Jatin to open Muscat music school

** interesting article...and a great compliment for SN near the end, well-deserved and highly obvious...

Jatin to open Muscat music school

By Rekha Balaa

MUSCAT — The countdown has begun for the finale of the Indian Social Club-Minara Music Festival to be held at Le Grand Hall of Al Falaj Hotel tomorrow (Friday) from 7:30pm.

The event began on September 12 and included competitions in light vocal, duet vocal, classical vocal, group songs and instrumental music.
Around 450 participated in the competitions, which were judged by experts in Carnatic, Hindustani and light music.

The finals will only feature competitions in the light music categories (solo, duet and group). Winners of all categories will be awarded prizes during the function.
Jatin, of the famous Bollywood music director duo Jatin-Lalit, will be the guest of honour.

The duo, the youngest music directors in Bollywood, have been instrumental in bringing back melody through youthful and peppy music. Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Khiladi, Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge and the recent Hum Tum have all been chartbusters.

Jatin is also a judge on Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge, a reality musical show on Zee TV.
In an interview with Times of Oman, Jatin reveals his plans of opening a music school in the city, touches upon the music scene in India and the hype surrounding talent shows.
You are visiting Muscat for the second time this year, this time in a totally different role, as a guest of the ISC-Minara Music Festival…
I am really excited as I am already part of another music contest, Sa Re Ga Ma Pa. I am also planning to open a music school in Muscat. We are looking for the right place after which we will start operations. Once the school is established, I propose to come here often.
Do you think that competitions like these will help in identifying the right talents and promoting them?
Of course. You never know where and when you can spot real talent. When somebody is genuinely talented, one can push him/her in the right direction.
Will you be promoting the talents from Muscat by giving them a chance in your films?
If they are genuine and good, why not?
How do you judge talent at these kinds of competitions?
I look for voice quality, diction and the kind of foundation the child has had. Also important is the feel and soul in the voice.
You with brother Lalit are one of the youngest music directors in the Hindi film industry. Do you think the industry promotes young talent especially when quite a few seniors rule it?
A lot of young and new talent has come up in the recent past. To be a good music director, you need to have a creative spark. There are people who come up with a few tunes, do a few songs and then get exhausted. It is important to keep updating yourself and be consistently good.
What do you think of the present state of the industry? Do you think the remix trend and the fast pace of music have put melody in the backseat?
I fully agree with you. I don’t enjoy the kind of music being churned out these days. Everybody is trying to kill melody and coming up with all kinds of nonsense. I just pray and wish there is a revival of melody and an end to this soulless music.
Do you think singers today have the talent and the sustained interest to consistently deliver?
While doing Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, we were amazed by some wonderfully talented singers. I hope that in Muscat too, I will be hearing some very good singers.
Do you think shows like Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, Indian Idol and now Fame Gurukul are successful in unearthing real talent or is it all just hype?
There is a mixed side to these shows — a little bit of hype and a lot of reality. But Sa Re Ga Ma Pa is an authentic talent show. A lot of hard work has gone into it. We have even gone to the small states of India to discover the right talent. The competition is very genuine.
The Indian Idol winners have achieved a kind of cult status. Do you think they will live up to the hype?
We will have to wait and watch. Overnight success is not good. One should go step-by-step.
What kind of music moves you? Do you have a favourite music director?
Melodies with good lyrics. I like Madan Mohan’s music.
Can you name any recent Hindi film song, which you have found different in terms of melody and composition?
I like the songs of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. I like the Kal Ho Naa Ho title song as I feel that it is closer to our style of music.
Hum Tum was a stupendous musical hit. What’s in the offing?
We are doing another Yashraj movie — Fanaah with Aamir Khan and Kajol. It has a strong melody with some very good numbers. We have opted for the younger lot for this movie, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shaan, Sonu Nigam and Mahalaxmi.
Do you have any favourite singers whom you cannot do without?
Alka Yagnik, Sonu Nigam, Udit Narayan and Abhijeet.


** cool huh? i think its an interesting idea...hope it works out, another way to discover real musical talent...and did you notice? Sonu Nigam is singing in Fanaah, that's good, but even better...they "cannot do"without sonu...he's the first male singer who comes to their mind...keep rocking sonu! we can't do without you!

