Kesariya row: Lyricists tell us why ‘love storiyan’ fits just right in the song

"Kesariya has an underlying pop-rock genre, which is registered when the song starts with electric guitar tunes and a guitar-distortion segment in the chorus. I believe this is why the phrase ‘love storiyan' fits with the idea and the groove," says Neel Adhikari, Mumbai-based singer, song-writer and music-director, when asked to comment over the latest internet hot topic - Kesariya lyrics.

Netizens have expressed their disappointment over the song ‘Kesariya' from Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt-starrer Brahmastra. While the song has gone viral on Instagram reels months before its release, the phrase ‘love storiyan' in its lyrics has left the Indian Twitter and Instagram in splits.

Before one could experience the song in its entirety, a meme fest over the Hinglish phrase being an ‘elaichi in the biryani' has engaged many keyboard warriors in mulling over how the line could have been written better. However, industry music professionals disagree.

Why the phrase works just fine?

"Music directors sometimes use phrases which are popular, catchy and easy to sing. It is a well-written line and fits well with the rhythm. The phrase is something new that the writer would have experimented with," says city-based lyricist Vikas Dubey.

Chennai-based playback singer and independent lyricist Irfan Hyder agrees with Dubey about an artiste's proficiency in experimenting with the words, while seamlessly blending it with the concept, perspective, emotions and musical flow of the song. This he states has to do with the idea that music has no boundaries and that all great musicians have broken the rules at some point in their careers to expand the scope of their craft beyond the standard expectations.

"If you look at the song, ‘love storiyan' doesn't sound wrong lyrically. Every song and composer sticks to the motif of a song. It also worked as a hook, which is exactly why it registered and also became a matter of discussion. I think the criticism is merely another hatred-trend to keep the social media activity alive," reckons Hyder, whose first experience of the song was effortlessly smooth and immersive.

While a section of audiences maybe overlooking the musicians involved in bringing out ‘Kesariya', artists Adhikari, Hyder and Dubey stress on the creative genius of all the musical giants--lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya, composer Pritam Chakraborty and singer Arijit Singh, who come with a legacy of chart-topping hits.

With great musicians, comes in high expectations. Adhikari, who addresses both sides of the issue, says the imagery of the song is lyrical and poetic and with ‘love storiyan' there is an attempt to sort of side-step into the modern street culture tone, which is predominantly used in almost every mainstream Bollywood film; one must not forget ‘Ishq wala love' from Students of the Year or ‘Dard-e-disco' from Om Shanti Om and even ‘Chikni chameli' from Agneepath among many other such songs.

He believes though the phrase works because of the underlying rock and pop groove, what might have irked the audiences is that the phrase does not really fit well the original imagery of the song. "When the phrase comes in, it feels like maybe it did not come from the people involved in making of the song, and was modified in the process to fit in a certain aspect."

(Musicians Vikas Dubey, Neel Adhikari and Irfan Hyder. Image courtesy: Dubey, Dibya Chatterjee and Hyder)

Reflecting on a lyricist's methodology

When Brahmastra's director Ayan Mukherji said ‘love storiyan' works as salt in something sweet and called it to be a fun twist to the overall traditional and simple flow of the song, lyricists agree to the tendency of adding new words or phrases, which can capture a listener's attention.

Such a gimmick piques the audience interest and eventually becomes a popular matter of discussion, online and offline. True to what they say, despite all the controversy and people cringing over the phrase, the song did manage to top global YouTube music video chart with 36.6 million views and ranked #61 on Spotify charts with 1.27 million streams until July 18.

Hyder says such catch-phrases are a part of the creative process. "Experienced lyricists effortlessly write the song best fitting the melody and as per the syllables, without running out of imagination or words. It is an intuitive as well as professional process. Though the modifications happen, the hook and the story of the song are never compromised with," he adds.

Adhikari agrees, "Artistically, the tendency should be to align with the scripting, narrative and the character. The song should speak the same language and has to be in one of the zones--either character or the narrative." He adds that while one of all the songs can stand on its own before the final act of a film, it is important that the rest of the songs blend in with the story.

The lyrics are reflection of the film's storyline, narrative and the characters' personality. The lyricists explain, a brainstorming session between the film and music directors, producers and composers offers the lyricist with a vision for a song. The lyricist, who is the observer, has to take cues from the script, tone of the scene, location, setting and time to visualise and create imagery through their words to sync in with the character. As Dubey succinctly puts it, once they have grasped the story and the character, the writers are on track and would not indulge in beating around the bush with their words.

Talking about Rockstar's ‘O Ya Ya', that perfectly captures the character's mind space and journey in the film, Hyder adds though the words ‘ya ya ya' do not make sense and are random; people loved it, because they could connect with the character and with the words. This, he says, requires an immense amount of experience to crack the code and produce masterpieces capable of blowing people's minds.

Also read: Are Instagram reels and trends influencing the art of music production?

Are lyrics written with audience in mind?

To enhance the accessibility of a song, usage of popular words in commercial Bollywood songs is a common practice; however, lyricists say the target audiences of a film do not really have an overriding influence on their writing process.

Adhikari firmly believes that lyricists must prioritise the genre, vibe of the song and their own style over other external factors. "Every vibe has a target audience. People do not like something that is made just for them. They like to discover music and lyricists can tap into that," he adds.

While songs with regular Hindi, English or Hinglish words offer the much-needed hook for listeners, there are many film songs with words, which are not in everyday usage yet have topped the charts, such as the song Raabta written by Amitabh Bhattacharya for ‘Agent Vinod' is just one of the examples. Dubey, who frequently uses Urdu words in his songs, is of the view, though simple words are usually preferred, there are genres such as Qawwali, Indian classical segments or Sufi songs for which one cannot dilute the language. A writer tuned to using highbrow words may sometimes have to tweak their writing to fit the audience requirements.

Given the fact that Indians have always appreciated Hinglish phrases in Bollywood songs, Hyder states that a small section of the audience might have a problem with two words, but they know it is still a hook for them and "they will eventually end up liking the song, while enjoying it with their partners and in functions".

Also read: Are Instagram reels defining ways young people listen to music?