Song that tells a story

Shaan on recreating a Kashmiri folk song for Hamid, and why old jukeboxes are back in vogue

June 21, 2018 02:57 pm | Updated June 23, 2018 02:28 pm IST

 SWEET AND SOUND: Shaan with his son Shubh

SWEET AND SOUND: Shaan with his son Shubh

Shaan, who, over the years, has lent his voice to many chart topping numbers, has now collaborated with his son Shubh to give us a happy, foot-tapping song. Titled “Hukus Bukus”, the song will be a part of the upcoming movie Hamid . Having been based on a Kashmiri folk song, it celebrates the spirit of fatherhood. But it is also so much more. Shaan says, “ Hamid is the story of a six-year-old who believes he can find his father and since people are telling him that his father’s gone to God, he’s looking for where God is. So the story is like that but it is also a search for what God really is.”

Having adapted from a really old folk song, he says there were many things he kept in mind while reworking the old tune. One of the biggest challenges, he says, was to figure out the actual song. He remarks, “There were many different versions of the song. In all of them, there are slightly different – not just pronunciations – but different words as well. Over the years, people have made their own variations to the song and that is why it was difficult.” To combat that, he tweaked his creative process so as to have the best possible outcome. “We took a few that we thought were probably correct and would suit the context and went ahead, and got Shubh to sing it. The rest of the stuff I have composed along that melody. It is a song with intense depth, so the idea was to deliver such a concept in as simple a language as possible,” he comments.

Emphasising the simplicity of the lyrics, he says, “All credit goes to our wonderful lyricist Manthan, who gave us a wonderful draft. In a song like this, it was important for the poetry to be strong yet simple, and it should also not be clichéd, so it had to be perfectly balanced.” This simplicity, he believes, also contributed to conveying a sense of the innocence of a child, a predominant theme throughout the movie. He says, “There are hardly any songs that are made for children today. Children today are essentially listening to adult songs. So, for me, this song was an attempt to bring them back to childhood. That is why it was also important that it should not be too preachy or heavy otherwise they lose interest and the message would get lost.”

Speaking of the message of the song, he believes that the song addresses many important existential questions that children have that often go unanswered. He says, “The song takes the form of a conversation where the father is explaining to the son how god is present everywhere. So while the song is spiritual, it doesn’t come across like that. And it is important because a lot of children today confuse religion with spirituality, and they confuse rituals and traditions. So, there was an attempt to make it a spiritual song, a song of hope and faith, rather than a religious song. I think that if a song comes that explains these concepts in a fun, relatable way, children will like it.”

The liveliness of the song rests on an intricate balance of modern and traditional instrumentation, which also lends to it its reggae like sound. A conscious decision on his part, Shan says, “I wanted to do a little bit of fusion. So instead of using the guitar, we have used a rebab and instead of drums, we have used a Kashmiri dholak. We also got live musicians – almost a rarity these days – which contributes to its unique sound.”

An experienced musician, Shaan has witnessed how the trends in Bollywood have changed over the years. Commenting on the current brand of music, he says, “A song is the easiest medium to tell a story. In 3-4 minutes, it can take you on a journey, tell you a story, and transport you to somewhere else. That is something the current songs lack. And that is why people are seeking radio stations or buying SaReGaMa Caravan that has about 5000 old songs. It has become a rage. People think that trendy cool rap is what everyone wants, but the reality is that old jukeboxes are back in fashion. That tells us there is still market for good music. I wouldn’t call it love for nostalgia but it is about celebrating music that tells a story and that is very important for any music industry.”

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