Opinion Rahman,Gulzar and other Arts

Pratap Bhanu Mehta<br> There was something distinctly odd and diminishing about the discourse that surrounded Slumdog Millionaire's extraordinary success at Oscars.

New DelhiFebruary 25, 2009 12:57 PM IST First published on: Feb 25, 2009 at 12:57 PM IST

There was something distinctly odd and diminishing about the discourse that surrounded Slumdog Millionaire’s extraordinary success at the Oscars. We can debate the merits or demerits of the film ad nauseam. But a lot of our responses to the Oscars brought out the central problem in our attitude towards culture: culture has been colonised by nationalism.

The next time someone says “We are proud of A R Rahman or “We are proud of Gulzar” one feels like asking “When were you not proud of A R Rahman? Or of Gulzar?” It is as if converting their triumph into the arrival of India on the world scene diminishes them. They no longer remain what they are: extraordinary geniuses,whose measure of our inner lives and the rhythms of the outer world are so unsurpassed.

Instead,we treat them as something less: as signs of India’s arrival on the world stage,as recognition for Bollywood or sometimes even worse,as mediums that will draw greater outsourcing or investment to India. The recognition of their achievement is understandable,but in the fog of triumphalism,we begin to obscure and diminish all that makes them great.

Their art is genuinely great,and will survive the nationalist and instrumental smothering. The movie itself was wonderful,though it is debatable whether it reaches the heights of greatness being ascribed to it. But there was something odd about both the Academy and our celebration of the song. Most of the song appears only in end credits,it is not integral to the film. What is distinctive about Gulzar is the way all his lyrics carry whole films on their shoulders. What is distinctive about Rahman is that he does not merely give music: he creates whole worlds,etchings in sound that are the film. But there was a sense in which both the lyrics and the music are peripheral to Slumdog.

This is fine — the Academy can vote what it wants to vote for. But whether the award recognises the true measure of Rahman’s genius is another matter all together. And it also raises larger questions about just what about Bollywood is being recognised. But meanwhile,we will do well to remember that culture,embodying that most valuable thing,self knowledge,is far too precious and far too larger than the thing called nationalism. To atrociously paraphrase Gulzar’s great line,”art ko art hi rahnein do koi naam na do.”