The song is being played everywhere. Pubs, Panwallahs, Auto-rikshaws, market places, leave alone the promos on your pious home TV. Your kaamwali bai may be humming it silently (your kid may do that stealthily). The raunchiness of this titillating music video Kaanta Lagaa has stung every nook and corner of India. For those who don't have the slightest inkling, I am talking about the video filmed on navel-revealing Shefali Jariwala and based on a remixed old Hindi film-song sung by Lata Mangeshkar and picturised on Aruna Irani. The video girl is now a sought-after entity for live shows and the frenzy that it has kindled is unbelievable. It has become sort of a cult-song has provoked host of new more adventorous videos. Not long ago one Meghna Naidu had set the music charts aflame with the steamy Kaliyon Ka Chaman video. Now everyone is following suite. The song itself may not matter, picturisation does. Not surprisingly then, even seemingly frigid songs like Chadti Jawani have been filmed to give you a shudder.

The bujurgs (elders) and the administration have all been taken aback, an expected kneejerk reaction in a society which is now opening up to subjects of desire. The recently released Hindi movie Khwahish and the upcoming Boom would bear testimony to this. I do not know how exactly to react to this. Personally I find these videos erotic yet interesting. Perhaps I would be objecting to these when my son starts comprehending such stuff.

The fact that pains me here is the duress on the Radio Jockeys (RJs). Where would the producers allow for creativity in writing scripts for the shows when the slogan of the station becomes less talk, more music. With so many players vying for attention you do not have any option but to keep your act short and crispy. That means less of RJing, just seconds of blah blah and then you are taken over by what sells the music. [Incidentally Radio Mirchi, Indore had offered me a full-time job for RJ after I had cleared their tests and audition, I do not know whether it was a sound decision but I did not accept it as I was looking only for some part-time fun, now that I think of it perhaps I did better, at least I would not have succumbed to this concept of less talk.]

All in all, in the race for revenue, creativity is called for not only in programming but also in campaigning. As a matter of fact, concerns over marketing strategies overpower those over content. Afterall stations have the same pie of advertisers to share, the race is for who manages with the biggest chunk. Talented and genuine RJs in these scenario can only grin and bear. For the rest who anyhow manage the buk-buk just to get their pocket-money (and listening to FM at Indore I can bet there are many such RJs), it was never a matter of concern anyway.

Hindi Songs

• Tanha Dil (Shaan)
• Zara-zara behekta hai (Jayshree)

English Songs

• Life is a Rollercoaster (Ronan Keating)