Masakali: A.R. Rahman vs Tanishk Bagchi | Who is the real winner?

Late on April 7, 2020, T-Series released a track titled "Masakali 2.0"; an electronic dance track recreated from the A.R. Rahman composed "Masakali" for the 2009 feature film Delhi 6. The recreated version and the musician credited for the same, Tanishk Bagchi quickly became the victim of online trolls and criticism. The musician in question is not new to such trolling as he has been associated with multiple remakes of popular songs which have also been poorly received by listeners. However, the recently released song has garnered criticism from the musicians associated with the original along with the trolls on the social media. The most prominent comment coming from the original composer A.R. Rahman, could very well be argued as an indirect dig at the remake [Sharma, 2020]. The statement describing the original soundtrack as a collaboration between film technicians aimed to last generations; reminds me of a lyric from Rahman's Nazrein Milana song - "Kahin Pe Nigaahen, Kahin Pe Nishaana". 

The original Masakali penned by Prasoon Joshi and sung by Mohit Chauhan is a playful, addictive melody with an interplay of melodica riffs, string runs and a peppy beat. The lyrics although crooned nonchalantly by Mohit Chauhan provide wonderful and deep metaphors linking the character to a pigeon to express ideas of liberation, empowerment and freedom from societal conditions. The track is an example of how music performs the function of subtext in Indian films. An instant chartbuster at the time of release, the entire album found more appreciation than the film's central theme.  

The remake Masakali 2.0 reprogrammed with altered lyrics by Tanishk Bagchi is a duet, sung by Tulsi Kumar and Sachet Tandon. The main verse melody and the lyrics function as a flirty exchange between the characters from the film Marjaavan (2019) in a track that primarily uses synth stabs, sampled drum beats and a flute motif. The structure remains faithful to the electronic dance music genre it is trying to emulate and offers neither variety in arrangement nor depth in lyrics unlike the original. It is interesting to note that the song has been released almost 6 months post the release of the film (unusual in the Indian Film Industry) and the intention of the track appears to serve only as promotional material for the film's digital release on streaming platforms. The song in line with the film has also been received poorly by listeners and critics while trying to cash in on the original song and composer's popularity. 

Personally, the trolling of the composer Tanishk Bagchi seems unwarranted and quite harsh. The composer who has become quite popular with remakes of iconic songs has in fact claimed previously that he is not very keen on doing remakes but finds the process to be creatively engaging enabling him to learn from the arrangement of the original [Deb, 2017]. The musician's journey from doing ad-jingles to featuring as a composer on Hindi Film Industry's top movies has been quite fascinating. In his 5 year journey in films, he has worked with the top tier musicians across the country with 2019 being one of his most successful year with 18 movies to his credit. His reputation with remakes began with the controversial track "The Humma Song" from the 2017 movie OK Jaanu. Featuring rap artist Badshaah, the track was a remake of Rahman's Tamil language song "Humma Humma" from the movie Bombay (1995). The track was received with mixed responses; fans of the original panning the treatment of the remake and the rising digital streaming sites lapping up the dance track. Ironically, it was A.R. Rahman himself who approached Tanishk Bagchi to recreate the song [Goyal, 2017]. 

Although at first glance, Rahman's reaction seems to be in line with most listeners and his opinions on remaking popular songs from his soundtracks seem valid; the composer's repertoire is filled with examples of combining influences from Indian and Western music genres. In the beginning of his career, the criticism largely revolved around his modern treatment of popular Indian classical scales and melodies. This could very well be argued as a remake during the time period being discussed. The stylised arrangements, influences from world music and the use of digital instruments were all features introduced by Rahman in the early days of his career. Paraphrasing a personal interaction with my classical vocal teacher, the use of Indian Classical scales (ragas) in cinema was considered as an insult to the devotional nature of the musical genre. This opinion is very similar to the one being made against Tanishk Bagchi for engaging in remaking a song adored by many. 