Garam Masala songs

i listened to the SN garam masala songs. Ada and Falak Dekhun...neither are earth-shaking, but Falak Dekhun is really quite nice...it has a familiar tune and all that, so its nothing very unique, but the song is refreshing and invigorating...and Sonu sings well in it...Ada is ok, i didn't like it much at first listen...but its worth listening to for Sonu Nigam's voice...=) i might like these more later, but this is my immediate point of view...

i heard from SNU friends that the concert in london was absolutely amazing and fantastic, and this kinda got me practically drooling...man i wish he'd come to singapore again soon! this time i'm going to go to any extent to meet him...i don't care...i'm so gonna meet him some day...lol...i hope that day comes soon....Come on Sonu! Singapore calls you back!

(i guess i'm probably going overboard, considering he just came here this year, but hey there's no harm in hoping!)

What's wrong with India's music industry?

** i decided to put up the original article that is at the core of this entire issue of the SAI...

What's wrong with India's music industry?

Abhilasha Ojha in New Delhi | September 05, 2005

On the surface, the Indian music industry seems peaceful enough, steeped in glamour, and a perfect blend of melodies. Look closer though and you'll see the rifts -- little faultlines that indicate a strain in the relationship between artistes and music companies.

And this strain has come to a head with the registration, last month, of the Singers' Association of India, which aims to tackle the "problems faced by the industry today."

Problems? Isn't this the industry everyone wants to be part of -- an industry that has given us our Indian Idol Abhijeet Sawant, our desi crooner Rabbi Shergill, and that is increasingly attracting global voices such as Trickbaby, Juggy D and Raghav, to name just a few?

It's also the industry where Pakistani artistes Junoon, Strings, Fuzon and, more recently, Jal and Ali Zafar, are finding a firm foothold as they release albums to an increasing fan following. A place for artistes to co-exist happily in, to live and let live?

Not quite.

This industry, which in the 1990s boasted of a turnover of Rs 1,150 crore (Rs 11.50 billion), now stands abysmally low at Rs 450 crore (Rs 4.50 billion). What's more, the notes and melodies are shaky, out of tune and discordant as the industry is plagued with controversies, discontent and a growing unrest between music companies on the one hand, and music composers, lyricists and singers on the other.

In other words, strip the music industry of its sheen and one finds a range of issues that need urgent attention. As well-known playback singer and television anchor Shaan says, "It's easy to highlight the trends of the music industry, but that's the glamorous part." A brief pause and he adds, "Let's discuss the real story."

But what is the real story? Different versions rest with different parties. While music directors, singers and lyricists take a break from strumming their instruments to point fingers at music companies for mistreating them, the latter have their own ripostes. But whatever the disagreement, both sides agree that the issue of piracy that has eaten into the music industry and left it hollow.

Palash Sen, lead singer of New Delhi-based group Euphoria, says, "Technology has advanced considerably and expanded the listeners' base, what with people downloading music at a low cost. Music is easily heard on radio channels, music videos are shown on television and people are happily listening to innumerable songs on their MP3 players. However, this is precisely what has led to a considerable decrease in the sales of the music albums."

Nobody, says Sen, wants to buy music cassettes or CDs any more "because they're happily downloading music off the Net." Savio D'Souza, secretary general, Indian Music Industry (IMI) agrees, citing this as one of the prime reasons why the industry has bled profusely in the past few years. "The industry has lost nearly Rs 450 crore to piracy," he confirms.

But this is where the duet between IMI and musicians ends, with both parties opting for a solo track thereafter.

Take Singers' Association of India (SAI), the association started by playback singer Sonu Nigam along with colleagues Alka Yagnik and Suresh Wadekar that, in the singer's own words, "is aimed at tapping the real issues that music companies fail to address."

What could possibly prompt Nigam, one of India's busiest playback singers, to make such a statement? "If you hear the hit song 'Kajrare' from the film Bunty aur Babli, it's called the Aishwarya-Amitabh-Abhishek song. No one calls it the Shankar Mahadevan-Alisha Chinai-Jaaved Ali song. It's such a wrong attitude, and that's what we want to change," he says firmly.

