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Models, Inc

Once upon a time, there was a country called India. A country that was very sad. Sad, because it didn't have an all girl band.

Then Magnasound came along, and India was not so sad. Because

Shawna, Shiuli and Kamayani (L to R)

Magnasound had decided to put together an all girl band. But it was hard, very hard. They tried and they tried, but nothing happened.

Until that glorious day when Magnasound met Biddu. And Models was born. All they needed now was three beautiful women. Three Models.

They searched high and low. And found Kamayani, Shawna and Shiuli. Three damsels who fit the bill. Glamour girls. Great lookers. Perfect. Magnasound had finally struck gold. With Models, and their album Jaana Hai Bollywood. The rest is history.

PS: Did I forget to mention they could sing too?

Excuse me for that cute little digression - after reading the press release, I just couldn't resist.

But what's the story?

Models - touted as India's first all girl band.

Why the hoo-haa, though? Women have been singing for years. And Indian bands are doing pretty well for themselves, especially with the music channels promoting local talent.

So, what's the big deal? Models - promoted as India's first all woman band. But what kind of woman are they projecting? Or, is the fact that they're female enough reason for us to roll out the red carpet?

Get real, guys. This is the nineties. We're not interested in

Music composer Biddu

a bunch of hip-hop, glam dams with short skirts and cute voices. We're talking about Attitude. We're looking for Soul, Intensity, Depth, Energy.

We're even willing to settle for Great Voices.

Unfortunately, Models does not have any of that. But look at the bright side. What they do have is Good Looks. Biddu's music. A portfolio shot by Ashok Salian. A video shot by Kailash Surendranath. Packaged, to the T, by Magnasound. And The Big Advantage - they're an all girl band. Unexplored concept. Uncharted territory.

It's incredible. Market a new concept and hit big time. Average stuff? Sure. But who cares? "After all, it's not for you and me. It's the masses we're talking about," says Shiuli, one of the singers.

So it's a Concept. For the Masses. But what's it all about? Maybe we should be talking to Biddu about it, since he's the one who came up with idea.

For those of you who missed the bus, Biddu's the music director of Naiza-Zoheb, Shaun-Shagorika, Alisha Chinai, Shweta Shetty fame. The man with the golden, or should I say distinctive, touch.

"I always work on concepts that I have thought of," says Biddu. "After Shweta and Johnny Joker, pop has really exploded here. But there has to be a variety of acts to sustain it. I felt that an all girl or all male act was the logical step to take. We decided on all girl band because, in India, men are preconditioned to believe that they have to work after college. Music isn't part of their culture like it is for the blacks. They don't take it seriously enough."

(Indus Creed, Millenium, Chakraview, Pentagram and the rest - hope you're listening).

He continues, "Besides, considering the sex-starved Indian male, an all girl band would have more of a chance to succeed."

(I knew it! I knew it! I knew it! Obviously, we're still tuned into Planet of the Apes.)

"Magnasound loved the idea, and we started working on it

India's first all female band

almost a year ago. Initially, we wanted to take an already existing all girl band and produce music for them. When we realised no such band existed, we started looking around."

Image, according to Biddu, was priority. He says, "Image is all important. We wanted attractive women, not too desi, who could dance and sing. Though they had to be able to sing, the focus, definitely, was on looks - the image they portrayed. An unattractive woman, even if she had an amazing voice, would not have been selected."

Biddu and Magnasound were clear about what they were looking for - and Shawna, Shiuli and Kamayani got lucky.

I met them at the Magnasound office. Shawna, hostess with Air India; background, jazz; Shiuli, theatre and A Mouthful of Sky and Kamayani, law; Hindustani classical and the only Delhite in the group. How did it all happen?

Says Shawna, "I met Atul Churamani on a flight, and he asked me if I was interested. They'd already spotted Kamayani at a recording studio in Delhi. And Shiuli..." "was juggling oranges outside the Magnasound office when they invited me in," says Shiuli, with a smile.

Demo tapes were approved, and Models was formed.

Why Models? Says Shawna, "The band has a young, fresh, glamorous look. Exactly what the name Models suggests."

"I wanted a name," says Biddu, "that even the common man could recognise. It also had to have universal appeal. If it was parochial, it would probably restrict the sales abroad."

So why didn't they use professional models, especially since great voices wasn't the priority? Says Biddu, "I wouldn't have been able to use established models. They have this very aloof look which is the very antithesis of what I wanted. I was looking for lots of energy, fun."

Speaking of aloof looks, former Miss India Mehr Jessia feels that 'Models' is a senseless name for a music band. The catwalk queen who now runs her own modelling agency, Face 1, says, "The name really doesn't do anything to me. Modelling is a high profile profession, we're constantly being written about. Obviously, the group is cashing in on that popularity. But I wonder how long it'll work for them."

