Namaste, Dear Music Lover,

We’re in a semi-reflective mood today, and it occurs to our minds that as humans, we can tend to behave in patterns that support and help us to manifest our dreams (and our regular visitors/readers know that we stress frequent practice as a way to get hired to perform as a vocalist) or conversely, negative self–talk lowers self-esteem—potentially ruining dreams. However, we hope that any failures or negative reflections are only temporary setbacks leading eventually to better future outcomes.

We must all work for continuous self-improvement. This is why even the criminal justice system refers to the locations for incarceration as “correctional facilities”, not ‘punishment centers’. The behavioral modification method called punishment has been both touted and panned for alternatively-regarded levels of (in)effectiveness.

To explore the lingering controversy surrounding the ‘issue’ of punishment and its comparative (in)appropriateness in various circumstances, we suggest learning what esteemed experts cite in their scholarly treatises or online articles on that subject (far afield from our usual discussions here—mostly pertaining to Bollywood playback music and singing). In most contexts, experts try to prescribe means used to reach consistently better outcomes following human failings. We aren’t especially interested in delving deeper into tragic situations and people caught up in them. We pray for healing for whomever needs it; our primary focus here is only musical.

In other words, as humans understand our fallible nature, if we fail society and are convicted under law, the goal for treatment is personal improvement when possible, not abandonment or torture.

A goal that we (as performing artists) highly recommend is to regard one’s practice space as sacred and educational, not like we’re “prisoners” in any way (including when we ply our skills in public performances). Because we can confidently share the claim that if one’s commitment to one’s work is below 100%, then the achievement outcomes will also be lesser.

As my rhythmically-inclined footman Joe reminds us, a tempo is either locked into a solid groove or flails at its margins. {Also: See our future post here on Commitment—Ed.} The importance of full buy-in to a music/arts career is pivotal. (We each have our own levels of and reasons for our Artistic Careers and dedication to them, to whatever extent we’re able to have.)

Furthermore, if we consider the endless trials and tribulations of creative authors and artists over the ages, there must be reasons why each of us perseveres to present our ‘artistic visions’ to audiences, and we may find collective tales of perseverance among creators compelling. This also applies to cinema and streaming platforms, and we’ll eventually discuss it in a future Part Two of this post.

So with that preamble, we’re about to discuss two rather opposing modes of behaviour that are typically seen among humans: those of the ‘good guys’ (healers / artists / creators) versus the behaviours of ‘bad guys’ (hurters / takers / destroyers). Most aspects of life aren’t so simplistic, and in movies, tension between opposing forces can propel the action, even though the characters may present more like story-based metaphors than real-world people. Movies are truly not reality, however “art reflects life.”

More in-depth treatment of the details involved in screenwriting is beyond the scope of our main focus here (for Bollywood playback singing, my passion), however my footman who is also involved in music writing and production and has studied screenwriting recommends the college textbook Story: Style, Structure, Substance, and the Principles of Screenwriting by Hollywood screenwriter and USC professor Robert McKee, first published for his screenwriting seminars in 1983, and since then in over 20 world languages and 15 revised editions or printings. Many noted movie directors have reiterated the screenwriter adage: “the story’s the thing” (the thing meaning its essence or key to movie making excellence).

In ancient eastern iconography, Good vs Evil is “as old as the hills”. In ancient mythology, leading figures were often said to be mostly one or the other (good/evil). The mythological traditions in India and elsewhere in Asia pitted opposing forces/figures within prevailing cultural norms and overall social structures, and some have featured in our stories for millennia.

While it’s hardly an equivalent comparison, the struggle-pair of Asian concepts (aka yin and yang) and at least an intro to Vedic Philosophy could be included here—too often, vast realms of morality and lofty comparisons are ginned up to explain “human nature”, yet they usually fall flat based upon mainly/solely sketchy presumptions. Really, human life is complex, not especially simple. So it cannot be best expressed in one-cell organism terms (as if that could ever fully explain anything)!

