Javed Akhtar, Chairman of the Jury of Uninor Mirchi Music Awards 2010 powered by Karbonn Mobiles, and popular singer Kavita Kirshnamurthy, his fellow-Jury member,  tell Pavan R Chawla why they have been associated with the awards from its inception three years ago, and the qualities a song has to possess to be a strong contender to win this prestigious award.

Both of you have been associated with the Mirchi Music Awards since Day One, that is, for three years now. Why?

Kavita Krishnamurthy: Firstly, I have been in Bollywood for a long time, and would like to continue with it,  and the best way is to be a part of the jury where I can listen to the different type of good work that is happening. They told me that Javedji would  chair the jury which would have other distinguished personalities who I felt are people with a lot of caliber, and to sit with them would be an honour. So I was very happy to be part of Radio Mirchi's Mirchi Music Awards, especially as it would have a very genuine process of finding the best singer or album. I believed that the process would be very genuine. I wouldn't like to be a part of anything that is already rigged up. That is why I have been with them for three years now.

Javed Akhtar: When I was offered this, I was rather confused, as it was strange to me that they are making a jury of people who are active at the moment in the music world --  composers, singers, directors and writers. But gradually it dawned upon me that this is the USP of the jury: that you are not taking people from some other field of work but people who practitioners, and when they will appreciate seniors, juniors or contemporary people, it will actually be more meaningfully and obviously they have experience on hand. So I  think it is a very interesting and enriching experience sitting with so many talented people under one roof  and listening to their points of view. Once can see that in this jury it is only the caliber and talent that is the criteria.
 

Any categories in the current list that could have been added?

Kavita Krishnamurthy: Remixes are very popular, but I still  think the remix category should not be included when we have an original song. Besides, I do not agree that people are supposed to dance when they are drunk!  I am awaiting the day when Radio Mirchi will get into the non-film category also.

Javed Akhtar: India has many genres of music and singing, and there can be no end to the categories. But at the moment, MMA is focusing on film music, so the categories are fine. Having said that, they have taken one step out of this Lakshman rekha and reached Indi pop,  but obviously there is no shortage of categories in the country.

What do you think about the process of the entire taking that 900-odd songs released in the year and whittling them down to 19 or 20 songs per category before you, the final Jury, can vote on them?

Javed Akhtar: It is an excellent process. The 900-odd songs as you put it, are shortlisted, and that first round of short-listing is also done by extremely competent people – they are music directors, singers, musicians  who do that; it is not done not by clerks, so ultimately,  the shortlist offered to final jury is a good one, and the final jury, which is my 14 fellow-members and I, chooses the winners.

Kavita Krishnamurthy: And if any jury member feels that a good song has been missed out in a particularly category, they give us the liberty to add it.

Javed Akhtar: In fact, a jury member can add up to three more songs to a category.

What criteria do you use to judge the merits of a song?

Javed Akhtar: To be extremely honest, when a song is exceptionally popular it does draw your attention and you think about why it has been so popular. That can be the first, but it should not be the only criterion. It should not be at the cost of decency, aesthetics and standards.

Kavita Krishnamurthy: I agree on this point,  and feel that it has to be a beautiful combination of popularity and creativity. There are a lot of positive things a song has to offer. I feel that Radio Mirchi is able to get a good combination of creativity and popularity.

So would you say that ultimately, the jury judges a song on both fronts?

Kavita Krishnamurthy: There is an esteemed jury and you have people like Javed sahab, Ramesh (Sippy) ji, Subhash ji. These people have been the backbone of the industry and they know very well the difference between what is just commercial,  and what is good along with being commercial.

What is that you hold as perhaps the most important yard stick to judge a song by? It is the memorability of the entire tune, lyrics, composition?

Javed Akhtar:  It is about the songs in a particular year. So while there may be an album of the year or a song of the year, it can become a true hit only if it can take the test of time  A good song has to have a good rendering, composition and words. All three things are essential  There are many good filmmakers, but we remember Bimal Roy and Guru Dutt. Even though there were people who made more successful films than these two,  we don't remember them. Only those who contributed something are remembered.

Radio Mirchi has been working at making MMA better each year. What do you think of their efforts over the past three years?

Javed Akhtar: It is wonderful, and the intention is extremely appreciated and respected. Let's just hope the popular (songs) don't rule over the good.

Kavita Krishnamurthy: I am really one with that,  and its great what Radio Mirchi is doing. It is a huge platform that the whole country knows, but my point is that Radio Mirchi would be able to change the aesthetics and taste of the people to include not only what is just popular, but also the great music that the Indian soil contains. It will help the flavors of musicians to reach out to every corner and elevate the taste of the people and make them more educated about music.