Cinema sans songs?

'No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone.

- HIMANSHU DHULIA

'No poet, no artist of any art, has his complete meaning alone. His significance, his appreciation is the appreciation of his relation to the dead poets and artists. You cannot value him alone; you must set him, for contrast and comparison, among the dead. I mean this as a principle of cesthetic, not merely historical,' (TS Eliot's Essay (1919)- "Tradition and Individual Talent') Indian cinema's personality mark, its distinctness, it's trademark, it's mainstay was it's songs and music. We may say that the DNA of Indian cinema was the songs. From the advent of the "Talkies' in 1931 singers and musicians have dominated the cinema screen often at par with the reigning cine stars. However, since recent years, instead of feeling proud of our heritage and carrying it forward many cinema makers, cinegoers and critics have felt apologetic as our grammar does not,match with the grammar of the west. Many of our reputed and renowned filmmakers have followed the western template, their benchmarks and standards.

In the process making films which were terse and serious lacking lyricism being appreciated intelligently but lacking emotional appeal.

Lenin had said the economic imperialism can be removed but cultural imperialism remains, and indeed it has remained. In the language and in our attitude it exists. It has seeped in our Art forms and entertainment industry. It has made us translated artists and audience. We are lost between our original world and the borrowed word of the west . We look for applause from the west, we clamour and vie for foreign media and artists appreciation, we campaign to win awards in international film festivals. We tailor our Art to suit their sensibilities.