Jaideep Sahni defends his lyrics for Dum Maro Dum 1971. Dev Anand,Zeenat Aman,RD Burman,Anand Bakshi and Asha Bhosle rocked the nation with Dum Maaro Dum,which became the Flower Power generations philosophy. 2011. The song inspires the title of Rohan Sippys forthcoming film where Deepika Padukone slips into an ultra white-ultra mini and gyrates to music composer Pritams version of the hippie classic. The jury is divided on the seasons latest scorcher. The bold and risqué lyrics penned by the ever dependable Jaideep Sahni (Company,Khosla Ka Ghosla and Chak De! India fame) have raised some eyebrows. If nostalgia is what you hoped the song will rekindle then your mum and dad are not buying the CD. Some words are harsh,some are angry,some uncomfortable and some downright first: dont recall hearing the word potty in a song before. Sahni has experimented with a new thought in the song which he conceptualised as a longish rap. Sample some lyrics: Hey phir dekh raha hai,Aaj aankh sekh raha hai,kal haath sekega,Aaj dheel chhod raha hai,kal khud hi rokega,Aaj mere liye chair kheech raha hai,kal meri skirt kheechega,Kheechega ki nahin?,Oonche se ooncha banda,potty pe baithe nanga,Phir kaahe ki society saali,kaahe ka paakhanda,Bheje se kaleje se,kalaje ke kalaje se,Mit jaaye gham,maroge toh jeeyoge,Dum maaro dum,mit jaaye gham,bolo subhah shaam,Hare Krishna Hare Ram. Sahni defends his work explaining how the lyrics came about. Over to him: These lines are actually taken from a longer piece of rap,written specifically for a situation of drug pushers and users in a drug-induced delirium at a rave . The rap form was chosen because it is very effective in reflecting anti-establishment thought and behaviour,and usage of strong words to make a larger meaning is inherent to the very form. They were placed together with the famous hippie song of the 1970s in a directorial decision and vision to bring out the contrast between earlier hippie culture and todays brutal and vicious drug mafia. It is related to the subject of the film and hopefully will be seen in better clarity once the film releases. Otherwise,I have no interest in making changes in classics,especially by the writer to whom I had dedicated my best lyricist award last year. There is a case for sharing with listeners why lyrics are written,so they have an opportunity to view works from that perspective. On covers and remixes,film directors all over the world have been re-interpreting previous works according to the nature of their subjects and individual visions. What is wrong is not that its done,but that after a century of Indian cinema,theres still no accepted system to ensure that writers whose lyrics are re-used have a say in it or are paid for it. That is somewhat more important.
