Mangal Pandey Music Review
You would not have awaited any film so much in the recent times, as this one.
Right from the
day, it hit the floors, The Rising has been constantly in news, sometimes for
the wrong reasons
though, but if Aamir's last release is anything to go by, then Mangal Pandey
sure wins the most
awaited film's title. The film also has the country's latest queen bee, Rani
Mukehrjee and
would have been a sort of a casting coup if Aishwarya Rai had played a part
(considering the
latest controversy), which is now being played by quite out of news and in need
of a hit,
Amisha Patel. It also has a foreign actor Toby Stephens, as it's a period film
based on the
historic mutiny of Indian Soldiers in 1857. Producers Bobby Bedi - Deepa Sahi
along with her
director husband Ketan Mehta, have ensured the movie looks enormously affluent
as well as
authentic with elaborate costumes and opulent sets that match the era. However,
this also means
the music must carry the film's historic flavor and must have been difficult to
comprehend how
the music was, nearly a hundred and fifty years back. For a movie of such high
magnitude,
anything less than the music maestro A.R. Rahman and the veteran lyricist Javed
Akhtar, would
have been undeserved.
Kailash Kher makes an extremely impressive start with "Mangal Mangal", the
title track that has
the pace, incite and intensity that evokes a strong undercurrent of patriotism,
especially when
audio visualized. Yet, this is just the beginning, as the track has been
composed thrice with
Kailash Kher being a constant and precisely, he does have the voice that
conveys the rage,
agony and might of a phenomenon called Mangal Pandey. The track is essentially
a theme song of
the movie where the other two tracks are called Agni and Aatma. While the Agni
version is
analogous to the original with some additional brisk and vigor, the Aatma
version is tenacious
and persistent with Sukhwinder Singh adding some heart and soul into this
vehement sonata of
patriotism.
After the rumbling "Mangal Mangal" comes the soothing "Main Vari Vari". Kavita
Krishnamurthy,
who is undoubtedly one of the best and most versatile voices of Indian Cinema,
croons this one
along with Reena Bhardwaj (wife of music director Vishal Bharadwaj) with utmost
conviction and
is spot on with every emotion, like always. Only the likes of Rahman can do
justice to the
velvety and divine vocals of both these extremely gifted singers that are still
under-exploited. Although, the track does not have a remarkably great tune,
being a Rahman
classic, it will incontestably grow on its listeners at a pace they would never
know and Javed
Akhtar's significant words chanted by Kavita will do the rest.
The ancient Holi celebrations get underway with "Holi Re" where Mr. Perfect
himself takes to
the mike and once again delivers a flawless piece of perfection. While Aamir
Khan restricts
himself to the swift poetic verse, Udit Narayan, Madhusree, Srinivas and
Chinmaye do the actual
singing. Rich with varied vocals that sound authentically pleasant, the track
is the entire
music crew's humble and sincere effort that does not take long to bag the
predilection of its
audiences too.
The album only gets folksier with a mystical track "Rasiya" that has the music
talking to your
senses. Not all, but a few intense music lovers might find this exciting, as
they plunge deeper
into this unusual symphony of sagacity with Richa Sharma, Bomnie Chakraborty.
The opening Shehnai pieces of "Takey Takey" will remind you of "Saiyaan" from
Rahman but the
track quickly swerves to exclusivity as Sukhwinder Singh, Kailash Kher, Kartick
Das Baul along
with a cluster of kids in chorus execute this one with bracing rapidity. The
track should
inherently thrive on Javed Akhtar's satirical vocabulary followed by Rahman's
spry composition
that makes an entertaining listening.
A cry of help from the almighty with words richer than the normal comes in its
pure Islamic
form in "Al Maddath Maula". A.R. Rahman along with Kailash Kher, Murtaza and
Kadir collaborate
in finely tuned accord for this solemn track that may not have a great auditory
value, but
would serve a very important purpose in the movie itself.
The two masters of music come together for creating the music of this great
Indian saga of
patriotism. Considering the film will not give those regular situational
liberties and the
music has to harmonize with the film's flavor and style, Javed Akhtar for one
has given more
than hundred percent. As for Rahman, he is competing with none other than his
own self and
Rahman's best is yet to come.
So much for an endless wait for a movie that stars - Aamir Khan!
"We neglect our cities at our peril. For, in neglecting them, we neglect the
nation."
-John F. Kennedy
This August, Discover the Birth of Your Independence
and The Magic of A.R.Rahman's Music in
Mangal Pandey - The Rising
http://www.risingthefilm.com
http://www.mangalpandeythefilm.com
Music released: Jul 14, 2005 Movie releases: Aug 12, 2005
Explore, Experience, Enjoy A.R.Rahman - The Man, The Music, The Magic.
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