‘I Believe In Quality Not Quantity’- Aadesh Shrivastava Opens Up On The Ugly Side Of Bollywood Music
Aadesh Shrivastava began his independent music career in the 1990s. The success of 'Aao Pyaar Karen' film established him as a hit musician. Although he’s no longer with us, his music lives on. On his birth anniversary, Lehren presents a nostalgic interview where Aadesh discusses musicians who plagiarize, stating, “Yahan chori ki tune bhi lete hain aur chhati thok ke award bhi le jaate hain.” Listen to this throwback interview on the Lehren podcast to revisit his legacy.
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00:00I have put my song in one film, but my name is not in it, it's the name of another music director.
00:04You should speak your mind, and work with honesty.
00:08I don't believe in theft, robbery, or anything like that.
00:11These days, even romantic songs seem to be action films.
00:18The way they are picturized, they don't seem to be romantic.
00:22A music director who is at the top,
00:25he says, I put my hand on my foot and took so many pictures.
00:28This is just a line, what will happen if people come like this?
00:48No, look, here it is like,
00:51Anu is also doing very well,
00:54and nobody is replacing anybody.
00:59For example, if a producer comes here,
01:04we don't know where he has come from.
01:06We don't know that he is taking us in replacement.
01:11This happens with every music director.
01:14I don't think anyone knows where he is coming from,
01:18or what he is doing.
01:21I don't have anything like that.
01:24I am not replacing anyone.
01:28I am just working hard and trying.
01:33This is the right time, especially for young people.
01:38It's a good time for young people.
01:41Anu has done a lot.
01:45I have to go very far now.
01:50Delhi is far away.
01:53I can't see where it is.
01:56I have a very long way to go.
01:59Nowadays, every song is a hit,
02:02and everybody wants to be different.
02:05If you like a song, you pick it up from here and there.
02:10You mean copying?
02:11Copying.
02:12How much do you believe in it?
02:15Do you also do it?
02:16No, it is very bad.
02:18Actually, you shouldn't do it.
02:21You shouldn't do it,
02:23no matter what language it is,
02:26whether it is Punjabi or something else.
02:30For example, South Indian.
02:34When a composer works on a language,
02:38like Rehman in South India,
02:41he has to put in a lot of effort.
02:45And he has to copy it shamelessly.
02:49I think it is very bad.
02:52And if the music director who is copying
02:55doesn't have the ability,
02:57then it's a different matter.
02:59He can't do anything else.
03:01And if he does it,
03:03it proves that he can't do other things.
03:06So, it's not right for him.
03:09It's a useless thing.
03:11You shouldn't do it.
03:13I have done a lot of Punjabi songs.
03:16So, they took out my songs too.
03:19They put my song in a film.
03:22It's not my name,
03:24it's the name of another music director.
03:27So, you have to bear it a little in the beginning.
03:30At that time, we couldn't speak.
03:32We used to say,
03:33this is my song and you did this.
03:36So, the relationship got worse.
03:39So, it's like that.
03:41A lot of people here,
03:43the rest of the thefts,
03:45I think the music director
03:47feels insecure.
03:50If the director, producer or company
03:53gives us a cassette,
03:55if I don't do it,
03:56it will go to the other side.
03:58You know?
03:59People feel insecure and do it.
04:01They feel helpless.
04:03I have never done this.
04:06I want to say my work.
04:11It's better to work honestly.
04:14I don't believe in thefts.
04:18Inspiration is a different thing.
04:20Inspiration inspires people.
04:22You know, I also listen to some songs.
04:24I like country music.
04:26So, I don't pick it up.
04:28I don't lift it.
04:29It's an inspiration.
04:30Let's say I'm upset,
04:31I'm in a bad mood.
04:32Let's listen to some rhythm patterns.
04:34Let's do this.
04:37Nowadays,
04:39there are so many action movies.
04:42There are very few musical movies.
04:45But there is a lot of scope for music in it.
04:48Because whenever there is
04:50a lot of heaviness in the movie,
04:52a song is added or something is done.
04:54So, what do you think?
04:56How much role does music play in it?
04:59See, the action films,
05:01nowadays, you know,
05:03romantic songs also feel like action.
05:06The way they are picturized.
05:09They don't feel like they are romancing.
05:14A romantic song should be in two characters.
05:17Because it's love.
05:19A man and a woman will love each other.
05:21He won't make the other person dance.
05:24You know, it's not love.
05:26It's an old movie.
05:27Even today, listening to songs
05:29feels so good.
05:31The way they are visualized,
05:33feels so good.
05:35So, that's one thing.