He feels music companies need to aggressively market singers, encourage the non-film music market, give them their fair share of royalty and, essentially, "give singers due respect." His colleague Kunal Ganjawalla, also a member of SAI, puts it simply, "You can't mix the Grammy awards with the Oscars."

"As long as the issue of royalty remains unsettled," he says, "musicians will continue to be insecure." Music companies, he feels, need to have faith in their artistes, and the industry on the whole needs to be structured properly and give artistes their rightful share of money.

The controversies regarding royalty seem to be on the minds of almost everyone in the industry. What's more, with technology advancing so rapidly, musicians want a share of the pie on not just cassettes and CDs but also from radio and television channels that air their songs, from sites that allow people to download music, and from ringtones that are being downloaded at a rapid pace.

FIGURATIVELY SPEAKING
Rs 1,150 crore
The total size of the Indian music industry
Rs 450 crore
Losses due to piracy
Rs 15 crore
Money earned through ringtone downloads
Rs 400 crore
Organised market of film music in India
Rs 100 crore
Organised market for non-film music in India
APPROXIMATE COST OF INVESTING IN A MUSIC ALBUM
Total cost
Anywhere between Rs 35-50 lakh
Dubbing, mixing mastering
Approximately Rs 12 lakh
Cost per video
Rs 10 lakh (usually the artiste does two videos)
Cost of promoting the album (ad spots on radio and television, posters etc)
Rs 15 lakh
"If we compose a tune and it is played in pubs, discos or even live shows, we should rightfully be earning royalties on the music," says music director Ehsaan Noorani, who says that "The ringtones issue is the latest controversy that needs to be urgently addressed by the music fraternity."

It turns out that music directors, singers and lyricists are demanding an equitable share of revenue for their music that ends up as ringtone downloads.

Currently, music companies end up cornering what, according to musicians, should be rightfully theirs. Though there are no reports to suggest how big the ringtone market is in India, Rakesh Nigam, general manager, Indian Performing Rights Society (IPRS), confirms that nearly 200,000 ringtones are downloaded in India everyday.

With film and popular song downloads becoming increasingly popular, the telecom companies are charging anywhere between Rs 7 and Rs 12 per ringtone download. IPRS's Nigam adds that of the Rs 7 for a single ringtone download, the lion's share -- nearly 60 per cent -- goes to the mobile service provider, while 25 per cent rests with the copyright owners (usually music companies which, in turn, are expected to pay the artistes) and 15 per cent is given to the government. But writers and composers gripe that they are barely paid 12 paise of this Rs 7, if at all.

D'Souza, however, makes a point, "The business of ringtones," he says, "contributes merely Rs 15 crore (Rs 150 million) of the music industry's total revenue."

He feels musicians blaming music companies for having wronged them and robbed them of their rightful royalty should understand that a majority of music companies are in the red due to issues plaguing the industry: "We're losing money to piracy."

He feels that the division of revenue, not just for ringtones but also for music albums, is based on individual contracts signed with the composers and singers. "If the contract gives the copyright of a music album to the company then obviously it (the company) has every right on the music."

While most musicians admit the issue of royalty has invariably hit the wrong chords with music companies, some musicians willingly offer an explanation.

Music director Anu Malik, for instance, asks, "Can I refuse a Shah Rukh Khan film on a royalty issue? I don't think so." He strongly feels musicians too need to adapt and accept changes in technology. "You can't stop iPods from coming into the market, or for that matter ringtones from getting downloaded."

Musicians say it's precisely for this reason that they've now increasingly started airing their views. "If technology is changing rapidly, we have even more reasons to be informed of our rights."

He argues, "As musicians we're not greedy, we're just becoming aware." Call it awareness or the need to keep in step with the changing times or even a fight for their rights, the issues regarding royalty are clearly stepping up the tempo for musicians.

Though most of the music fraternity is tight-lipped about forming an organisation, sources admit that musicians like Lalit Pandit (Jatin-Lalit), Aadesh Srivastava and Javed Akhtar are garnering a lot of goodwill and support from their colleagues.

