Rabbi Shergill Says Art Has ‘Disappeared a Little’

Singer-songwriter Rabbi Shergill believes art has lost some of its space to entertainment over the past decade, saying the changing creative landscape has left “a little less space for art”.

Shergill, known for songs including “Bulla Ki Jaana”, “Tere Bin”, “Challa” and “Heer”, was reflecting on his earlier observation that art was gradually giving way to entertainment when he said he still largely holds the same view.

“I think this has become a little subjective. My opinion is that, by and large, there is a little less space for art,” Shergill said while discussing how the relationship between art and entertainment has evolved.

He pointed to the limited visibility of politically themed creative works in recent years as one of the questions audiences could consider while assessing the change.

“And I feel that, you can imagine, have you heard any political song in the last 10 years? Have you seen any political film in the last 10 years?” he said.

Concluding his assessment, Shergill said, “I feel that art has disappeared a little.”

The singer-songwriter’s music has drawn from Punjabi, rock, folk and Sufi influences, with Western musical arrangements forming an important part of his sound.

His widely recognised song “Bulla Ki Jaana” was based on a Kafi by Punjabi Sufi poet Bulleh Shah.

Shergill also lent his voice to “Challa”, the popular song composed by A.R. Rahman and written by Gulzar for Yash Chopra’s 2012 film Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which starred Shah Rukh Khan in the lead role.