Khayyam angry with Gautam Ghose

Music maestro Khayyam is upset with filmmaker Gautam Ghose for eliminating his music from "Yatra". Upset and trying to bridle his anger, the veteran composer said: "This is my first and hopefully last such experience in the film industry. God knows what madness hit Gautam. He decided to do away with the four songs I had composed for him in 'Yatra'."

The contract stated that Ghose would compose the background score, while Khayyam would compose the songs for the Rekha-Nana Patekar starrer.

"But for reasons best known to him, he decided to do away with my songs and keep all of his music," complained Khayyam. "The interesting part of this whole unjust exercise is, the situations for my songs existed in the script."

The composer also rues that the film's leading lady was criticised for getting excited about the music. "Rekhaji took keen interest in the songs. Gautam Ghose took offence to her interest. But a film is the result of teamwork. Everyone has to take keen interest in a work of art for it to blossom."

However, Khayyam is gracious to acknowledge Ghose's talents. "I admit Gautam Ghose must be very adept at musical styles. In Bengal, music is a way of life. But things are different in Hindi cinema."

"Not too many people know him here. To remove the name of Khayyam from a film where he has composed music, I'd say this is Gautam Ghose's bad luck. It makes no difference to me. Even if my music went missing from the film people heard my music on the CD of 'Yatra'."

The veteran explains his anger by his economy of output.

"In the 60 years of my career I've done little work. Aapne suna hoga ... moody and choosy ... But I've always tried to compensate for my lack of prolificacy by working with great poets," he said.

"I've composed all kinds of tunes. You can hear my love for my country in every note that I compose. I want to serve my motherland till my last breath."

Currently, Khayyam is composing for a cinematic adaptation of Munshi Premchand's "Bazaar-e-Husn".

"It's titled 'Brothers 1980 - A Love Story'. It's a simple love story, and I've composed the tunes. I've also composed the songs for politician Abhishek Singvi's wife Anita Singhvi's ghazal album. And I'm doing the music for Lekh Tandon's serial on Doordarshan."

"I'm also doing the music for a film called 'Main Phir Aaoonga'. That title says a lot about me. You may not hear too much of Khayyam. But when you do, he won't disappoint you."

Indo-Asian News Service