How does she feel about the album implying that models ko jaana hai Bollywood, especially since she's never been interested in Hindi films? "I agree with you that most models are jumping onto the Bollywood bandwagon. But it's sad that people don't seem to realise that modelling and acting are two different professions. You shouldn't mix the two."

Jaana Hai Bollywood, as inspired by JuhiSangyAnuSushAshPoojaMadhu Suman blah blah blah...? Says Biddu, "The title song is an aspirational one, almost like my life story. When I was young, all I wanted to do was go to Bombay and make it big in music. I altered Bombay to Bollywood to suit the concept. It's about how these girls want to go to Bollywood to see the movie stars and how they realise they're as good or better than them."

Although the album has some catchy numbers like Shukriya and Yeh Din Hamara Hai, Shweta Shetty insists "It isn't Biddu's best."

Pop singer Shweta Shetty

Shweta, who worked with Biddu on her album Johnny Joker, feels, "Models is a great concept, three women together. We've never really had a group before. The video's cool and they have a great hook line."

But she obviously doesn't think it's enough to sustain an act. "Models isn't really a band," shrugs Shweta, "at least it's not the way I see a band. They're very attractive women, but not singers in the actual sense of the term. Their voices aren't powerful enough. Nor do any of them play any kind of musical instrument on stage. A band, for me, means three very powerful women on stage with this great act - I don't see that with these three."

Shweta's a bit peeved with all the "Move over Alisha, Shweta - Models are here" bit. She says, "Good looks aren't enough anymore. I guess we'll have to wait and watch them perform live."

Bashir Sheikh, vice president, BMG Crescendo, agrees with Shweta. "They're not a performing band. They're also not the first all women band in India. Being a musician myself, I've played with all girl groups in the past. Though, I must say that Models is definitely the first Hindi language pop group with three young women. Models-cum-singers, that's a concept Magnasound and Biddu deserve credit for. It's definitely the first in that field."

Although Bashir hasn't listened to the album, he says, "The market doesn't seem too hot on it; at least, that's what I've heard. But the girls have got a good break, with big names like Magnasound and Biddu to work with. I don't know how serious they are about their music, but it's given them quite a kick."

Has it? Given them a kick, I mean? Sure. "Working with Biddu was a dream," says Kamayani. "He's a slave driver," says Shiuli. But all three agree that it was a great experience. Like Shwana says, "The ideal work environment."

It does not seem to bother them that the music is pure Biddu. Although Biddu insists that "What sells is the combined effort of the music, artist and the marketing team', his music has, over the years, retained a very distinctive aurality that definitely underplays the artist's individuality. Kamayani feels, "When you work with a successful music director like Biddu, you're moulded to his style. That's why when you listen to the album, you think - that's Biddu. It's like an A R Rahman song. Besides, when you're working in a band, you require a lot of professional maturity. You can't project yourself."

All three of them feel that the band's "got a great marketing strategy, and the trend will definitely catch on." Biddu says, "A lot of companies are already working on similar concepts. If this clicks, there will be several other bands like Models. We haven't seen any girl gigs around either because we don't have the talent or it hasn't been exploited enough. None of the other music companies around have very good artists with them."

Wonder what Bashir would say to that, since BMG Crescendo has also been working on an all girl band. "We've worked on something more meaningful, with plenty of attitude. It definitely has a message. A combination of feminity and aggression, combined with a social message," is how he describes Sambhal Ke, the album featuring both known and new singers that BMG Crescendo will be announcing soon.

Which leaves us with Models, minus the meat. What do they say to that? They're slightly perplexed. "Yeh Din Hamara Hai is about the women of the nineties," they say. "And the title track is about women going out and getting what they want." Shawna adds, "We're not dealing with women's causes in our music. No rabid rah! rah!, espouse a cause kind of stuff." Shiuli says, "It's a fun album, not an issue-based one. I don't think I'm ready to use this medium as a platform yet."

What Jaana Hai Bollywood is definitely making is a fashion statement. Using the music video as a platform. Directed by Kailash Surendranath, it's supposed to be saying "Beautiful aspirants have talent too."

Unfortunately, we don't see much talent. What we do see is the Models growing up. Parental despair. Big, bad Bombay. Men knocking themselves over. Producers flashing cards at them from convertibles. Garish clothes. Sexy clothes. Cool clothes. Make up, lots of it. More clothes.

I would agree with Samir Hafiz, Creative Director, Colossus, when he says, "Kailash is capable of far better work." Colossus has been nominated by the Channel V Billboard Awards for three of their music videos - Anaida's Oova Oova, Baba Sehgal's Tora Tora and Mehnaz's Miss India. "It's a sloppy video," adds Samir, "with absolutely no creative structure."

Models, as an all women team, don't claim to be doing anything for women. So why are we jumping out of our skin in excitement, feeling like we've finally found a voice? What are we supposed to identify with? Their music isn't a gender thing. And it has no soul. Which bring us to the point that, even if the concept is interesting, I think we women deserve much more.

With inputs from Deepthi Talwar in Bangalore.