(Exclusive) Rekha Bhardwaj: Let's not call an item song a ghazal

Time of India

a day ago

Rekha Bhardwaj highlights the shift in focus towards instant success among youngsters, impacting the creation and use of ghazals in films. She notes the pressure to create viral hits often leads to the superficial inclusion of ghazals, sometimes mislabeled as item songs.
Youngsters want instant success,' shares
Rekha Bhardwaj
, emphasising how even if a film includes a ghazal today, it's often just to create an instant hit. At the recently concluded ghazal festival Khazana in the city, the singer spoke about the power of live performances, how ghazals have evolved and why they must be treated with reverence.
Excerpts:
'Youngsters want instant gratification and success, toh focus change hota hai'
Rekha, who has lent her voice to songs like Phir Le Aaya Dil, Kabira and Genda Phool, among others, points out how the pursuit of virality creates pressure. She elaborates, 'Youngsters want instant gratification, instant success and instant appreciation... toh focus change hota hai. Even if they include ghazals in a film, they will only do so to ensure it becomes a hit.
Ek ajeeb sa pressure hai ki gaana hit hona chahiye.
Phir toh mushkil hai. There are filmmakers who have used a certain Sufi ghazal in their film, but it's actually an item song. Why don't they call it what it is? If you are making an actress do belly dance on a ghazal, then you should call it an item song.'
While she dislikes the idea of using the term 'ghazal' loosely, she doesn't entirely condemn item songs. She explains, 'It's not wrong to have an item song because it's part of our culture — nautanki, kothe pe gaana bajana, it's all part of our culture.
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Let's take pride in that. There's nothing wrong with having such songs if the situation calls for it in the film.'
'Ghazal is a facet of love, romance and longing'
Rekha feels that what sets ghazals apart is their emotional core. 'Ghazal ek poetry hai jise hum melody ke through express kartein hain. It's a facet of love, romance, longing and shringaar ras. Ghazals are eternal. The best thing is that youngsters are taking up this form, more in the interiors than the metros.
But this genre needs more exposure.'
'Aaj ke ghazalon ka, qawaaliyon ka, rang badal raha hai '
The singer believes that there has been a generational shift in creative focus in movies and music. She says, 'Yes, there aren't many ghazals in film albums, but there are composers like Pritam, Vishal (Bhardwaj), who do include ghazals in their films. The only thing is that aaj kal ghazalon ka, qawaaliyon ka, rang badal raha hai, and ab aesthetics ke hisab se hota hai.' She adds, 'Youngsters apne exposure ke hisab se hi ghazal banayenge.
If you take Urdu words from Google and put them in a ghazal, woh toh kam hi padega na.'
"Youngsters want instant gratification, instant success and instant appreciation... toh focus change hota hai. Even if they include ghazals in a film, they will only do so to ensure it becomes a hit." - Rekha Bhardwaj