Opinions on any piece of music are subjective and music as an art-form will never conform to one single judgement (good/bad). Even though the Humma song was widely criticised, the ratio of likes to dislikes on Youtube are ( 1 Million Likes to 100k Dislikes) and almost all the recreated versions by Tanishk Bagchi have found millions of digital streams and views, directly discrediting the validity of his critics. The rise of remakes in the Hindi Film Industry especially the dance music remakes closely mirror the DJ remixes/alternate mixes for popular music in the western music world. It is an evolution of music styles and the function of music in films we are witnessing currently in the Indian film industry. Songs used to be musical breaks or vehicles to carry the narrative forward in the history of Indian cinema. Currently, there are many examples of songs being used as promotional content to bring the audiences to watch the film. Most of these promotional songs do not appear in the narrative of the film and are used strategically to drive the film's popularity. The biggest example of this is once again witnessed in Rahman's Academy Award winning Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack. "Jai Ho", the Academy Award winner for Best Original Song appeared in the climax of the film serving as an anthem reflecting the theme of the film. Other examples are "Lungi Dance", "Bang Bang", "Kaala Chashma" to name a few. 

Tanishk Bagchi's discography and popularity is largely driven by his recreated songs and they have proven to bring in the audience whether widely accepted or criticised. The popular opinion of the recreated versions although largely negative, does not change the fact that it is subjective. It could be argued that the numbers are irrelevant to the quality of the product. However, in a commercial entertainment industry we are part of today, the number of likes, followers, streams, views hold more value than subjective/critical opinion. The real winner of this situation is T-Series, the music label that holds the rights for both the original and the recreated "Masakali", cashing in on the debate between the need and existence of recreated versions of iconic songs. The future of songs, their function in movies and their contribution to the commerce of the film industry is evolving and whether you agree or disagree, Tanishk Bagchi (like Rahman in 90s) and other remake artists will hold a significant value in its evolution.

References:

Deb, 2017 : https://www.hindustantimes.com/music/i-actually-never-wanted-to-remake-a-song-tanishk-bagchi/story-nTrWJPhu5Zi35wLpcVEg1I.html

Goyal, 2017: https://m.hindustantimes.com/music/ar-rahman-i-wasn-t-happy-with-the-idea-of-a-new-humma-humma-initially/story-na4B7JlsSYtmaorMWNwRgJ_amp.html

Sharma, 2020: https://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/ar-rahmans-measured-response-to-masakali-2-0-acknowledges-an-era-where-original-music-and-remixes-must-coexist-8243561.html

Saving Private Ryan (1998) : Scene Analysis & Rescore Journal

The intention of this article is to present an analysis of a scene from the subject feature film and to discuss the thought process behind the rescoring (musical score of an existing cinematic cue) for the scene. The analysis, observations are personal interpretations and the following compositional discussion are intended to journal the compositional approach for the scene.

The 1998 feature film Saving Private Ryan directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat is widely considered among the best war movies produced across world cinema. The story follows the journey of a group of U.S soldiers who are assigned a mission to retrieve a paratrooper Ryan from behind enemy lines. Winning the Academy Awards for the categories including Direction, Sound, Cinematography, Editing and Sound Effects; the movie provides a cinematic experience of the invasion of Normandy during World War II. The sound design (Gary Rydstorm, Gary Summers, Andy Nelson, Ron Judkins) combined with the cinematography (Janusz Kaminski) elevate the intensity of the war sequences delivering an impactful and invested viewing experience. The very first scene (Omaha Beach sequence) presents a frantic, gritty and immensely intense nature of battle that is still widely revered to be among the best battle sequence shot. The dynamic detail of the bombs, bullets and other ammunition along with the first person perspective cinematography of the multiple battle sequences set the tone for the rest of the film. An unusually minimal score by John Williams accompanying the sound design allows for a realistic and immersive audio-visual experience.

Sniper Scene:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTOTyWit8yA

The scene chosen to rescore can be found in its original film edit in the link provided above. The cue titled "Sniper", follows the interaction between the primary group of U.S soldiers and a hidden sniper soldier. The character Private Caparzo (Vin Diesel) is seen to be retrieving a child who is separated from her family in a village that is currently a war zone. The private is shot by an unidentified sniper and the rest of the platoon take cover to find the location of the sniper. One of the many intense sequences in the film, this scene portrays the sudden dynamic shift experienced in war. The scene follows the group now split while taking cover and the wounded Private requesting his fellow soldiers to take his letter that he has written for his father. The sequence provides equal footage to the wounded soldier, the friend of the wounded, the general, the child separated from the family, the enemy sniper and the U.S sniper who eventually goes on to eliminate the enemy sniper. The scene ends with the platoon assessing the location for other threats, the death of Private Caparzo and the reunion of the child with her parents.

