Kailash Kher: Intolerance is seen even in nature

Highlighting why the makers of OMG 2 did not hesitate to explore a tale on Shiva in an increasingly intolerant society, singer Kailash Kher says not everyone can be pleased

Intolerance, says Kailash Kher, isn’t an attribute that’s becoming increasingly  prevalent  in Indian society alone. “Look at what’s happening across the globe anyway. There’s intolerance even in nature. The number of landslides that we see today is unprecedented. As for human beings, we’ve grown increasingly irritable. At a restaurant, if we don’t find something that we like, we’ll immediately run away. It has become part of our lifestyle. If we live on fast foods, isn’t that the kind of energy we will harbour as well? So, this intolerance is not specific to Indian society alone.”

Kher is addressing our questions on the apprehensions that a director like Amit Rai must have harboured while creating OMG 2, given that portrayal of Hindu deities always ignites strong reactions from certain sections of society. Pleasing each and every individual, he says, “isn’t a feat that even God could accomplish”. “Then how can we?” he asks, making a reference to atheists. 

Evidently then, he no longer designs his music with the aim of appeasing an audience. What he does attempt to deliver, however, is a balm that can heal individuals struggling to deal with their daily lives. “Ho tayyar is a motivational number, and one that is the need of the hour. When you are sad, or pessimistic, this song can help you become optimistic. It helps you realise that you shouldn’t approach God to only ask for things, you should approach him to express gratitude too. In the film, the protagonist doesn’t find success. When he loses hope, he finds the ability to get motivated again. Today, people are afraid to fail, and lose hope easily. This song is a message to them.”

Kher is aware that the song offers that come his way do not fit the template of a commercial Bollywood offering. Yet, they are the ones that serve as the crux of the offering he is appointed for. Mere nishaan, his previous track for this film’s first edition, is a case in point — it became one of the most prominent tracks of the Paresh Rawal-starrer, after all.

Rendering a commercial Bollywood number, Kher agrees, may “make me look like a clown”. “I am offered songs of a particular kind. These are not numbers made for entertainment alone. I [create them] for the soul. I ask myself if I am moved by the song, or emotionally driven by it. If it affects me, then I believe there will be others like me who will also benefit from it. [My Indian fusion band, Kailasa] is fortunate to have entered this industry to give spiritual music a push. We made it fashionable. Spiritual inclination is increasing as well.”

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