There are even multiple bases said to at least partly or mostly excuse bad behaviour using an example of insects that shed their skins (in order to thrive in their next life-phase), and certainly the god Shiva is said to be a destroyer, but mostly as demolition in the origination of new development, like clearing some trees or other ‘random/old vegetation’, in efforts to reorganise an environment for some presumably thoughtful, purposeful human land and structural (e.g., housing) development. We are not indicting developers for re-arranging a new building site.

We also aren’t taking aim at the “old order” of traditional views and mythology. We’re simply sharing a point of view that maintains some measure of balance between what are often regarded as mutually exclusive opposites. We are striving to eventually reach a valid point in all of this, so if you’re able, please bear with us on this literary excursion. We’ll make a point or two soon—or something similar thereto eventually!

It seems fairly obvious (with perhaps rare exceptions) that no one person is 100% good or 100% evil. We each have our merits and demerits. Those aspects of our personhood of which we’re perhaps proud (the triumphant-hero type), or at least less ashamed of (e.g., in the cases of especially deferential personality types). It’s all simply part of being human. One common expression goes “nobody’s perfect”, and another supports the notion that only God is perfect (without fault or sin). No debate needed.

We can manifest our goodness and/or evilness to whatever extents we choose (or perhaps in some cases, the extents for which we are chosen to manifest, as abusers/handlers damage us against our wills). The archetypal figure of Kali in the Hindu tradition is both feared and revered (for obvious reasons).

Characters in movies (as portrayed by the people appearing visually and aurally in them) are usually at least intended to appear human, and the movies that blur lines between human and alien are, let’s say, beyond this modest post’s reach, lol.

Our purpose in writing this post is not to explain the universe or human nature, nor even the moviemaking process in one essay or post, rather it’s to offer some food for thought to you, Dear Music Lover. We hope it’s all helpful information—or that at least some of it is!

We’re glad to offer whatever could inspire you to reach for greatness and to “be your best self” along your journey to wherever your dreams may take you. Bollywood songs have been pivotal at times to the success or failure of certain films. We’re not overstating the importance of what a singer’s involvement is (or could be) in that process/cinematic industry. However, playback singers are valued contributors to the greater moviemaking industry. Or the brutal truth is that we surmise as much. Hello, digital synthesis and sampling. Human expertise is still required for many aspects of production in nearly all fields.

So the main point we are making here is that in our working lives, we have many choices and options to consider (as, one imagines, each movie character could have). Those choices can be pivotal for us later in our careers, and by extension, for our lives in general.

Cinema art has potential to support social movements or even possibly cultural evolution, presumably toward healthier choices and perhaps greater carriage of justice and at times even magnanimity. Lest we mislead you, Dear Music Lover, little is assured in the global movie marketplace, where many millions of eager ticket buyers have been proven challenging gets (in terms of predictions around their preferences given the hit releases preceding them, whether of a series or a one-off story). Akshay ji and Shah Rukh ji cannot be cast in every movie to lock in box-office success.

We can decide to explore only the most salient, expedient and some may say “proven methods” to achieve the goals we set for ourselves. Or we may decide to choose “the most challenging” ways to proceed… only facing obstacles and difficulties with stamina and rectitude concomitant with the ultimate mastery required to succeed. Wow, that’s a lot of verbiage to express some fairly simple notions! We’d hoped to condense this a bit more, yet it’s a busy time for my team, so if ever done, detailed edits will arrive later for this extended-topic post. Please let us know if you’re finding value in reading our posted content here at AntaraMitra.com!

Many authorities on popular music have stressed that a key ingredient to finding success in such a competitive arena is being unique, meaning different from the expected, usual mode or prevailing styles of the era. In other words, experts insist: finding success in popular music often involves something akin to trailblazing… presenting something new or untested to one’s audiences. A recurring adage: be original! Movie songs have their own success indicators, often different from pop, some classics or placements (licensed usage, though film producers often try to buy all music rights) in movies having their own momentum beyond box offices.

