IFFI 2009 at Goa: Waheeda Rehman
Waheeda Rehman, erstwhile queen of Bollywood and considered the dancing diva in her era, has no peers. In a freewheeling chat, Waheeda said music is no longer an integral part of the film; today, songs are added just to attract some sections.
In her words, "In my days, the background score and songs were integral to take the movie forward along with the dialogues and screenplay. So much of Bhangra in Indian music is disturbing. Why do we have to present only that to�global audiences? They may be wondering if Bhangra is the staple diet of Bollywood fare. Music has to be the soul of a movie, which was conspicuously missing even in a movie like London Dreams with a musical theme."
Having worked with stalwarts including Guru Dutt, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Vijay Anand, Waheeda says that each had a distinct style of his own. Confidently, she says that movies like Pyaasa and Guide are good enough to be remade even today. "But the music and lyrics have to be retained for the same essence."
Reported by Mr. K.Vasudevan from Goa
