I Am My Only Competitor, Says Prem Anand

I Am My Only Competitor, Says Prem Anand

Ollywood’s favourite music director-composer Prem Anand has given us some of the most memorable Odia songs. An ace music composer, he has been ruling the Odia music industry for a decade now, having given many chart busting compositions in hit films including the recently released ‘Ole Ole Dil Bole’, which is Prem Anand’s fiftieth movie.

He has also won numerous awards and accolades for his work and stands apart for his mass appealing and commercially successful musical ventures. He has not only been catering to the music taste of Odia millennials, mostly hooked to English and Hindi numbers, but also moulding their taste for Odia songs!

In a candid chat with MCL, Prem Anand talks about his musical journey, the Odia music industry and plagiarism issues. Excerpts.

You are now 50 films old as a music director. How does it feel and to whom do you credit your success?

I couldn’t have done it without the blessings of Lord Jagannath and the love of my well-wishers and fans. For all the love my fans have given to my songs, I now have the responsibility of producing better work.

How did the tag of ‘Musical Scientist’ come to you?

The fact that I constantly try to do something new is well known. But, there is a short story behind the tag of ‘Musical Scientist’. Once, I was invited to a meeting at Chandipur where 200 scientists from all over India had gathered for a discussion on Vedas and Science. Binay Das, Director of Chandipur Missile Testing Centre, complimented my experimenting skills in music and my contribution towards introducing new talents to the industry, just the way they experiment and create new missiles! That’s how the tag line came by.

Do you consider Abhijit Majumdar as your competitor in the industry? If not, who do you think is your competitor?

Abhijit and I work in the same industry but have our own styles. Where is the competition then? I believe I can be my only competitor. For every movie that I work on, the next one should be better than the previous.

You have done more than 8000 album songs. But the Odia album industry went through a decline in between before it revived again, thanks to You Tube. What’s your view on the current scenario of Odia albums?

When the album industry disappeared for a period, people had to wait for film songs to release. Now they have more options with You Tube. The hopes are rising for the Odia album industry too. My song ‘Shila I Love you’ became a big hit on You Tube. Many other new songs are being made almost every day but it is the quality that matters. The industry is obviously in a better situation than earlier and will definitely grow in future.

The sequel of your song ‘Shila, I Love You’, ‘Shila Ra Hela Pila’ (Shila begets a child) is a double entendre song. What do you have to say about such derogatory use of language for a song?

Let me clarify from the beginning that although the song is a sequel to my song, I haven’t made it. I don’t want to point in particular to any song, but using unacceptable language is an easy way for cheap publicity. I would never do a song that an entire family can’t listen to together. In my music career, I have made peppy item songs, funny ones too, but not any with double entendre. A number of my songs have proved to be commercial hits without using any dual meaning. I will prefer to be jobless than make such songs to be successful. The listeners these days aren’t fools; they understand the difference between entertainment and vulgarity and do not shy away from giving valuable feedback on social media. I think we should learn from their comments and understand how to appreciate good songs.

You have been criticised and accused of plagiarism. How you deal with this issue?

I, neither support plagiarism nor do I do that myself. It is important to understand the technical requirements of a film. When the producer or director purchases a film’s subject rights, at the same time, they also buy the lead part of a song’s music, which is designed according to the film’s sequence. As they are paying for that, Iwill have to use that part somewhere in my music. Barring that, the rest is my own creation and composition. Plagiarism is a serious issue and I will leave my profession if someone proves that my songs are copied.

The trend these days has been to pepper our Odia songs with Hindi and English lyrics. While some appreciate it, most say it is in bad taste. What’s your take on it?

It is quite ironic that we take pride when our kids talk to us in English or we punctuate every sentence with an English word in our daily interactions but don’t want it in our songs. Those who dislike it are also like us. What is wrong if we use another language to make a song more beautiful and heart touching?

What will be your message to your fans and aspiring singers?

We all should unite to help our industry grow. I request all my fans to watch more Odia films and listen to more and more Odia songs. But for those who want to become singers, prepare yourselves to be able to sing all kinds of songs. If you dedicate yourself to music, your efforts will be rewarded unfailingly.