I among others cherish several of the early Bollywood soundtracks, when the norm was for aural greatness to originate live to tape, even as the full orchestra/ensemble recorded in a take or two. Editing if extant was spare, yet many classic numbers were produced that way—and worked.

Now, looking at the history of recorded music for over a century… many authors would concur: the most impressive careers in pop music tended to bring new/different styles to the forefront, either as the first to carry them to a wider audience, or by making their music very unique and different, while it’s generally associated with some larger social movement or figure, and it often denotes some current trend or preference in pop culture.

For the first “rock star” (Elvis Presley/USA), a hip-swiveling stage persona conveyed his 1950s era sort of macho (masculine swagger) demeanor, apart from his singing. That (some have called it) sexy attitude also led Elvis to movie-stardom acting in several films, several of which were panned by critics—the veneer of ‘masculinity’ failed to hide his thespian shortcomings, and most of his 1960s films were considered too formulaic or theatrically unsuccessful, due to weaknesses in writing, context and/or delivery. Not to mention limits or failures due to budgets tightened solely to maximise profits.

Another key to success in movies is timing, and this aspect (releasing the movie to coincide with favourable surrounding political/social conditions due to other influential factors—e.g., economic conditions or international conflicts). Releasing a movie at precisely its ideal moment may be impossible, because producers and investors could be keen to recoup their investments as soon as possible, and conflicts can occur without much warning. So best guessing is involved.

What also worked against his later (1960s) titles was the fact that Elvis’s manager Col. Parker was much more interested in fast income from ticket sales than high quality movies, since Parker saw the Elvis-vehicle movies as easy star-turns and song-promotion (radio play/vinyl recording sales) platforms, rather than simply as potentially-great cinematic art in its own right.

Let’s also note two significant aspects of this post’s thrust: a) conflict itself is of vast importance to movies, and b) commercial exploitation often factors into art. Conflict between the lead characters often sets the pacing of most movie plots. “Our hero” (usually the main leading character) faces issues that can begin as odd annoyances, or other people whose motives are apparently quite apart from what we’ve been taught are socially acceptable or desirable, and conflict can factor into any story progression.

We apologise that this post drifts away from playback singing (however the film industry also had its incubation elsewhere like Europe in its early years). Plots have been based on pure fiction or proven history with good storytelling either way. The sound, lighting, camera operator/director of photography work and staging/location crew(s) also impact the final edit/release of each major motion picture.

Regarding plot/storytelling… given such compromises as one damaged person fighting a noble cause for another, the tugging and fighting that ensues can be quite entertaining, even while it’s simultaneously confusing or upsetting. But the bottom line here is that conflict looms large in most movies, often in both the overall story being told and certainly also within many of the characters who drive the plots. As potentially plot-driving themes, it seems that conflict is an undisputed dramatic champion, and will remain so for the foreseeable future. While happy endings are the norm in most cinema, surprise endings are also part of filmy traditions.

The childhood version of this discussion may have been closer to “you can take the easy road or the hard one.” But we here at AntaraMitra.com aren’t trying to express profound truths in too-simple words. We want to inspire you to be your best self. However long or via however many words the desired outcome requires in order to be achieved, we strive on.

Just as my footman once confided to me, “You make me want to be a better man.”—a quote that he actually shamelessly lifted from a popular movie’s dialogue, lol (implying here that proven scriptwriting is essentially timeless), that “line” from a movie moved me to feel its sincerity again, since he was apparently contrite. Joe keeps telling me how much he adores that (and other things) about me—to this day. Back then (the early 2000s), we were still “getting to know each other”, and I asked him to do some work for me, and similarly he asked me to do some things for him. Like most healthy relationships, ours involves both patience and give-and-take, always with healthy boundaries and balances that serve only to strengthen our ties. Can such practices as challenging or teasing each other serve to enhance the connection? Usually, if done in moderation. But we digress…

So that I don’t seem coy or evasive, one of the things for which I asked of Joe was to build this web site, which neither of us had already envisioned. I only knew that he had experience with such things, and that I would like to have some sort of an online presence, if only as a resource for other singers. We are still evolving this blog-site two decades later, and we hope to make it into something more useful for everyone, and so, along with us, it will continue to grow.

