Who deserves the accolades?

We read recently in papers about the imbroglio between film producers and lyricists-writers at the meeting of the 10-member committee (formed by the government to look into the proposed amendments to the Copyright Act) when Aamir Khan, siding with film producers, suggested that lyricists don't really contribute much to the impact of a song. Apparently, it was just too much for the legendary poet-lyricist Javed Akhtar to take, and it soon became a war of words between him and Aamir. The spat became quite PUBLIC to put it in a manner of speaking. But, what does the public have to say about it? After all, while the music director and singer create the magic, the actors create the appeal and feel for the songs. Of course, there are supporters of both the camps. People siding with Aamir feel that it's a good point to make and that in this age when music videos are what draw in the masses, it is indeed actors that sell. Further, they feel that there are lots of songs with beautiful lyrics and music that are easily forgotten whereas there are others which are remembered for good cinematography and the stars featuring in the video. People supporting the other faction feel that it is the song that creates a star and not vice-versa for without good music and lyrics, no big a star can salvage a song. Citing examples again is not difficult. There have been instances when songs with meaningless and worthless lyrics have topped the charts due to the stars featuring in it. A case in point are the numerous Govinda numbers like "Main to raste se jaa raha tha…", "Kisi disco mein jaayein…", etc. Then again, there have been songs that have made stars out of non-entities and new comers. Some examples may be the haunting Aashiqui songs; Emraan Hashmi's numerous songs like "Aashiq banaya aapne…", "Kaho naa kaho…", "Bheege honth tere…"; and Aamir's own debut superhit "Papa kehte hai…" and other songs from the film Qayamat se qayamet tak. I, personally, do not confirm to Aamir's point of view. Taking my own example, I often connect to a song played on a Radio long before I actually see its video on Television or movie screen. So, I was already awed by so many songs, even before I saw their videos, like "Ek ladki ko dekha to aisa laga…" from 1942 A love story, "Na tum jaano naa hum…" and "Sitaron ki mehfil…" from Kaho naa pyar hai, "Genda phool…" from Delhi-6, the songs of Taal and Yaadein, etc. The list is endless. In fact, there are some of my favourite songs, whose videos I haven't seen till date. E.g. "Ha raham…" from the film Aamir; "You got me rocking and reeling…" from the film Billu (Barber); "Jaane tu mera kya kya hai…" (Aditi's version) from Jaane tu ya Jaane naa; and many more. Moreover, I remember feeling disappointed by the videos of some really good songs as well. E.g. "Zoobie-Doobie…" from 3 idiots (found it too plain); "Azeem-o-shaan Shehanshah…" from Jodhaa – Akbar (the song is GRAND when heard on your earphones, but, the video is too focused on the numbers of dancers, elephants, etc. and totally disinterested in the coordination between the dancers and their attires, etc.); "Hum Tum…" from the movie Hum Tum (did not find the video as mushy and romantic as the song); "Dekh le…" from Munnabhai MBBS (little said the better in this case); and again many more. So is it actually inappropriate for Aamir to discredit the contribution of the lyricists, singers, musicians and music directors? Stars do add a spark to a good song but then again one may ask that each star appears in too many songs each year, then why don't all of them work? Why are some songs totally forgotten even if they featured the most popular bollywood actors? Why then some songs work wonders for some actors who reach pinnacles in their musically successful films but are lost in oblivion after they feature in non-musicals (e.g. Anu Agarwal, Rahul Roy, Kumar Gaurav, Mandakini, Rajiv Kapoor)? The answer is obvious. No song can work without a heady mix of some melodious notes, intelligent and worthy lyrics and heartrending singing. Stars are only an added attraction. So, I would say, "Javed Sa'ab, Bravo! All music lovers will support you in your fight for your rights!"