"Javed Sa'ab has been going to Kolkata quite often since the past one year with regards to a court case that involves IMI and musicians on a particular royalty issue," admits this source who adds, "Funds are being collected invariably for this cause and I'm told nearly Rs 2 lakh is spent every month on this case alone."

D'Souza refuses to comment on the issue, saying the matter is still sub judice. However, he feels musicians are missing the core issue. "We should be tackling the issue of piracy, we should be worried about recovering the losses that are to the tune of anywhere between Rs 450-500 crore (Rs 4.5-5 billion)," he feels.

Musicians, however, argue that it's not just a recent trend; music companies have robbed them of their righful dues for a long time.

Music director Aadesh Srivastava explains, "Our seniors haven't been given justice at all. Till date, senior composers like Khyaam Sa'ab and Pyarelalji (of Laxmikant-Pyarelal) are waiting for royalties from some of their films." "Music companies," says Srivastava rather sternly, "create plastic boxes; it's ultimately our music that's helping them sell those boxes."

Not always, feels D'Souza. "When the film Murder was released, HMV Saregama paid more royalty to the concerned parties. The music was such a hit and sold tremendously, which is why the company didn't hesitate to give them their due," he argues.

Shamir Tandon, general manager, Virgin Records (India) and music director, stresses further, "Invariably, artistes end up signing rotten deals with companies and regret it later."

He may have a point because controversies echo not just in the film music fraternity but also in the non-film albums category that make up nearly Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) of the total music market in India.

Back in the '90s, when the music industry was beginning to open up to an increasing number of Indi-pop acts, companies didn't hesitate to invest in promoting artistes. The norm at the time was to approach music companies with a good demo (usually of three songs or more) after which the companies decided to invest accordingly.

Today, music bands and Indi-pop artistes have to invest their own money to bring out an album. "Music companies continued to encourage half-baked products and subsequently declined," says a source.

A majority of Indian artistes feel that it's this attitude of the Indian music companies that has encouraged international artistes like Trickbaby, Juggy D and Raghav to capture the Indian market. Usually, the cost of bringing out a non-film music album is anywhere between Rs 35 lakh (Rs 3.5 million) and Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million).

A majority of artistes feel that music companies are not willing to shell out that kind of money on their artistes and would prefer the artistes to give them the finished product.

This means that the artiste records the album, complete with mixing and mastering, and also shells out the money for the music videos. The role of music companies, feel musicians, has been relegated to giving the album the required publicity and bringing it out on the music shelves (cost: approximately Rs 15 lakh -- or Rs 1.5 million).

Music director Shantanu Moitra feels the non-film music category should be encouraged to grow. He says, "Folk music in particular needs to be encouraged as it's a limited resource."

Like a majority of his colleagues, Moitra feels "self-sponsored albums and remixes have resulted in the gradual death of the music industry in India." He adds, "Even as we're talking of royalties and copyright issues, Fashion TV is blaring 90 per cent of the sound bytes from different Rajasthani folk songs and tunes."

The situation, according to musicians, is getting bleaker, especially as a new trend arises. This time it's a loaning facility wherein a particular music company loans an amount to an artiste for bringing out an album.

The artiste, in turn, is expected to pay it back at the end of a certain period. Though music companies remain tight-lipped on this issue and artistes prefer not to talk about it in the open, the status is obvious. A majority of established artistes are finding it increasingly tough to convince music companies to invest money in their projects.

"As a band, Euphoria," says Sen, "is fighting a lonely battle. Even if we venture into film music, ultimately this (non-film music) is our forte. This is what we want to give to our fans and this is what they expect to hear."

He feels, besides other reasons, it's the dearth of Artistes & Repertoire (A&R) managers in music companies that has led to a downfall of the non-film market and the poor marketing of artistes' albums. The poor marketing of albums and artistes by companies is also reason why the non-film album category is faring so poorly.

"Look at the way Sony BMG and Sony television marketed Abhijeet Sawant. That's the kind of marketing we need," says Nigam. Shaan also calls it a valid trend and says, "Television and media are creating the stars today."

