Music in Bollywood today is 'diluted', says musician Dhruv Ghanekar

Dhruv Ghanekar and Kalpana Patowary of Dhruv Voyage, along with the rest of the best performed at the Udaipur World Music Festival on the final day. Right before going up on the stage the duo chatted with Catch about the various elements in their music, the concept of the 'voyage', their rendition of the national anthem, and more.

“I think people have taken [nationalism] to a maddening decibel,” says Ghanekar, who composed a rendition of the anthem. “This sort of nationalist angst. It's a bit corny.”

The band doesn't understand why the national anthem cannot be appreciated for its musical value, cultural relevance, and is instead being played before movies. And terrible recordings of it at that.

“The power of running music, making it large in the Indian film industry,” says Ghanekar, “is held by only a few people in Bombay. They're businessmen, they don't have an artistic aspiration.”

“Forty-fifty years back, the directors of the films were great music aficionados. When they would sit with the music director they'd understand the sound, the lyrics. Today, there are a few, but it's very diluted,” he laments.