/>
In what could be considered an open and unprecedented challenge to all the Bollywood composers over the generations who have copied, adapated and vandalized songs from international sources, music composer Aadesh Shrivastav who claims to have not composed a single unoriginal tune in his entire career of two decades, is all set to establish a music copyright-protection company in India to prevent Indian composers from illegally ripping off foreign songs.
Divulges Aadesh, " The idea was actually given to me by my musical collabator, the American rapper Wyclef Jean with whom I'm doing an album. I happened to mention the name of a very very big Indian composer who had adapted Wyclef's song Maria."
(Aadesh means R.D. Burman who used the song in Ramesh Sippy's Sagar).
"Wyclef was zapped. He said there were so many of his colleagues in America who wouldn't know about what Indian composers are up to, and why don't I do something about it. That's how the idea of forming a company to protect the publishing rights of songwriters in America and other countries was born."
Aadesh leaves for the US this week to finalize the deal. Besides Wyclef, his immediate clients are expected to be Shakira, Beoyence and several other singing giants.
"I'm aware I'll be the most hated man in Bollywood. But that's okay. At least I'll be doing what's right," laughs the self-appointed crusader.
Saturday, July 28, 2007 12:41 IST