Monday, September 18, 2006

PLAGIARISM

PLAGIARISM – For better or worse???

While coming down to office today, I found myself humming a sweet number – Pal Pal Pal Pal Har Pal Har Pal… Oh no, not again!!! It has been over a week now that I am continually humming the same number. And why… simply because the tune is catchy enough. But drilling down the memory lane, I can easily remember those days when I used to cycle down to school and hum the same tune… How come? Coz this tune is basically Cliff Richard’s Theme For A Dream (1961). So what the Indian Cinema thinks is kudos to Shantanu Moitra is actually a hats-off to The Great British Singles Chart-Topper.

But a deep thought forces me to think whether this plagiarism is really bad… For I was sure I had almost forgotten the original number at the time the Hindi tune refreshed my memory. So, it did me good… Now I have one more song to sing at parties… :)

Well, remotely related to this, I always remember something that my father, a professor in Physics, has taught me – Old and proven things can always be used as tools to find out new things!!! As a very blunt example, say if you want to know the length of the hypotenuse of a right angled triangle, you need not begin from scratch – prove Pythagoras Theorem – and proceed. You can just use the formula and take the next step. Is that plagiarism as well??? Moitra took the basic theme and used it to create an advanced model… Introduced a few changes – An Ultra Suprano Effect, varying rhythms at chorus and stanzas… and so on, to recreate a melodious number.

So where lies the thin line of difference between inspiration and plagiarism??? Hamlet wonders…

A few well known “inspired” numbers in Hindi Cinema

Re-made Song

Composer

Year

Original Composition

Composer

Year

Itna na mujhse tu pyaar badha (Chhaya)

Salil Chowdhary

1961

40th Symphony

Mozart

1788

Mere Rang Mein (Maine Pyar Kiya)

Raam Laxman

1989

The Final Countdown

Europe

1986

Aate Jaate (Maine Pyar Kiya)

Raam Laxman

1989

I just called to say

Stevie Wonder

1984

Sochna Kya (Ghayal)

Bappi Lahiri

1990

Lambada

Kaoma

1989

Jab koi baat bigad Jaaye (Jurm)

Rajesh Roshan

1990

A hundred miles

Peter, Paul & Mary

1962

O mere sapno ke saudagar (Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahi)

Nadeem Shravan

1991

Bachelor Boy

Cliff Richard

1963

Dole Dole Dil (Baazi)

Anu Malik

1995

Theme Music of Come September

Bobby Darin

1961

Nazarein Mili (Raja)

Nadeem Shravan

1995

Theme Music of Come September

Bobby Darin

1961

Aisa Zakhm Diya hai (Akele Hum Akele Tum)

Anu Malik

1995

Child in Time

Deep Purple

1970

Dil mera Churaya Kyun (Akele Hum Akele Tum)

Anu Malik

1995

Last Christmas

WHAM

1984

Tu Wo Tu Hai (Beqabu)

Anu Malik

1996

Theme Music of The Good, The Bad and The ugly

Ennio Morricone

1966

Payal Meri (Rajkumar)

Laxmikant Pyarelaal

1996

Faith

George Michael

1987

Haseena Gori Gori (Tarazu)

Rajesh Roshan

1997

In the Summertime

Shaggy

1995

Oh Baby !! Don’t break my heart (Mohabbat)

Nadeem Shravan

1997

Oh Baby !! Don’t break my heart

Stereo Nation

1996

Dil le le lena (Auzaar)

Anu Malik

1997

Macarena

Los Del Rio

1995

Dil Maka Dina (Dhaal)

Anu Malik

Again !!!

1998

Macarena

Los Del Rio

1995

Ek Shararat Hone ko Hai (Duplicate)

Anu Malik

1998

Slip and Slide

Laura Allen

1978

Koi nahi tere jaisa (Keemat)

Rajesh Roshan

1998

Cotton Eye Joe

Rednex

1994

Kya Kehna

Rajesh Roshan

2000

O Carol

Paul Anka

1959

Pretty Woman (Kal Ho Na Ho)

Shankar Ehsan Loy

2003

Pretty Woman

Roy Orbison

1964

Pal Pal Pal Pal (Lage Raho Munnabhai)

Shantanu Moitra

2006

Theme For a Dream

Cliff Richard

1961

3 comments:

Prats said...

I totally agree... But I would say that though some of these songs but the others are awesome modifications.. Which stick to ur heart for two reasons, 1- The lyrics are in your own laguage, 2- They modify the music to our own temprament....

Anyways Kudos to Shantnu Moitra for giving Indian ears a really beautiful song(because I am pretty sure not even 50% of Indian population would have heard Cliff Richard)and Hats of to Cliff richard to who created it. And anyways a song in Indian scenario is much above just music it's about lyrics, the vedio & cinematograpy as will when it sticks. So I think the song well deserves the applause it is getting, though it is inspired...

Anonymous said...

hey Me thinks even the song Mil gaya..koi saathi mil gaya...tere liye jamana tere liye(rishi kapoor) is a rip off from Abba-Mama Mia.

But as far as I am concerned,I really don't mind the Hindi 'inspired'versions as long as they do a good job of it! ;)

Anonymous said...

And give credit where its due!