Perhaps that explains why Abhijeet Sawant's debut album has sold nearly 900,000 copies already -- a fantastic figure by industry standards where a film album (that makes up for Rs 400 crore -- Rs 4 billion -- of the total music market in India) doesn't sell more than 500,000 copies in today's scenario.

Sony BMG is said to have invested nearly Rs 60 lakh (Rs 6 million) on Sawant's album. "I received a cheque of Rs 5 lakh (Rs 500,000) as advance for the album," Sawant says. He also negates the issue of royalty and adds, "I've not had any problem so far and regularly get cheques of Rs 2,000-3,000 as royalty from the first Indian Idol album that all the contestants has recorded earlier."

The only other artiste to have come so far has been Rabbi who sold a whopping 60,000 copies within a month of its release in March 2004.

Anand Surapur, the man behind Rabbi and founder, Phatphish records, says, "I was passionate about thealbum and invested nearly Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) on this project." Moitra feels, "Rabbi's success lay in the fact that he came out with a fresh sound at a time when the market had nothing new to offer."

The industry orchestra isn't likely to serve up too many winners though if the current status quo between key members of the industry isn't sorted out some time soon.

Maybe the Singers Association will help mend the differences; maybe it'll fuel it further. Either way, making music isn't going to be fun for some more time to come.

VOICES
Radio stations and RJs airing our songs don't even name the singers. -- Kunal Ganjawalla, singer
Music companies dictate terms; they've tried to get me out of film projects. -- Aadesh Shrivastav, music director
Look at Sting. Even after 24 years, he continues to get a royalty for his song 'Every breath you take'. He earns it every day. -- Palash Sen, singer, Euphoria
Film music is the curse of the industry. It has done the maximum damage to singers. Marketing can do wonders for the industry. Singers need to be sold in the same way that detergents are -- by attracting audiences. -- Sonu Nigam, playback singer
Royalty is a tricky issue for artistes. If I was an artiste in America, I would've had five jets with a runway and a huge house. - Anu Malik, music director
Musicians sign contracts knowing fully well what they're getting into. They can't turn around after some time and tell companies that they're being cheated. -- Savio D'Souza, secretary general, Indian Music Industry (IMI)
The industry lacks clarity. Marketing is essential. Even Carlos Santana has come back in a new avataar and finds listeners. That's marketing. -- Shantanu Moitra, music director

** sheds a lot of light doesn't it? well, let's see how things go...i hope everything turns out to be fine soon...the indian music industry cannot be dying! we all need music to live!!!

No bad vibes for Sonu Nigam: Babul Supriyo:

**another article showing only a "certain someone's point of view"...i am indignant! just read on and be shocked...

Bollywood News
Posted on 26 Sep 2005 # IANS
No bad vibes for Sonu Nigam: Babul Supriyo:


By Subhash K. Jha, Mumbai: Singer Babul Supriyo has said he has no bad vibes with compatriot Sonu Nigam, emphasising that the latter was once his best friend in Mumbai.

"I've the highest regard for Sonu. He was at one time my best friend in Mumbai. Today things seem to have soured irreversibly between us. What happened at Aadesh Shrivastava's birthday party was the last straw," Supriyo told IANS.

"The fight goes back to the copyright law for musicians. At a meeting of the musicians' association on Sep 3, I felt Sonu, Javed (Akhtar) saab and others were getting excessively idealistic and melodramatic by terming singers as bonded labourers.

"Once upon a time, Lataji fought to get singers a share of royalty for every recorded song. Mohammad Rafi saab had opposed her stance. Today when Sonu claims to have taken over Lataji's fight, I realise how Rafi saab must have felt," he said.

"That day at Aadesh's party, all hell broke loose. Abhijeet, Shaan, Alka (Yagnik) and I were talking in a corner. I was telling Alkaji's brother Bunty that the royalty issue is null and void since any singer can quietly sign up for any deal with a big producer without anyone being wiser.

"Alkaji marched up to Sonu to inform him of our conversation. Before I knew it, Sonu came charging at me and hurled abuses. To cover up, I asked the deejay to play the music louder. Then I left."

