* Thaayum Neeye Thandhaiyum Neeya - BABA
--- In [email protected], "patevis3" <vishal1...@...> wrote: > > http://vishal12.wordpress.com/2009/10/29/a-r-rahmans-spiritual-canon/ > > > A R Rahman has experimented, quite successfully, with myriad musical genres. > But when it comes to spiritual songs, he likes to leave them untainted by not > adding a lots of bells and whistles and rely heavily on the core melody > itself. > > I don't think any other music director (in Bollywood, if not in India) has > given us more "spiritual" songs than the maestro. I like to call them > spiritual songs, as opposed to religious or devotional, because although > majority of these songs have either Islamic or Hindu flavor, I find them > universally appealing and elevating. Here's a list of my favorites from this > genre: > > * Khwaja Mere Khwaja Jodha Akbar > > This song was dedicated to the Hidalwali (Saint of India) Khwaja > Ghareeb-un-Nawaz, and was rendered by A R Rahman himself. He one mentioned in > an interview that this song is very close to his heart, and you can feel his > sincerity in the way he has sung this beautiful song. The soul stirring > instrumental (Oboe) version of this song gives me goosebumps every time I > hear it. > > [Trivia: The lyrics of this song were not written by Javed Akhar - who wrote > all other songs of this movie - but by someone named Kashif.] > > > > * Arziyan Delhi 6 > > Backed by harmonium, tabla and continual gentle claps, this mesmerizing > qawwali is like an ode to the Islamic culture of Old Delhi. Javed Ali, along > with Kailash Kher, does full justice to Prasoon Joshi's meaningful lyrics and > A R Rahman's magical tune. > > > > * Piya Haji Ali Fiza > > This was the first Sufi-style qawwali that A R Rahman composed for a movie. > For Khuda ke vali (God's friend) Haji Ali, to be specific. Shaukat Ali's > beautiful lyrics give a glimpse of how Islam, the monotheist religion, has > blended with the local cultures in India: Yahaan hindu muslim sikh isaai faiz > paate hai. > > [Trivia: This song was performed by Ghulam Mustafa brothers, Srinivas and A R > Rahman. Can you identify which lines are sung by Srinivas?] > > > > Apart from the obvious Sufi semblance, muqaddar/taqdeer/kismat is another > connecting link between the aforementioned songs: Arziyan (Marammat muqaddar > ki kar do maula), Khwaja Mere Khwaja (Bekasoor ki taqdeer, tune hai saNwaari) > and Piya Haji Ali (Bigadi kismat aap ke dar par saNwarti hai). > > * Al Maddath Maula Mangal Pandey: The Rising > > Unlike the three songs mentioned above, this one has a high tempo, an > adrenaline rush and a dark tone of impending calamity. Murtuza, Qadir and > Kailash Kher sing this song with a fervor, with intermittent devout > spine-tingling calls to maula by A R Rahman. > > [Trivia: Murtaza and Qadir are the same Ghulam Mustafa brothers from Piya > Haji Ali. They also accompanied A R Rahman in Tere Bina from Guru, and > rendered 'Doston se joothi-moothi' in Chupke Se song from Saathiya.] > > > > * O Paalanhaare Lagaan > > There are actually two versions of this song. One sung by Lata Mangeshkar and > Udit Narayan, and the other with an additional female singer. It's the latter > version that was used in the movie (to distinguish the lines picturized on > Gauri and Bhuvan's mother). But I prefer the former one, with Lata's aging > yet divine voice accompanied by mellifluous flute and subtle sounds of temple > bells. Here's the version that was used in the movie. > > > > * Noor-Un-Ala-Noor Meenaxi > > Written by the great painter and inept director, M F Hussain, this addictive > qawwali raised a controversy because some Muslims got offended (I think the > song uses a phrase from Quran to praise the beauty of a mere mortal: > Meenaxi). And guess who are the singers of this qawwali? Murtaza and Qadir > again! > > > > * Man Mohana Jodha Akbar > > As I wrote in my review of Jodha Akbar's music, add Mira's pangs of > separation (from Krishna) to Radha's passion (for him) and you get the recipe > for this devotional song. The way Bela Shende has rendered this bhajan - her > unflattering voice and command over the highs and lows of the song leaves you > wondering why she doesn't get more offers as a singer. (Isn't Kangna Re from > Paheli is her only other song?) > > > > * Ek Tu Hi Bharosa Pukar > > Lata and A R Rahman joined hands only four times, and the result is always > breathtaking. The tune of this song was originally composed for a concert in > Malaysia and later used for this movie. > > > > * Zikr Bose: The Forgotten Hero > > This song is something else! I can't really describe the elevated sense of > euphoria that it evokes. One shouldn't merely listen to this song, one should > experience it. Since I am not a religious person, I attribute the effect of > the song to the music (as opposed to its meaning). > > > > * Ishwar Allah 1947 Earth > > The secular message of this melancholic number is in the form of a series of > questions to the almighty. It's played in the background when the > end-credits roll, and I think that was a perfect way to end this movie a > story of savagery and violence narrated by a Parsi girl. > > ------ > > Regards, > > Vishal > http://vishal12.wordpress.com/ >
