Classical Music In Bollywood

In the Post-independence era wherein Hindi became the national language that increased the sense of nationalism in films lending to the feeling of a unified nation, the Bollywood music acted as a unifying factor for the nation.

- Priyaankaa Mathur

Incorporating various styles from various traditions—both Hindustani and Carnatic Classical, religious and folk music, the film music saw international music influences from Latin to Chinese to reggae. With the time the Indian films became more widely known internationally especially for their musical repertoire.

While Playback music became the heartbeat of the Indian cinema, the playback singers and the music directors became a huge component of the films, who came from a variety of backgrounds. Some being classically trained, others belonging to a folk tradition, while some were self-taught. Some of the Notable music directors being S D Burman, Naushad, Khaiyyam and R D Burman, while the popular playback singers who reigned the industry were Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammad Rafi, Manna De,Asha Bhosle, Kishore Kumar predominantly.

Indian film music from the early 20th century and until the 1960s, had a heavy influence of Indian Classical Music showcasing a large number of scales (Ragas) and Rhythm patterns (Talas) they being its characteristic features. Most of the composers chose the popular Ragas like ‘Asavari’, ‘Bilawal’, ‘Kalyan’, ‘Kafi’, ‘Bhairav’ and ‘Khamaj’ while at some points rare ragas like ‘Nayaki’, ‘Kirwani’, ‘Shivaranjani’, ‘Megh’ have also been utilized.