“Film music has popularised Hindi all over the world,” says Anand Pandit

On Hindi Diwas, the veteran producer discusses how film songs have played a pivotal role in expanding the reach of Hindi

On his 60th birthday, producer Anand Pandit gave a speech referencing a  Salim Javed dialogue from the film ‘Trishul’. He also discussed how Hindi cinema had inspired him to pursue his dreams in Mumbai. Today as a successful pan-Indian producer, he recognises the power of cinema in familiarising the world with Hindi phrases, songs and lyrics.

As he says, “Hindi film music has always been incredibly popular around the world. Even at the recently concluded  Olympics in France,  USA’s  artistic swimming team performed to the tune of AR Rahman’s title song from ‘Taal.’ ‘Polite Society,’  a 2023 British  action comedy film referenced ‘Maar Daala’ from ‘Devdas’ as well as  RD Burman’s ‘Gulaabi Ankhen.’ Spike Lee’s acclaimed 2006 thriller ‘Inside Man’ opened with ‘Chaiya Chaiya’ and I could give you endless such examples of how our film music and lyrics have popularised Hindi universally.”

He also recalls how the music of Raj Kapoor’s ‘Awara’ and ‘Shri 420 in the fifties as well as Mithun Chakraborty’s ‘Disco Dancer’ in the eighties had created a sensation in Russia.He adds, “More recently, we saw audiences dancing to the title song from ‘Pathan’ in cinema halls around the world. So many singers, lyricists and music directors  have played a seminal role in bringing Hindi to the forefront of global entertainment. I remember reading about how Lata Mangeshkar and Kishore Kumar would perform at London’s prestigious Wembley Arena. Lata ji in fact was the first Indian artist ever to perform live at  the iconic Royal Albert Hall.”

The producer who frequently travels abroad also shares how strongly India is identified with its cinema and music. He says, “People I meet during my foreign travels  may not know who has written certain Hindi songs but they know the words. DJs and international artists also regularly experiment with our songs. In 2005, The Black Eyed Peas sampled Asha ji’s  ‘Yeh Mera Dil’, and there are so many similar examples. I salute lyricists and musicians who have used their craft to bridge cultural divides and have brought people together through the universal language of Hindi film music.”