Rabbi Shergill Critiques AR Rahman's Approach to Lyrics in Bollywood
Singer Rabbi Shergill, known for hits like "Bulla Ki Jaana" and "Tere Bin", has shared his perspective on working with Oscar-winning composer AR Rahman, suggesting that Rahman's influence led to lyrics becoming secondary in the Hindi film industry. In a recent podcast conversation with Divas Gupta, recorded prior to Rahman's viral BBC Asia interview, Shergill expressed admiration for Rahman's creative genius but raised concerns about the prioritization of words in songs.
The Shift in Bollywood Music Post-Rahman
Rabbi Shergill elaborated on his views, stating, "I admire Rahman for his creative genius. He is a genius. There is no doubt about it. But Rahman phase is not pro poetry or pro lyrics phase in Hindi film industry. It means that the words in his songs are just ornaments and not the whole thing." He further explained that this shift has broader implications, adding, "I feel after Rahman came, the lyrics in the Hindi film industry became secondary and if lyrics become secondary, that means expression becomes secondary, it means that somewhere your humanity and existence become secondary, this is my issue with Rahman."
Clarifications and Praise for Rahman's Personal Qualities
However, Shergill was quick to clarify that he does not blame Rahman for this trend, pointing out that Hindi is not the composer's primary language. He said, "It is not his fault because it is not his language. He doesn't understand it. The stuff that he does in Tamil music is really representative of him. It is another ball game, at least that's what I hear." On a personal level, Shergill praised Rahman's character, describing him as "incredibly soft and extremely nice" and noting his spiritual pursuits, such as visiting Sufi shrines.
AR Rahman's Journey with Language Learning
This discussion comes amid AR Rahman's own reflections on his career, where he recently spoke about learning Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, and Punjabi later in his life. Rahman shared, "It was after ten years of my career that I realised this. I even learned a bit of Arabic from our holy book, the Quran. Between 1994 and 1997, I devoted time to studying and reading the Quran Sharif. When I met Subhash Ghai, he told me, 'You're a great composer, but without learning Hindi, you won't last.' I thought it was beautiful advice. I took it seriously and learned Hindi and Urdu." He also expressed appreciation for the love from Hindi-speaking audiences worldwide.
The conversation highlights ongoing debates in the Indian music scene about the balance between musical composition and lyrical depth, with Shergill's comments adding a nuanced layer to the discourse surrounding one of Bollywood's most iconic figures.
