[arr] JA BLog review 4 (Milliblog)

[Gopal Srinivasan]

http://itwofs.com/milliblog/2008/01/20/jodhaa-akbar-hindi-a-r-rahman/

Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah has Rahman playing with orchestral opulence truly fit 
for an emperor,
in a fragmented, rhythm-dominated context. The most interesting part is the 
blend of very
Indian pieces amidst grand Mughal splendor, perhaps fittingly mirroring the 
relative importance
of the film’s two protagonists. In lamhon ke daaman mein, for most parts, is 
serenely beautiful
and even those intermittent high points in chorus harmonize delectably with the 
main melody.
Sonu Nigam and Madhushree’s vocals are, as usual, delightful. Javed Ali gets a 
cracker of a
tune in Jashn-e-bahaaraa and he handles the solo responsibly – since the song 
literally rests
on his rendition – and fabulously. Rahman seems to be enjoying himself 
thoroughly, singing
Khwaja mere khwaja, even as he, as the composer, elevates the sufi strains 
expertly within a
reasonably modern orchestral license. Bela Shende is spectacular in the 
princely, semi-Bhajan
where Javed Akhtar evokes - quite interestingly - lord Krishna’s separation 
from his beloved,
for Jodhaa’s pangs of separation from Akbar, a Mughal emperor! Truly secular 
and touchingly
imaginative! The creative freedom Rahman and Ashutosh have sought in this 
soundtrack may not
necessarily reflect the appropriate period in Indian history but makes up by 
being lavishly
inventive and tremendously sweeping!