No song and dance about it
Mere Rang Mein Rangane Waali is produced by Rajshree productions
Soaps these days do not even bother to have original title tracks. they use hit Hindi numbers for situations as the makers say they are cheaper and that they would rather concentrate on the story and the plot
Production houses are open to spending big money on lavish sets, foreign locales, wardrobes and even go all out to woo a few movie actors to act as leads in their shows. But when it comes to music and creating original soundtracks to compliment their shows, there seems to be zero interest.
If the production house is Balaji, then all upcoming movie songs are promoted in the serials during celebrations or sad moments. Other shows too take this lazy route out and just rely on a mix of old and new Hindi songs when a soundtrack is needed. Earlier, the title tracks of shows used to be original, but these too have been done away with. So, what is the reason behind this disinterest?
Anil V. Kumar, director of the show Meri Aashiqui Tumse explains, “In the early days when television was starting to flourish, I worked on the title tracks for shows like Kyunki Saas... and Kahaani Ghar... The audience then liked to listen to these tracks. But things have changed since then, and nobody now likes listening to the same songs everyday.” This is true. If a show runs for years, you would rather focus on the storyline than waste time screening the title track or play it over and over again.
But what about coming up with new songs for certain twists and scenes? “Initially we would do this, but the process is very time consuming. Besides, people relate to old, melodious numbers, there is an emotional connect for the audience as they relate to these numbers and the songs are easy to get,” Kumar adds.
Another reason behind original soundtracks not being given any attention is “time constraints. In daily shows it’s always a race against time to finish episodes on schedule. So we prefer to focus on creating interesting storylines”. Coming up with a song for every situation can be a tedious affair, but original title tracks are something production houses don’t mind investing in, even today.
There might not be anything original about the title of the show Mere Rang Mein Rangane Waali, but its director Rakesh Malhotra says, “If there is a need for title tracks, they are composed. Period shows like Jodha Akbar have their own tracks. Since JA is a period drama, a few songs were recorded for the show as the music had to be different. For example, a song had to be composed for a scene where the legendary singer Tansen sings in Akbar’s court.” Rakesh adds that even for his show, Mere Rang... 10 songs were recorded. “We mix the songs with a selection of old and new too, depending upon the situation,” he says.
Mere Rang is produced by Rajshree Productions, so the show has access to all the hit songs from the banner. While most directors give a detailed explanation about why movie songs are a popular choice, director Santarm Verma jokes that they use these songs as they get them cheap. He explains though, “The viewers love listening to popular songs as they relate to them.”
Like Anil, Verma too feels title tracks are not worth investing in as viewers do reach a saturation point after listening to them repeatedly.
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