05:37The other thing is,
05:39in action movies,
05:41like my movie,
05:43Veer Gati,
05:45the songs are an item.
05:47I don't know about the situation.
05:49The song starts and ends abruptly.
05:51So, everything else
05:53depends on the director.
05:55That's the main thing.
05:57Because when we sit here,
05:59there's a lot of difference
06:01between singing and acting.
06:03For example,
06:05we pass the song here.
06:07We sit here for 3 months
06:09and write the lyrics.
06:11Later,
06:13if it doesn't work,
06:15it's very sad.
06:17You know?
06:19So, it's like that.
06:21As far as action movies are concerned,
06:23we are action heroes.
06:25So,
06:27the songs
06:29are an item
06:31to balance it.
06:33But the music should be our own.
06:35That's the main thing.
06:39Nowadays,
06:41the instruments of orthodox music
06:43are getting outdated.
06:45And,
06:47techno music is really in vogue
06:49and things like that.
06:51There are so many new instruments.
06:53Do you think you can replace
06:55a harmonium here?
06:57I'm also new to this.
06:59But,
07:01the feelings in harmonium
07:03are not there.
07:05There are no expressions.
07:07The same thing
07:09is with electronics.
07:11Electronics can give you
07:13a good result,
07:15a good sound,
07:17but without feeling.
07:19You know?
07:21There's a difference.
07:23This one is a few days old.
07:25It's not going to last long.
07:27It's just one sound.
07:29Is there only one synthesizer?
07:31Many musicians have
07:33taken this synthesizer.
07:35By the grace of God,
07:37I can play it.
07:39I know everything about it.
07:41Basically,
07:43I'm a musician.
07:45The rest of the music directors
07:47will see that
07:49I'm using TS-10.
07:51They'll ask me
07:53if I have TS-10.
07:55Then they'll ask me
07:57to make sounds.
07:59I think there are
08:01at least 20-25 TS-10s
08:03in the film industry.
08:05But,
08:07you should know how to use it.
08:09You can't depend
08:11on it completely.
08:13It sounds monotonous.
08:15It's acoustic.
08:17Without acoustic,
08:19there's no life.
08:21Especially, without music.
08:23Your wife is a singer too.
08:25Does she sing
08:27in your compositions?
08:31No.
08:33My wife is...
08:37I'm very strict about it.
08:39There are a few things.
08:41My relationship is different.
08:43My profession is different.
08:45Yes.
08:47In every film,
08:49there was a film called
08:51Aau Pyar Kare.
08:53Mr. Bokhade said
08:55that a singer hasn't come yet.
08:57So,
08:59we'll get an idea.
09:01So, who should we call?
09:05I think
09:07my wife came
09:09to the theatre.
09:11I said,
09:13will you sing?
09:15Will it be a final?
09:17A dubbing will do.
09:19Mr. Bokhade said,
09:21yes, it's the best.
09:23He liked it so much
09:25that he said,
09:27there's no need to dub.
09:29The music became a hit.
09:31Mr. Bokhade
09:33said,
09:35no, it's a daughter-in-law's song.
09:37I'll sing it.
09:39I have a song in every film.
09:41It's not like I say,
09:43keep it.
09:45It's not like that.
09:47Directors and producers
09:49know it.
09:51So, they ask.
09:53I say, if it's there,
09:55it will be like this.
09:57She was an actress.
09:59If she wants to act,
10:01what will you say?
10:03Acting,
10:05when she was doing it
10:07earlier,
10:09there's a lot of difference.
10:13I've never interfered
10:15in her personal life.
10:17I've never told her
10:19not to act.
10:21Now, she doesn't want to act
10:23anymore.
10:27With so many music directors
10:29around,
10:31you've come up
10:33with so many hits.
10:35You're also very popular.
10:37Where do you think you stand?
10:39Still, I'm
10:41nowhere.
10:43I've told you before
10:45that
10:49the love of the audience
10:51today,
10:53they liked a real music director.
10:57Their love
10:59gave me confidence.
11:01When my first film was a hit,
11:03at that time,
11:05I was singing with double meaning.
11:09When I got a chance,
11:11like I told you,
11:13my music
11:15is very basic
11:17in terms of culture.
11:19I always make it bigger.
11:21It's not like
11:23if someone gets an electronic hit,
11:25I'll do it too.
11:27I'm not in that.
11:29There's nothing in it.
11:31I don't want to steal
11:33anyone's face.
11:35A soft melody, a good lyric,
11:37a good orchestra arrangement.
11:39The public liked it.
11:41Why did they like it?
11:43Because it was my original song.