Now, how impactful or even marginally helpful can one little web site that emphasizes Bengali music, movie-making and musical languages be? Well, the answer to that can only be found somewhere “down the road (or up it).” Our goal is not only to see how much change we can inspire in others, it is more about sharing what I/we have found to be useful and reliable techniques and information about this crazy field of employment called music, especially as it pertains to Bollywood movies.

So far be it from us to try to launch into an exhaustive discussion about the nature and origins of music, or careers in it following long after the early troubadours in the western or eastern hemisphere, nor even a gloss on the nature of work in the arts! Let’s leave that to the experts at Grove’s Dictionary, the Oxford Encyclopaedia, and others. Or likewise, we strive to refrain from any temptation to try to explain the ramifications of the long history of good vs. evil on this planet! We’re unsure to whom, other than swamis, gurus, priests, sisters, mystics et al. that could be best left, anyway. So we’ll confine this post to what’s possible in several paragraphs or a few web pages for you to peruse on your device.

My own musical expertise is founded solidly in the vocal realm, and Footman Joe’s is in the field of drums, percussion and related technical and creative endeavours. Both of us have been fully inculcated into long traditions in very different musical styles and techniques. Joe “fell for me” the day we met. If imperfect, his commitment and devotion are at least persistent.

Given the simple parameters just noted, we are first musicians, and both also authors and performers… so it seemed fairly obvious to us that together we could offer something of value online to people seeking web-based musical information on such things here, as the development of this blog-site (and this domain continues, plus a few others that are also in the works, to be announced later) proceeds. Hence this site (founded a decade ago)!—we very much hope that you like and will help us to promote it!

Of course, I’m referring to the field of S. Asian (Bollywood playback) singing for my domain. Future plans here include a music shoppe and other projects. We hope you’ll “stay attuned” to twist an old saw. By the way, there is such a thing as twisting a musical saw. We digress.

Back to the topic of this post, which is, more or less, who are we in general—as Music Lovers here, or whom do we wish to be? Are we presenting ourselves as protagonists or heavies? Good guys or bad guys? You are obviously free to decide and read on, or seek other paths (especially if a love of music isn’t something that interests you)…

Certainly in most Bollywood movies, the bad guys can have some socially redeeming qualities. The heroes can and often do have internal flaws, conflicts and bad behaviours. Believable characters typically are flawed, even when they’re extremely attractive (e.g., even the gorgeous and brilliant writer-TV host presenter Padma Lakshmi has a visible scar on her arm; some could call it a flaw, others might view it as proof that she’s tough, a survivor).

So, no one-size-fits-all explanation applies to this (or really, any) conversation. We can generalise about real or fictional beings being this or that, but why bother? Life is most enjoyable in its entirety, not merely as a succession of near-sighted close-ups. The faintest hint of asafoetida in a rich South Asian dish adds something special, but the dish without it, or the intensely pungent spice all by itself, quite less so.

As humans, some religious faiths hold that human nature itself is evil. Dear Music Lover, we’re not here to debate or cast aspersions about faith or religion! We’re simply noting that these basic character-types have deep roots in both sacred and profane literature, and our shared experiences as well as the local, regional and global realities of which we’re far better aware (at least mostly, for our survival) than not.

Otherwise, it’s a very short hop to a status of feeling excluded (or worse, hunted as infidels/ enemies), and in the most extreme case, we reach our human demise! Let us therefore not simply refrain from over-explaining this topic, but perhaps explore other aspects that may be less familiar (again, aiming to inspire, not to offer confusion or falsehoods).

