Veteran lyricist and screenwriter Javed Akhtar has drawn consideration to the evident gaps in India’s copyright and royalty framework for artistic professionals. A vocal advocate for honest compensation within the music and movie trade, Akhtar has constantly pushed for reforms that acknowledge the contributions of composers, writers, and singers. He cited the lifetime of composer Khemchand Prakash to focus on the shortage of economic safety confronted by the creative neighborhood.Khemchand Prakash’s demise and his spouse’s lifeKhemchand Prakash, recognized for launching the careers of icons resembling Lata Mangeshkar, Kishore Kumar, Manna Dey, and Naushad, died on the age of 42—reportedly from liver cirrhosis—with out ever reaping the rewards of his enduring legacy.
Akhtar recalled how Prakash had as soon as stood agency in help of a younger and inexperienced Lata Mangeshkar, backing her expertise when others doubted her. Their partnership started with the movie ‘Ziddi’, however it was the haunting melody of “Aayega Aane Wala” from Mahal (1949) that really propelled Mangeshkar’s voice into the hearts of hundreds of thousands. Prakash didn’t reside lengthy sufficient to witness the track’s lasting impression.Talking within the Rajya Sabha in 2012, Akhtar shared the heartbreaking aftermath of the composer’s loss of life: “Ayega ek din, ayega. Bahut mashoor geet hai, 60 saal pehle likha gaya tha… This track was composed by Khemchand Prakash, a deeply admired musician of his time… Once they tried to find him to pay Rs 13,000 owed to him, it was discovered that his spouse was begging in Malad. This isn’t shocking. There are lots of tales like this,” he said.Javed about regulation defending the rights of the susceptibleIn an outdated interview with The Instances of India, Javed underlined the broader implications of the problem. “The regulation is meant to guard the rights of the susceptible. No person cares for the households of creators of evergreen songs — the story of Khemchand Prakash, a singer of the golden period who composed songs like ‘Aayega Aane Wala’, is a working example. A while in the past, his spouse was discovered begging at Mumbai’s Malad station. If Prakash’s household had obtained sufficient royalty from his music, it might not have met such a destiny.”
