ABSTRACT
This chapter explores some aspects of the use of Western music in Hindi films from the point of view of narrative meaning. It investigates the use of various Western musical techniques and styles in Hindi films, and addresses the question of their intelligibility to Indian audiences. The chapter examines how music of Western and Indian origins has come to be used in Hindi films, and what the reasons behind this are. Around 1950, the quantity and scale of background music in Hindi films significantly increased, with many aspects of Hollywood scoring entering Hindi films, such as large symphony style orchestras. Two observations on the patterning of use of Indian and Western music were noted from the preliminary analysis of the narrative of O mere lal a ja. The first was the association of Western music with narrative progression and Indian music with narrative stasis, and the second was the association of Western music with scenes of disturbance.