Supriyo said singers needed to unite to fight for better payments. "But we can't twist producers' arms for money. I sang my title song in 'Hum Tum' for just Rs.7,000 and I have no regrets. It was a turning point for me.

"Sonu himself says he sang for 'Kal Ho Na Ho' for free. Why? When he insists on royalty what sense does it make to sing for a big producer like Karan Johar for free? Why not charge the people who can afford it and instead give some poor producer a free song?"

Supriyo said Sonu didn't know it but a lot of singers who pretend to support him on the royalty issue actually sniggered behind his back. "He calls us singers bonded labourers," he noted.

"Anyone who backs our talent is good enough to support us. That's why we are all running after Yash Chopra. If Rakesh Roshan asks me to sing for a show I can't demand Rs.300,000 from him first. He pulled me out of the doldrums and changed my career with 'Kaho Na...'

"Today if someone offers Abhijeet Sawant a chance to sing for a film like 'Hum Tum' or 'Kal Ho Na Ho' for Rs.10 milion, which would he choose? If I choose to sing for fame rather than money it doesn't mean Sonu can call me names like traitor and bad mango.

"I kept quiet all the time. But enough is enough," Supriyo said.

Supriyo also alleged Sonu had made rude remarks about Lata Mangeshkar at a recent function.

"Every artiste's struggle is individual. Madonna has written that she slept her way to the top. Some of us weep our way to success. If Amitabh Bachchan can ask Yash Chopra for 'Mohabbatein' why can't I ask Aditya Chopra for a 'Hum Tum' without discussing money? My company TIPS has spent Rs.5-6 million to promote my new album. I can't be obnoxious with them by making counter-demands...

"And look at the kind of SMS Sonu is sending. He has gone live on radio to lambaste me. What has happened to him? He cannot harm my career. He's a great singer. If I'm good, no one can stop me. I'm not in competition with him," Supriyo said.



** finished reading? HOW DARE HE? ok...there seems to be a pretty big problem here, with supriyo attacking sonu on news and sonu allegedly attacking supriyo on live radio...considering i have no indian radio here and i havent heard anything, but i have read this, i'm inclined to be on sonu's side... i really don't believe that sonu would have said anything "rude" about lata mageshkar...after all, supriyo himself says that sonu said he was following in lataji's footsteps...i have no idea what is wrong with this guy..the article reads "no bad vibes for sonu nigam"...(???????????) does that make any sense after what you just read??? and how can he go about talking like this about sonu?? and...he is obsessed with hum tum...what the....?? oh yeah, i remember...he himself admitted that hum tum was the only hit song he ever sang...sad soul...

and about other singers not supprting him, i certainly don't believe that either...if they really don't, well to hell with them...but it is obvious that he's not alone...after all alka yagnik did support him, when she "marched up to Sonu"...that's called support, yeah!

i don't really know what exactly happened, but i know that we all love sonu, always... he's just going through a tough time right now, and he should do what he believes in and not care what other people think of him, which i believe is exactly what he is doing, so that's good for him...and sigh, its such a pity that all this stuff is happening just after his series of concerts in the UK...i hope they went well, can't wait to get news on that!

Sunidhi, Rathod win best singers award

** these are the awards for the sangeet awards ceremony in oakland recently...sonu nigam didn't get an award, unfortunately...but its perfectly fine...he doesn't need any awards, he's already very great without them...i remember him saying in one of his interviews that awards are like gifts, if you get one, be happy and move on with life, if you don't it's ok, move on all the same...he said something like that...and i really admire him for it...anyways here's the article...



The changing winds of Indo-Pak ties seemed to have swept Indian music, with Pakistani singer Faakhir bagging two awards at the second Sangeet Awards held in Oakland on Saturday.

The music of the romance across borders Veer Zaara also fetched the best lyricist award for Javed Akhtar and best male singer for Roop Kumar Rathod.

Akhtar got the coveted best lyricist award beating Sameer who had four nominations for aankhein band karke from Aitraz, dhoom machale from Dhoom and sun zara from Lucky.

