KAHIHI

Like my most Fridays I was there to have my elixir of life. Not that I do so on every Friday but some Fridays are exceptional in terms a friend coming back from travel, surprise bonus component in the salary, unexpected loss in the stock market, and sometimes ‘just like that’.
I occupied my regular seat facing the television which had an irritating IBN7 anchor barking, “yeh wahi ashram hai…” The crossness was going to be short-lived anyway, for soon I would be enjoying my whims about things around. Such is the magic of the place, its intoxicating ambience, the hallucinating people, and the overall spirit.
The place was soon filling up. And I had started with my flights of fantasy when I heard an interesting tale about country’s airlines.
Not so far away, just on the adjacent table, arrived two men, one dark, fat with a round belly and the other one not so fat but equally dark. Both in their mid-forties, perhaps. Both reminded me of Om Puri – facial appearance. They ordered their stuff and began their chat. They were Goans. “kittey reyy,” one said with a long rhythmic drag in the words. Their order was on the table.
Their third friend arrived, a Marathi manoos, for whom one glass was ordered forcibly into which a layer of soda was poured on a layer of translucent liquid.
The duo started narrating a story of their arrival to their friend.
‘Arey kya bolne ka terku,’ started one fellow.
It seems the flight they were travelling on had not filled to its optimum capacity. And the flight was cancelled. However, the passengers were initially told the flight was delayed. After a long wait, it was announced that the flight was cancelled.
‘Wo acha tha ki mera dost wo airline mein tha and he told me ki sala actually kya gochi hai,’ clarified one of the duo.
‘Myy zhayeein baraaan chu*** banavtaaa,’ said the Marathi manoos who actually turned out to be Malvani.
And the fat fellow narrated another interesting tale he had encountered earlier in life.
He was travelling one a flight which was once upon a time India’s only pride of flying. While on the runway, the flight’s engine gave some congestion problems and it was struck with all kinds of thrusts and stuck with all kinds of choking noises....“krrrrr…..crrrhhhhh….kharrrr…grrrrrrr”. Frenzied passengers and this “fennyied” fat fellow could not handle the turbulences on the runway. There was a chaos on the plane. Many shouting, some begging, few running to get out of the plane. All were out on the runway. It was the pilot’s turn to beg then. He requested (no begged) to all passengers to get in. However, not many obliged. The pilot assured the passengers to trust him and there would be no further problem. But in vain. Few passengers, a handful of them, agreed to occupy their seats. The pilot then told more passengers to sit as the engine can only be started if more seats are occupied – pressure tactics – on the seats, on pilot. The pilot was hopefully trying to pass on his pressure onto the seat. But he was only mocked and laughed at.
And the three on the table laughed to their merry gulping down the remaining contents of their glass.
‘He loka public kak murkhach samajhtat ka kaay,’ (do these officials think people are fools) said one of the Goan fellow.
‘Next time pasun dusri airline baghuk havi, hencha kay bharosa naayyy,’ (take some other airline next time, these officials can’t be trusted) came a reply from the Malvani man.
‘Kingfisher kay, Jet kay, sagle mele sarkhech may zhayein,’ (what Kingfisher, what Jet, all are the same…) finished the third man.
I had a wonderful hearty laugh and pity too for the way we, general people, are treated and fooled. However, to drown away that poignancy and to the reference of Kingfisher, I ordered my next one.

- Hanumant Suryawanshi

It indeed is a good song with foot tapping beats, perfect for a dandiya night. It surely has caught rage with the young crowd. It is simple “hummable” and trendy too. Junior Nigam’s version is even more gripping,

However, there is one more aspect why this song had to get some much fan following or rather could get the needed exposure. Though we want to largely ignore it, the fact remains that song has some association with Rajnikanth.

There are number of other good songs that could have gained prominence had they been exposed or marketed correctly. For e.g. Avadhoot Gupte songs are much better than this recent Kolaveri rage. Gupte’s songs are enjoyable, you can sing them, you can dance on his songs, and you can give a solid performance on his songs, and I don’t only mean “dhingana” here. Avadhoot is not only good with peppy songs but also with soul touching music, though he is largely recognised for the former genre. And mind you Avadhoot is an all rounder, he has made effective movies like Zenda and Morya.

Ajay-Atul, a combo that is lately rocking the Bollywood with Singham and Agneepath. Their compositions are amazing, especially when they strum the rural-cultural chords. “Mayechya halwya”, “Malharvari” from Agga Bai Arrechya, “Lalati bhandar” from Jogwa are terrific compositions. Mind you, “Kombdi palali” or “Chikni Chameli” are just their average level creations. “Chikni Chameli” caught fire only because it has Katrina dancing on that song, perhaps. “Kombali Palali” the original version, a better one, did not catch up so much rage as did Kolaveri.

When it comes to the larger platform, I think Marathi people shy away, get gripped by ‘nyunganda’ (inferiority complex). They are not as outgoing as people from other regions. Shying away could perhaps be a wrong term, it must be the humble nature that we don’t usually show off – the focus is on creativity and not on glamour. More than what “I” think of something, we Marathi people focus on what “others” will think of it, and hence lose out on time and opportunities.

Change! Of course it does not mean get shameless.

A “Kombadi Palali”, “Tujhe Dekh Ke Meri Madhubala”, “Goa mix”, “Lalati Bhandar” are way beyond in excellence of poetics and composition when compared to Kolaveri.

“Ayushyavar Bolu Kahi” another amazing musical that has tight lyrical poetry composed in a melodious musical. I think the audience for such a niche technically perfect melody remains small, and hence “Aggobai Dhaggobai” does not become a Kolaveri, which appeals to anyone and everyone. You don’t need to understand what Kolaveri is trying to convey, it only makes your feet to tap. Sandip and Salil, on the other hand, stir your soul entirely.

It will take time, perhaps, like it took for me. I had been contemplating about this article for over a month, thinking what people will think. But it was getting ironical, what I wanted to write and why I am not writing it.

I am young, and a Marathi manoos that appealed to me most, until recently, was Shreyas Talpade. However, I have noticed, after the Kolaveri effect, that there is a Avadhoot, Ajay-Atul, Sandip-Salil, and there is one Amol Gupte too who can take on Aamir.

And yes I know a few unknowns too – Adwait Patwardhan in Pune of Pancham Digital, Niranjan Jamkhedkar in Mumbai of Studio Tabassum, Amit Redij in Mumbai who does not have professional setup as yet but who is a prodigy in playing variety of musical instruments.

I am happy though that somehow creative people with Marathi background are slowly inching towards fame and recognition. The ‘hare & the tortoise’ story like. Slow and steady will win the race.