up till a few years ago, I was woefully ignorant of his music, but then chance encounters through raaga.com and other websites; I came into contact with his music. And the experience was truly mind-blowing. His knowledge of orchestration, melody and harmony is virtually flawless and it comes through clearly in every composition of his. Over the years, he has composed for countless Tamil and Malayalam films, and it’s probably the sheer amount of films he has composed for, that makes me feel sometimes that some of his work is not up to the mark of a genius like him. While his earliest compositions were mostly rich in exquisite melody, the later compositions are wonderful instances of experimentation with genres and styles.

2. Madan Mohan: A vastly under-rated composer, his compositions would have sweetness dripping off them. Immensely talented, he was a person who could use Lata’s voice extremely well, and somehow each of the songs would sound absolutely fresh. Who can forget the haunting melody of *Lag ja gale *sung absolutely perfectly by Lata. However, because he was never ever associated with a big banner like Shankar Jaikishen, he never got too many opportunities to showcase his talent. His best work is in collaboration with Lata and Rafi, his songs are marked by a class of their own.

1. Salil Chowdhury: Well, he will always remain my favorite composer. My introduction to his music was when I was a child, probably not more than four years old, when my dad used to play me his songs from an album “Bengali Nursery songs” – a collection I still cherish. Sung by his daughter, Antara they are some of the most beautiful and totally Indian “children” songs I have heard. A few months back, when I revisited this album, I paid a little more attention to the lyrics and realized the profundity in each of the songs. My admiration for the man, his compositional and lyrical skills, just went up one more notch. However, I am digressing. Salil Chowdhury, like Madan Mohan, gave a large number of vastly hummed numbers, but because of the absence of a big banner, was never adequately recognized for his efforts, partly because half of the films he scored for flopped, and partly because, he never got a chance to compose for too many films. However, the mass of music he has left behind in Bengali Modern *songs, Hindi films, Mass songs of *awakening and protest, Regional language movies is truly astounding. According to Raj Kapoor, he was a true musical genius, a person with knowledge of several instruments; each of his songs was like a mini symphony of four minutes consisting of a prelude, an interlude and a masterful melody, in which the singer and the instrumentalists sound like a truly cohesive unit. For me, re-discovering his music over the years has been an enriching and humbling experience. I end this review recollecting two of my favorite numbers from his collection – Zindagi Kaisi hai Paheli(Anand), and Na Jaane Kyon(Chhoti si Baat).

Cheers!