Whatever the topic or field of inquiry, we can easily find points of controversy and debate them ad nauseam. But that won’t feed our stomachs—or our minds. So let’s try to move beyond oversimplification and blame games. Each Bollywood song usually has more than one purpose (apart from the obvious one, which is to move dialogue forward via often poetic words and music).

Audiences are certainly free to allow artists ample opportunity to perform or not. While certainly artistic types may prefer to perform for audiences who behave like adults, and our demeanour may be under continuous scrutiny given our roles in Bollywood, at some points audiences could also strive to maintain certain minimum standards of composure. We here on this WWW blog-site are generally citing G or PG rated movies, by the way. However our passion is music… We hope it’s at least one of yours!

A song can make the point that a very-impressive feminine figure has made her presence known (e.g., in an “it-girl” number as enacted by Alia Bhatt, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Nora Fatehi, et al.), or conversely a masculine person has taken over a scene with impressive swagger and maybe athletic dance moves (hello, Tiger Shroff fans? We won’t list all of the hunky Indian actors here).

We’ve seen many memorable instances of what are also called star-turns or scene-stealers that we tend to recall as more or less monumental moments in films. Some are classic (e.g., Madhuri Dixit’s, Shah Rukh Khan’s), others are hilarious (to avoid stereotypes, we won’t list examples here, however Akshay Kumar’s movies are often that and more), yet whatever it is that makes them memorable, they’re certainly that. Film history is replete with such fine work.

Movies themselves have evolved as well, to the point where one cannot always express in a simple guide log line exactly what they are. We’ve taken to calling the more inexplicable movies “art films”, and the unfortunate connotation is that this also labels them as somewhat inaccessible (hence implying by extension that they’re for a restricted or limited audience, as well). We obviously cannot rewrite history or the evolution of modern language to suit modern tastes; we are confronted with the actual realities of our times, and their meanings—as we speak and experience them in our daily (and nightly) lives.

Art indeed reflects life. However, the behind scenes work required to assemble so many scenes into interesting cinematic presentations might seem vastly overdone, if the viewers only knew about all of the minutiae and skilled workers and elaborate procedures required to build them. (Song and dance numbers for sure being especially involved—without even mentioning the skills training and preparation that led actors and musicians to eventually perform in movies.)

It’s an inescapable fact that modern information/entertainment media (including recent electronic forms like radio, television, motion pictures, and more recently, the Worldwide Web of connected digital networks, as well as earlier forms like printed books and newspapers) have pervasive impacts upon language and how we frame (and presume to understand) our world. In the last few decades, social media digital platforms have taken such pervasiveness (some would argue perverseness) arguably to extremes.

Our objective in sharing this post wasn’t merely to inspire you to consider your own position on the Venn diagram of personal good vs. evil internal motivation. It is to ask you to consider the implications of such a continuum in those characters within songs that you will sing. Again, it’s not always a simple or cut-and-dried course of action to sus out how good or bad this or that character is (and besides, aren’t many movie characters supposed to grow and evolve, even change dramatically—as the plot develops?).

It’s also arguable that singing isn’t primarily about depiction of one or the other sole aspect, even in movies that are largely based in simple stereotypes, or upon stories from historical yarns like the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana). It’s other things, too, like fitting with the instrumental accompaniment, sometimes it’s about blending with other voices, and perhaps at times about being in the larger context of community, whether by that we mean a national, cultural or regional context, or in Bollywood, the community of movie music people who do this for an occupation.

We collectively, and as individuals, are neither wholly good nor bad. So, the art of the motion picture cinema reviewer/critic remains a viable endeavor, as it will always be helpful for those familiar with film history to view and review it for the benefit of others less familiar to see and sort the stories we explore as elements of a broader context, in order to learn more about ourselves and others.