11:45That gave me confidence.
11:47The people who
11:49blame the audience,
11:51most of them
11:53say that the audience
11:55won't understand the film.
11:57I'm making it for them.
11:59I'm not making it for my family.
12:01I'm not making it for my relatives.
12:03When I'm in a commercial line,
12:05I'm working commercially.
12:07Today, there's an audience.
12:09There's an audience
12:11that makes me.
12:13There's an audience that makes everyone.
12:15The stars,
12:17the creative artists.
12:19They're the ones who make it.
12:21We should take care of them.
12:23And
12:25the more truthfully
12:27we work,
12:29the less politics.
12:31If you focus on your work,
12:33instead of copying,
12:35if you work less,
12:37but do your own work,
12:39the satisfaction you get
12:41is not in the numbers.
12:43I believe in quality,
12:45not in quantity.
12:47Aditya ji,
12:49tell us about your family background.
12:51How did you get into it?
12:53I'll tell you about my family background.
12:55I'm from Kayasth.
12:57We value education a lot.
12:59My mother
13:01was a lecturer.
13:03My father was a superintendent.
13:07I'm the youngest.
13:09We have three brothers
13:11and two sisters.
13:13Among the three brothers,
13:15I have Chitresh bhai.
13:17My elder brother is Mukesh.
13:19He's still in Jabalpur.
13:21He belongs to Jabalpur MP.
13:23My sisters got married.
13:25As a hobby,
13:27my father used to tell me
13:29not to go out
13:31and play with others.
13:33It's better to
13:35focus on music at home.
13:37He was fond of music.
13:39As a hobby,
13:41we used to play music at home.
13:43There used to be
13:45small officers' gatherings
13:47in the club.
13:49We used to sit and
13:51invite Srivastava's family.
13:53When I was in college
13:55and studied,
13:57I wanted to go to medical school
13:59and become a doctor.
14:01In our MP,
14:03there's a lot of schedule drive.
14:05I didn't get it.
14:07My percentage was 84.
14:09It's still on my waiting list.
14:11I was a little upset.
14:13It's better to focus on music.
14:15I came to Bombay in 1977-78.
14:19While struggling there,
14:21as a musician,
14:23I worked with Lakshmi Ji and Pyare Ji.
14:25As a musician,
14:27I worked with Panchamda, Shankar Ji,
14:29Rajesh Roshan, Ravindra Jain,
14:31O.P. Nehru.
14:33I worked with everyone as a musician.
14:35I used to play drums.
14:37In 1982,
14:39I joined Lakshmi Ji and Pyare Ji.
14:41I worked with them for 10-11 years.
14:45In 1992,
14:47I started giving independent music.
14:49Sudhakar Ji gave me my first break.
14:53My second film was
14:55Aau Pyaar Kare.
15:01There are good people
15:03in the industry.
15:09I was lucky
15:11to work with
15:13Pehlaj Ji, Salim Bhai,
15:15Vimal Ji.
15:19There are a lot of good people.
15:21Sultan Ahmad Ji,
15:23Sultan Sahib Ji.
15:25They are good people.
15:27I don't want to work too much.
15:29I want to work for a long time.
15:31It's not like I came here in two years
15:33and left.
15:35I don't know what will happen.
15:39It's better to work hard.
15:41It's better to do original work.
15:43In every interview,
15:45I hear that I am original.
15:47But,
15:49this is wrong.
15:51If you have worked with someone
15:53and lifted a tune,
15:55then you should agree.
15:57You should agree that
15:59you have done it.
16:01But here,
16:03they take awards
16:05with a smile on their face.
16:07It feels weird.
16:09It wasn't like this before.
16:11I was in the
16:13Panchamda form.
16:15My boss
16:17was in the LP form.
16:19I never saw jealousy
16:21between the two of us.
16:23We used to meet like brothers
16:25at parties.
16:27He used to say,
16:29let's go for a party.
16:31I used to feel so bad.
16:33These days,
16:35there are two partners
16:37in two music directors.
16:39I used to say,
16:41let me handle him.
16:43It's such a bad environment.
16:45I have never seen
16:47anything like this in my life.
16:49I am a little
16:51away from these things.
16:55I am a very
16:57bold guy.
16:59I say what I don't like.
17:01I saw that boldness
17:03affected my career.
17:05So, I stop going to parties.
17:07You can't see.
17:09It feels so artificial.
17:11I used to go
17:13to a music director
17:15who was at the top.
17:17He used to say,
17:19I put my hand on my foot
17:21and took so many pictures.
17:23This is the line.
17:25What can I say?