Rabbi Shergill Says There Is Less Space for Art Today
Mumbai — Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill says there is less space for art today, reflecting on a view he expressed a decade ago that entertainment was increasingly taking the place of artistic expression.
Shergill, known for songs including “Bulla Ki Jaana,” “Tere Bin,” “Challa” and “Heer,” said his opinion has not changed significantly over the years.
“I think this has become a little subjective. My opinion is that, by and large, there is a little less space for art,” Shergill said.
He pointed to the relative absence of overtly political music and films in recent years as examples of how the cultural landscape has changed.
“And I feel that, you can imagine, have you heard any political song in the last 10 years? Have you seen any political film in the last 10 years? So these are some of the questions I think the viewers, the beginners, can answer themselves,” he said.
Shergill, whose music blends elements of rock, Punjabi folk and Sufi influences with Western arrangements, said he believes art has gradually lost some of its space.
“I feel that art has disappeared a little,” he said.
One of Shergill’s best-known songs, “Bulla Ki Jaana,” is based on a Kafi poem by Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah.
He also sang “Challa” for Yash Chopra’s 2012 romantic drama “Jab Tak Hai Jaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan. The song was composed by A.R. Rahman with lyrics by Gulzar.
In the film, Khan plays Samar Anand, a bomb disposal expert in the Indian Army whose earlier life and romance in London become part of a story uncovered through his diary by documentary filmmaker Akira Rai. (Source: IANS)
