Where did the children’s songs go?

Where did the children’s songs go? On Children’s Day, industry insiders tell us that with fewer prominent kid characters in films and the focus on creating a hit song that caters to all segments, children’s songs are no longer considered essential or viable in Bollywood.

Where did the children’s songs go?

When curating a Children’s Day playlist, the most obvious selections are Lakdi Ki Kathi (Masoom, 1983), Nani Teri Morni Ko Mor Le Gaye (Masoom, 1960), Nanha Munna Rahi Hu (Son of India, 1962), Hum Bhi Agar Bachche Hote (Door Ki Awaaz, 1964)) and many others such classic tracks, that have remained a constant favourite with kids (and adults too!). Then came Chak Dhoom Dhoom (Dil Toh Pagal Hai, 1997), Chhota Bachcha Jaan Ke Hum Ko (Masoom, 1996) and Bam Bam Bole (Taare Zameen Par, 2007). Once an essential part of Bollywood movies, the number of children’s songs has gone down considerably in films, and the ones that are there could never match the popularity of songs like Lakdi Ki Kathi or Aao Tumhe Chand Pe Le Jaye. “There can never be a replacement for these old favourites,” says singer Udit Narayan, who has sung popular tracks like O Mere Papa The Great (Papa The Great, 2000) and Oh I Love You Daddy (Akele Hum Akele Tum, 1995), adding, “The reason is that the writing of those songs and the composition were so good that it connected with the audience of every age group, every generation. It is difficult to find those kinds of songs today.”

‘Today, there are fewer movies with prominent kid characters, thus fewer songs for children’

Udit Narayan adds that when we talk about children’s songs in films, it is impossible not to talk about child artistes who would be an integral part of film plots earlier. But over time, as the role of child artistes in Bollywood stories reduced, songs specific to children were no longer needed. Music composer and singer Salim Merchant adds, “Even the projection of kids has changed in the kind of stories that are being made today. Take the example of movies like Dangal or Bajrangi Bhaijaan, both of which features kids in prominent roles, but the storyline was communicating something that is not specific to only kids. So children’s songs today do not really fit in most of the stories that we are narrating in our films. There are fewer stories or situations which would demand such a song.” Lyricist Raj Shekhar, who made his Bollywood debut with Tanu Weds Manu and has written children’s stories, says that in films he grew up watching, kids were an important part of stories. “What I liked was that they were treated as an important character, not a supporting element in the film, and even the songs were written keeping this in mind. If you take the example of the song Hum Laayein Hain Toofan Se Kashti Nikal Ke (Jagriti, 1954), the song is addressed to children. When that scenario changed in films over time, even writing for kids reduced, which I think is sad. We are failing in giving the present generation music that is written exclusively for them,” says Raj Shekhar.

‘Today, the focus is to at least get one commercial hit from a film and a kid’s song can’t be the pitch.’

In times when social media hits decide the fate of songs and films, a lot of work and effort goes into making music that can be a commercial hit and also gain traction online. “In such a scenario, creating a kid’s song feels like a risk when the movie is not about kids,” says singer Javed Ali, adding that out of thousands of songs offered to him in his singing career so far, he has barely sung two-three songs which were for kids. “It is not just me, this will be the case with all the singers, as there are hardly any songs being written for kids now. I think over time, these specifics that were once an important part of films – like a Holi song, Raksha Bandhan song or Diwali song – are becoming rare. And even if a few films do have them, most of these songs just come and go.”

‘Songs created today are for audience at large, not for a segment.’

“While we are discussing the topic of children’s songs, let’s not forget to talk about the changing preferences and choices of modern kids,” says Salim Merchant, adding, “I have seen kids in my own home and once they grow out of their nursery rhyme phase, what they consume are songs which are for adults. The songs that are created today in films can’t be created for any segment. To make them popular, it is important that they are created keeping in mind the larger audience, which also includes kids,” says Salim.

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