Singer Benny Dayal talks about music videos, being active on social media and his new video, Batti Gul, with Akriti Kakkar
Benny Dayal
When music videos ruled television channels, they brought in a new wave — of gorgeous models, a happy-ending storyline, catchy choruses and a host of new artistes. If Lucky Ali stunned listeners shooting by the pyramids in O Sanam, Euphoria had a more cultural feel in Dhoom Pichak Dhoom, splendidly shot by veteran Pradeep Sarkar. These videos vanished over time. Today, efforts are being made to revive those golden days through digital platforms. Recently, singers Benny Dayal and Akriti Kakkar released the upbeat Batti Gul under a series titled Bollyland Exclusives.
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Benny Dayal
Dayal — who scaled heights with hits like Badtameez Dil and Bang Bang — also grew up watching music videos. “As a child, I used to admire the videos of Michael Jackson. I also loved Dardi Rab Rab (Daler Mehndi) and Mae Ri (Euphoria),” he says. Do these videos help an artiste? “Nothing helps anybody, it is just the music which is important to keep people entertained.”
The song written and composed by Kakkar was shot in Mumbai and Delhi. “Initially, I just thought about recording the song and then, the idea of a video came up. Akriti worked further on the song and then, we completed an amazing shoot for three days,” adds Dayal. The new video is about a gang of boys inside a house, jaded and down on energy that leads to a power cut. In the next frame, Kakkar enters. With her radiance, she lights up the apartment.
Dayal also praised social media for bridging the gap between a musician and his listeners. “Earlier, a new release spread by word-of-mouth or radio/television. Now, the medium has become bigger, easier to access from your phone and very vibrant. We are all on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and it helps us move forward. I believe it is necessary to be active on social media to stay with times,” he says.
These days, consumers are online but he doesn’t see that as a challenge. “There is no particular opinion whether it is good or bad. I don’t keep track of how many views my work online receives. But it is good that people have a new medium in which to access songs and music. This change is for the best,” he adds.
Dayal spent his early years at Madras Christian College (Chennai) studying journalism. He sings in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam for regional films and is one of the most celebrated voices in the Mumbai film industry. How does he balance it all? “It’s just my job. I juggle songs like you juggle so many stories. You have so many things to write, edit, sit with your editor and finally put it out there. Even that’s a lot of work. Similarly, I have numerous songs to record, shoot, give interviews or go for promotional shoots,” he says.
Like so many others, he is in awe of music composer AR Rahman and frequently sings for him. “He keeps things simple and isn’t pretentious. His honesty is what makes him a legend.”
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