There was a time when Bollywood patriotic songs were popular among the masses. However, today the scenario is different. The patriotic songs of today lack that charm that the olden days had. That’s the reason on any national day of patriotic significance the nation starts echoing with old patriotic numbers. The most common among them being Aye mere watan…, Mere desh ki dharti…, Apni azaadi ko hargeez…, Jahan dal dal pe sone ki…
So what’s the magic in the bygone era patriotic numbers? Gulzar, the popular lyricist and filmmaker, said, “The magic was in the lyrics. Patriotic songs touch our hearts if the lyrics have the substance to move hearts. Fortunately, in those days we had uncanny poets who could write lyrics that would move even stone to tears!! Poets like Shakeel Badayuni, Kavi Pradeep, Majrooh Sultanpuri, Kaifi Azmi, and Sahir Ludhianvi, whose words worked wonders. That’s the reason even today Aai Mere Watan Ke Logon… or Kar Chale Hum Fida…never loses its shine.”
Bharat Kumar, aka Manoj Kumar, agrees with Gulzar. He believes the lack of good lyricists in Bollywood is the main reason for the decline of patriotic songs in recent films. Manoj Kumar, known for patriotic films like Shaheed and Upkaar, notes that even three films on Bhagat Singh in 2002 couldn’t match the lyrical standards of his 1965 film Shaheed, penned by Prem Dhawan.
Lyricist Sameer, who did his best in Rajkumar Santoshi‘s film The Legend of Bhagat Singh, however, disagrees with Manoj Kumar. He defended himself, saying, “The irony in our country is that youngsters are never praised, but once they turn gray, they’re applauded to the skies. Take R. D. Burman; when he introduced the jazz revolution, critics panned him. Yet, after his death, they’re crowning him a legend of Indian cinema. The same goes for me; my songs in The Legend of Bhagat Singh may not be as popular as old patriotic songs today, but I’ll be proven right in 20 years when they’re hailed as legendary.”
Showering sympathy on the wounded Sameer, the industry’s most respected and highly intellectual lyricist Javed Akhtar said, “It’s true a patriotic song to make it ‘mark’ needs hardcore core lyrics. However, to point a finger at each and every lyricist under the sun is also not correct.” Javed added, “Even today the industry possesses some brilliant poets, but the problem with us poets is that we do get challenging situations to display our skill.
Manoj Kumar notes that when given opportunities, Indian lyricists prove their worth. For example, Anand Bakshi’s song “Har Karam Apana Karenge” from Karma remains a huge hit. Similarly, A. R. Rahman’s “Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera” from Swades and Gulzar’s “Jai Ho” from Slumdog Millionaire are excellent. Each generation of lyricists has its own strengths, making comparisons unfair.
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