Glittering stars

The glittering function at the Oakland arena attended by leading Bollywood actors including Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan, Rani Mukherjee, Shilpa and Shamita Shetty.

Sunidhi Chauhan won the best female singer award for this year's chart-topper dhoom machale dhoom while Rathod went away with the best male voice for Tere Liye from Veer Zaara.

He beat Sonu Nigam, nominated for Sun Zara from Lucky and Chup Chup ke from Bunty and Babli besides Udit Narayan for Aankhein Band Karke from Aitraz.

Rathod, who had failed to bag nominations for the Filmfare and Screen awards, said the award was a sweet surprise for him.

"The song is special to me because the film had a very special group, Shahrukh and the help of late Madan Mohan's compositions".

High-octane performances

The highlight of the show was the performance by the two King Khans of Bollywood- Shahrukh and Salman, appearing for the first time on the same stage in the US.

Their high-octane performance and dance to the tunes of evergreen hits left the strong Indian audience spellbound and wanting more.

The show started with a performance from Rani Mukherjee. She made a brief appearance at the show to dance to the tunes of many evergreen numbers like diya jale, jaan jale, hoto main aisi baat and morni baaga main.

Comperes Shaan and Anusha gelled with the mood of the audience who seemed to want more of Bollywood.

Not to disappoint them, Salman Khan kept his date with fans of the golden gate and danced to the tunes of his recent hits No entry and Just Chill, besides to that of his forthcoming releases.

Shankar Mahadevan along with the dance troupe of Shiamak Davar joined in the audience mood and invited many NRI girls at the venue to dance with him on the tunes of Kajrare Kajrare.

The foot tapping dhoom machale maintained its 'dhoom' at the music awards with music director Preetam getting the best film album award and best song award for it.

Closer ties

The jury for the awards comprised Ramesh Sippy, Suresh Wadkar, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Shankar Mahadevan, Leslie Lewis, Ken Ghosh, Anubhav Sinha, Shiamak Davar and Saapna Mukherji.

Another Pakistani whose bagged an award at the function was Atif Aslam for best new voice for Woh Lamhe from the film Zeher.

In the Indi-Pop nominations category, Pakistani singer Faakhir got the best male singer award for Maahi Ve from his album Mantra which also bagged the best song prize.

The best female singer award went to Shibani Kashyap for Kya Nazakat Hain from her album Nazakat.

Kashyap had strong contenders in Shreya Ghoshal, who was nominated for two songs Pyar Ke Baaten and Yeh Kyan Huan from Tera Mera Pyar and Sunidhi Chauhan, who was nominated for Dhak Dhak from the movie Tera Mera Pyar.

The fact that she had even composed her own songs worked to her advantage and helped her get the award, she said.

In the critics' award section, the best sound recordist award went to Tanay for the film Black and best lyricist went to Gulzaar for Kajrare Kajrare from Bunty Aur Babli.

The best film song in the category went to the late Madan Mohan for Tere Liye from Veer Zaara, best music director award to A R Rahman for Swades.

Saapna Mukherjee got the best female singer award in the category while Udit Narayan won in the male category. The best pop group award went to Jal for the album Aadat. (PTI)

Sa re ga ma pa

i recently saw a Sa Re Ga Ma Pa ad on Zee TV, i've never seen it before so its probably new, and basically the ad was about music directors Jatin-Lalit and another music director(can't remember who) arguing about whether one contestant sounded like Sonu Nigam. The contestant was one who'd gotten a Green Card(can go into the finals) just the previous day...Sharib or Sharid...really don't remember how to spell his name, but he sang Mann ki Lagan in that episode and he really did sing very well, so anyway, in the ad, they showed a short snippet of Jatin Lalit arguing with some other director that the contestant DID sing like Sonu Nigam....thats what i gathered from the ad anyway, i'll post with more details if i see it again...

that would happen soon, considering they've already filmed that episode, and since he's already sung to get into the finals, this is probably going to happen when the finals start...anyway my point is the guy does sing quite well, but he really can't be compared to sonu nigam...and he shouldn't be...jatinji and lalitji had better watch out for my wrath when the episode is aired lol!