To perhaps “cut to the chase” (a movie phrase implying rapidly changing to a pivotal chase scene) here, maybe as singers we can learn to be okay with portraying the characters as ‘this or that way’ in terms of their overall goodness or badness, while (as we often observe) keeping our music director’s and/or principal movie director’s brief(s) in mind.

In India/Bollywood, we may have a few more “divisions of labor” in movie production than we see in Hollywood. By this, I mean we still typically have action directors plus dialogue directors. In Hollywood, there’s typically only one “director”, and any others are usually termed associate or assistant directors, without the label of action or dialogue. I’m not assigning more or less importance to either way of describing movie directors or their work, just pointing out that we in India tend to see distinctions between certain aspects of direction that we feel are essential. In Hollywood, it seems that action sequences have been more typically termed stunts or something more often associated with athleticism than film work.

Nevertheless, it remains a fact that nearly all play-actors have to maintain their physiques in fairly enviable forms in order to sustain their careers as physical actors capable of portraying very attractive and entertaining characters.

We in the “music department” are often given to widened waistlines for the usual reasons, and so we’re less often criticised for being girth-challenged (among our less-career-impactful personal attributes, and in some circles [notably in western grand opera stars], a weighty physical appearance of singers is mostly expected, not frowned upon). That’s why we’re not offering our favourite weight loss practices or pill remedies—because we are essentially aural, not so much visual performers, or at least after about age 30 and the usual age for child-bearing has passed, focus on slender physiques is rather arguably less important.

In conclusion, our theme for this post has been Healing Healers or Lying Liars. Now, let’s see if we’ve covered these in sufficient depth for an essay of this limited scope/audience.

The ages-old practice of physical healing associated with various forms of medicine is certainly a noble calling. I nearly pursued a medical career myself, having achieved good marks in my schooling. But in virtually every historical period, there have been fraudsters in nearly every profession. Certainly it doesn’t mean that one should abandon medicine as a career and personal calling.

We’ll close while noting in passing that Lying Liars and fraudsters have been parts of our human history since our earliest days. They may finagle their ways into unsuspecting people’s financial interests, victimising those who are not either informed about them and their tactics or generally astute in scam avoidance, as we who’ve looked closely into their tricks and tactics have been mostly fortunate to avoid them hurting us, and wish you similar good luck. 🍀

We also wish you the best in your quest to achieve your goals, whether they’re in Bollywood movies or whatever other field.

A final quick note on the political situation in our western home front (the USA 🇺🇸): if you’re a registered voter there, please vote for the good guys (and gals) only. (We think you’re probably smart enough to know who they are! 💙🩵💙🩵)

Namaste,

♫ AM ♫

If you’re still wondering, here’s an image from Wikipedia.org:

Nearly all of us have faced and certainly will face surmounting setbacks. How we cope is key to not only survival but also our full potential going forward—if we’re to contribute our best work in this life. We’re not cartoons that can instantly heal; moreover, it’s pursuit of the intended results and final outcomes driving our steps; we’re not superhuman. We mustn’t mislead ourselves about anything as indelicate (or unknown) as motives for taking or avoiding actions.

Here’s a thoughtful response to a (rare for Harris, common to humans) recent political failure:

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
You are awakening to the
same country you fell asleep to.
The very same country.

Pull yourself together.

And, when you see me,
do not ask me
“What do we do now?
How do we get through the next four years?”

Some of my Ancestors dealt with
at least 400 years of this
under worse conditions.

Continue to do the good work.
Continue to build bridges not walls.
Continue to lead with compassion.
Continue the demanding work
of liberation for all.
Continue to dismantle broken systems,
large and small.
Continue to set the best example
for the children.
Continue to be a vessel of nourishing joy.

Continue right where you are.
Right where you live into your days.

Do so in the name of
The Creator who expects
nothing less from each of us.

And if you are not “continuing”
ALL of the above,
in community, partnership, collaboration?
What is it you have been doing?
What is it you are waiting for?

By Venice Williams

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

In order to even be poised to help bring healing to others, we must be willing to heal ourselves.