| By Prashant Singh |
| Music has become an integral part of every television serial. In fact, according to industry experts, foot-tapping melodies instantly get the viewers attention and draw them towards the serial Telly shows have found a new instrument to hit high notes of success — catchy soundtracks. Well, Western TV shows are always known for their peppy music. Remember, Ally McBeal's 'For Once In My Life' by Vonda Shepard, or Friends' 'I'll Be There For You' featuring The Rembrandts? Now, the trend is fast catching up across the Atlantic on desi small screen. What kicked off with Amanat (Zee TV) in the early 90s, has come a long way since then. Interestingly, even mainstream singers and composers are working on the music of TV shows. The latest on this front is SAB's Left Right Left, whose soundtrack has been composed by Vishal-Shekhar with Kunal Ganjawala as the crooner. Similarly, the period drama Prithviraj Chauhan — Dharti Ka Veer Yoddha album has seven songs sung by Shreya Ghoshal, Babul Supriyo and Udit Narayan. "Music is the best vehicle to capture a show's essence. It also acquaints the audience about a serial's mood in advance," says Priya Mishra, programming head, SAB. In the past too, Remix (Star One) launched an album with popular tracks of the serial. Released last year, the songs were composed by Pritam and Bappi Lahiri and sung by the pop band Aasma. Even Sony's chart-topper Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin had launched a compilation titled Top 7 songs with Kailash Kher, Shaan and Abhijeet Sawant. Sahara One, too, joined the fray with an anthem featuring choreographer Feroz Khan, (he was assisting Farah Khan earlier) and Ghoshal. No doubt, big names are game to join the telly world, but does it help? "It creates a lot of curiosity. It's the same thing as a movie, which gets publicity for its music," asserts Amrit Sagar, director, Prithviraj Chauhan...Thanks to celebrated music directors, the marketing strategy also becomes a cakewalk. Thus, the soundtrack of Left... was played in cinema halls, while Prithviraj's... promo song was played on several radio stations. "The entire concept is very cool. It helps one relate to a show," affirms Shekhar. No wonder then, that star singers and composers make budgets hit the roof. For instance, Prithviraj's... album cost Rs 15 lakhs. "But we will soon recover the money," says Sagar. Whatever the case, as long as it sounds sweet to the ears, no one's complaining. |
