I love Hiphop music because lyrics have a very important place in it. I love songs with good lyrics, Telugu or English. Nothing can stir me more than good poetry set to a beat or tune. What makes Hiphop really good is it has no censorhip, so rappers enjoy a lot of freedom with their vocabulary, targets and subjects. And unlike Indian music, which is totally dependent on the context set by the movie they are in (which are mostly love stories), Hiphop artists have the freedom to set their own context which allows them to deal with a whole range of topics. Like our jaanapada songs, HipHop comes from the bottom of the society and not from the elites with phds in literature. Hence inspite of the sophitication in lyrics, it stills connects with the masses.
A lot of people are prejudiced against Hiphop, viewing it as sleazy and offensive. I feel part of it comes from rasicm since most Hiphop artists are black. But it is also because of not being able to connect to it. And Hiphop music is definitely not the first to talk about sex, alcohol, drugs, money and fights. A lot of highly regarded classical litreature around the world and esspecially in India have plenty of erotic content. Folk songs have been employed throughout history to protest and fight. So there is really nothing negative about Hiphop culturally.
నేనొక్క ప్రేమ పిపాసిని, నీవొక్క ఆశ్రమ వాసివి నా దాహం తీరనిది, నీ హ్రుదయం కదలనిది నేనొక్క ప్రేమ పిపాసిని, నీవొక్క ఆశ్రమ వాసివి నా దాహం తీరనిది, నీ హ్రుదయం కదలనిది నేనొక్క ప్రేమ పిపాసిని...
తలుపు మూసినా తలవాకిటనే పగలు రేయి నిలుచున్న పిలిచి పిలిచి బదులే రాక అలసి తిరిగి వెళుతున్న తలుపు మూసినా తలవాకిటనే పగలు రేయి నిలుచున్న పిలిచి పిలిచి బదులే రాక అలసి తిరిగి వెళుతున్న నా దాహం తీరనిది, నీ హ్రుదయం కదలనిది నేనొక్క ప్రేమ పిపాసిని...
There is nothing more honest in this world than a camera. You click it and it shows exactly what it sees. It does not apologize and does not care. What it sees is what it shows. World has changed greatly since the invention of camera. One can now see how innocent people suffer during war or how a child, burning with hunger, works as a rag picker to survive. Words can evoke strong emotions, but a picture - will shoot you point blank.
A lot of Indians feel embarrassed when pictures of India's poverty are shown in western media. “Damn westerners! They just show the poor people.” A recent film, Slumdog Millionaire, is about a young man from the slums of Mumbai. It shows his life from his childhood - when he loses his family in communal riots, lives as a rag picker, escapes from mafia that deforms children and turns them into beggars – till he grows up doing odd jobs. This presentation of the uglier side of India has embarrassed many Indians. Amitabh Bachchan in a recent blog post said “If SM [Slumdog Millionaire] projects India as Third World dirty under belly developing nation and causes pain and disgust among nationalists and patriots, let it be known that a murky under belly exists and thrives even in the most developed nations.” I think he missed the point. The point is, the maximum number of murky under bellys in the world exist in India.
The poverty and misery in India saddens me very much. But I do not see that as a reason to be embarrassed. I believe every human has the right to hold her head high and live in dignity inspite of the poverty she is in. One who cannot respect that is of inferior mental and emotional capabilities. It is infact media's job to publish about poverty in order to bring it to the attention of more fortunate people. Anyone who cares for the poor should first be willing to face that harsh reality.
One would think India's rich, who get so embarrassed by those pictures, is compassionate and kind towards the less fortunate. But that is as far from the truth as you can get. If there was a list, ranking countries by the number of people who are totally insensitive to the poverty and misery around them, India would be on the top. It would beat all the other nations hands down. The same Mr. Amithab Bachan, who is India's most respected movie star, falsely registered himself with the government as a farmer to acquire farming land.
In US, I wouldn't consider myself as well built and strong bodied. But whenever I visit India, I feel I am much better built than most people around me. Some people there are so thin, so freaking thin. How is it possible for someone to be so thin? Or is it just me? I wonder if that person looks at me and thinks “Why the hell is this guy so fat. Wonder what he eats everyday.” I don't think most rich people even notice them.
The film industry is especially insensitive. More and more films are being shot outside India because India is too ugly. And most songs have foreign models because it looks more sexy and classy. They call it “escapist” cinema. They believe people do not want to watch the same problems they see in real life again on screen. There is nothing wrong with escapist cinema, but Indian film industry has failed in creating commercially viable realistic cinema. It did take a westerner to prove that it is possible.
Here is a nice article by Srinivas Kanchibhotla on the best movie of all times, Dana Veera Sura Karna. It was posted on Idlebrain.com as a part of their Alanati Andalu series.