For a generation that is finding it hard to straddle between the past and the present, Prasoon Joshi’s writing is the bridge. Making sense of the modern India, the master communicator who engages society with ad jingles, film songs and scripts, he is writing for a generation where a Tamilian is married to a Punjabi and they are working in Kolkata. So be it making a multinational converse with a desi consumer with ‘Thanda matlab Coca Cola’ or city bred youngster swoon to ‘Masti ki pathshala’, Joshi has made colloquial cool.
Some years back when one spoke to him he said he doesn’t believe that romance is only left in small town India. “People in big towns may be pressured with the pace of life but then a fleeting but loving look that a not so young couple may give each other before catching their respective buses or trains to work is romance as well. It’s the understanding, the unsaid but not unfelt –– that’s what matters.” It reflects in his film songs which don’t eschew profundity for popular appeal. When maa was fast becoming an outdated concept in Hindi cinema, he wrote an ode to her in Taare Zameen Par . Before celebrating the sportspersons became a trend, he told us the story of Milkha Singh. And when the society faces a crises or dilemma – Nirbhaya case for instance – he comes forth, like an old school poet, with an appeal or an expression of collective pain.
This week, the Government recognised his contribution and Joshi entered the pantheon of Padma awards with a Padma Shri. “Of all the awards that I have got this is the most special because it is for the entire body of work and gives a satisfaction that you are doing something right. It is also something that my parents will cherish,” says Joshi in a conversation over phone.
Hailing from Almora, the hill town, where once upon a time poet Sumitra Nandan Pdxant honed his craft, Joshi says when you live in the mountains, there’s a real sense of trust and innocence that stays for a very long time... I come from a family where classical music was preferred. Hindi songs were ‘not allowed’ for a long, long time.”
Despite his parents’ interest in music, Joshi had to prove himself in the sciences to pursue his love for arts. He was not a rebel, a much fancied term these days. “We should understand the insecurities of our parents. In India arts still don’t provide the financial cushion and it takes a long time to be recognised. My parents knew it and I respected their concerns.” He discovered the uncertainties of the creative world early when at 17 he had a published work on the shelf. “It gave me confidence but there was no financial return and little acknowledgement. Coming from a small town, I didn’t even have the basic resources that city boys take for granted. But I always had confidence in my expression. I just needed to hone it.”
Joshi maintains one has to take responsibility of his passion. “You have to nurture your craft and while doing so if you meet some obstacles you should not feel bitter.” He was aware that he has missed out on formal nurseries like NSD and FTII but he didn’t allow that to turn into a complex. After the day job in Delhi, he would learn classical music from Ustad Hafiz Ahmad Khan of Rampur Gharana. “Or I would spend time in the cultural hub of Central Delhi attending classical music and poetic soirees. I was always open to correction. Be it the advice of principal in school or Ustad sahib I was willing to go back to the drawing board and start afresh.”
Recently, Joshi composed the Swachch Bharat anthem and cynics believe the Padma award is recognition of his proximity to the ruling party. “The campaign is something I admire and if somebody believes that it is in return of something then it is unfair. I believe the Award is given to people who have excelled in their field for some time.”
On the raging debate on the right of the creative people to offend, Joshi says the crux of the matter is “intent”. “If your intent is to demean a community or a religion then it no longer remains an act of creativity. I believe the artists and writers of the highest order don’t indulge in such acts. They are always conscious of the emotions of their audience. While doing so they don’t go distinguishing the impact of their work on minority or majority. It is something inbuilt in their conscience.”
At the same time, he adds, there is should always be space for dialogue and debate. “I am a born Hindu and in my culture shastarth is an important part of social life.”
Many feel that the quality of film songs is deteriorating and the new CBFC chief has talked about curbing the double meaning songs. It is another matter that his own films had many such gems. “My point is clear. Film songs have never been just about entertainment. They always had a sublime meaning which dialogues could not express. If on a free to air television channel you are watching a song where you could not explain to your kid why everybody in the room is laughing at a gesture or a line then it is not entertainment. I am all for mature content but not without social responsibility. One should make the intentions clear.” If in the garb of entertainment, he says, the idea is to titillate then he would not like his child to watch such content. “I don’t buy the line that cinema or films songs are just for entertainment. It has to have some bigger meaning, a subtext and if it is just entertainment please band kar do ise . It is not breathing that I can’t do without it.”
But this brings the issue of controlling taste. “When I say this I am not having a condescending a view on taste. Had that been the case I would not have written the jingles that I have. They were mostly against prevailing taste and were accepted. My only objection is to messages that vulnerable children are not ready to decipher. And it is not difficult to understand this and take suitable measures.”