The original cue does not include a musical score and is completely supported by location sound/foley (footsteps, rifles, rain, gunshots). One sound effect that stands out is in this particular sequence is that of the piano when Private Caparzo is shot and falls on the broken piano before falling to the ground. An interesting distinction between other foley sounds and this piano sound is that the piano is given a spatial treatment of reverb that creates an unrealistic heightened sound when compared to the other sounds. The dissonant piano chord although intended to be a response to his fall creates a sense of being a staged sound effect. The piano sound returns again briefly before he falls to the ground, this time not as loud as the previous instance. The sound in this sequence and for most part of the film are diegetic (source of the sound visible in the frame) in nature and this can be witnessed when the frame shifts between the enemy sniper (audio goes quiet reflecting the hidden environment) and the rest of the platoon (outdoor with rain and movement sounds). Another noteworthy mention of the sound design is when the enemy sniper is shot. The sound from the distant shot (witnessed by enemy sniper is quiet) quickly becomes loud when the enemy sniper is hit inside his eye socket (the glass in the sniper rifle, the loud bullet falling to the ground), but the detail in sound design is witnessed when the frame goes to Captain Miller's face and you can hear the audio tail of shot fading away. Detailing such as this could easily be missed by the average viewer, but it's these moments that prove the authenticity of the sound design, the role it plays in a cinematic experience and the worthiness of the Academy Award for the category.

Rescore:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Vbvua_R7sQ

Composed by Kishan Kumar & Hariprasad Mahakali

The purpose of the score is to augment the visual narrative and provide a sonic identity that reflects the intensity of the scene. The score begins with the first gunshot attacking Private Caparzo with a synth single note drone (0:08) to define the palpable tension in the environment. It is followed by a sub-bass pulsating pad (quarter note repetitions beginning from 0:18) that aims to reflect the tension among the characters. The shrill string synth note begins with the tracking shot that follows the soldier (0:50) with the aim to build the established tension of the environment following the fading of the drone. The score tries to follow the soldier attempting to find the enemy sniper through an introduction of a soundscape pad evolving over time in the arpeggiated pattern of E minor (E-G-B-E-G-B-E). This layered sequence maintains the pre-defined drone ambience and travels through the sequence to match the tension of characters stranded across the area shown one after the other. The arpeggiated sequence is broken with the introduction of the string note and mallet tremolo (2:28) when the enemy sniper is trying to locate the soldiers. The sequence is followed by a loud string riser (3:00) that foreshadows the tense duel between the rival snipers before the enemy sniper is shot. The riser intentionally ends a second earlier (3:10) to hand over the tension back to location sound that details the shot, recoil, shattering of sniper glass and audio tail of the gunshot. The interplay between score and sound effects is deemed necessary to accentuate the reality of the sequence that is provided by the sound effects, whereas the score delivers the underlying emotional direction for the scene.

The final sequence before the scene ends showcases the death of the soldier, the regrouping of the soldiers, the reunion of the child with her parents. This sequence is aided a haunting female vocal melody to reflect the sombre mood of the entire scene. The purpose of a vocal melody here is twofold; one to emote the death the U.S soldier mourned by his friends and the reunion of the child with her parents highlighting the brief but impactful separation. The melody can then be summarised as an effective tool to convey subtext representing the theme of the sequence.

The compositional process is observed to be interesting to journal and review. Interesting for the fact that the analysis of the scene largely remains the same but the scoring perspective to reflect the emotions of the characters, the sequence as a whole is very malleable in nature. The ability to convey emotions with music without distracting the viewer from the scene or dialogue is a process that can go wrong with one wrong note or a choice of instrumentation. The journaling process and reviewing the score helps to analyse compositional structures, creative decisions and generate templates to score future projects of similar nature.

Instruments used:

Opening Drone : VST - Heavyocity - Gravity, Pads - Murky Aggression

Tense String Note: VST - Native Instruments Thrill

Soundscape Pad: Alchemy - Logic Pro X

Riser : VST : Heavyocity - Gravity, Riser

Distorted Strings : VST : Output Analog Strings, Ethnic Heaven

Female Vocals: Heavyocity - Gravity Vocalise

Written by

Hariprasad Mahakali

Original Rescore composed along with Kishan Kumar

Kishan Kumar is a Film Music Composer with a Professional Certificate in Indian Film Music Composition from the Chennai based School Of Indian Film Music. He has scored multiple short films, virtual reality videos and original soundtracks.