Kya Hain Yahaan?

This year by far has been the most rewarding of all for the Indian movie-music lover in me. Just halfway thru the year and we have yet another melody packed movie – Yahaan - all set to release on the 22nd of July. What’s impressive is that Yahaan has already been chosen to be part of a selection of Indian films being shown at the Osian - Cinefan Festival of Asian Cinema.

The main plot of the movie itself does not have me terribly interested. From the few reviews that I have read so far, it seems like a regular old love story set in war torn Kashmir. The central theme seems to be about a local pahaadi girl (albeit in this movie the pahaadi is modern) falling in love with a visitor/tourist and in this case an army officer. I can trace this plot all the way back to Madhumita and a whole bunch of similar stories! The cast includes Jimmy Shergil the cutie and a Delhi debutante – Minissha Lamba. Minissha used to live in Kashmir when younger and hence is believed to have added more value to her character. We shall see about that soon!!

There are some things that have captured my attention though. The production house is Red Ice Films, a very prominent Ad agency founded by Sujit Sircar who is also the debutant director for the movie. Then there is the young Swedish cinematographer – Jakob Ihre, whose work has already been noticed in a few festivals – the Berlin Film Festival being one of them. Sujit and Ihre have already worked together in a few ads – remember the Cadbury’s cricket ad - the one with the cute girl dancing on the field in pure ecstasy – that was them.

But here’s where it gets really interesting. Breakthrough, a human rights organization that focuses primarily on women’s issues in India hired Red Ice Films in 2000, to make a music video based on the real life story of a Muslim woman named Shameem Pathan. This was Sujit’s and his Red Ice partner Gary’s very first music video. The music video was Man Ke Manjeere. The strong portrayal of Shameem’s character was done by a strong actress – Mita Vashisht, it was shot in Pushkar and the video became a major hit!!

But the other part that made this video a huge success world over was the music - Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics, Shubha Mudgal’s rendering and Shantanu Moitra’s music.

Is it any surprise then that Sujit would choose Shantanu Moitra for his very first feature film??

Shantanu Moitra has stepped into the limelight of mainstream Bollywood music with the still new Parineeta. And now he is all set to show his versatility and musical genius with Yahaan. Gulzar’s poetry and Moitra’s music complement each other perfectly to create another album that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Naam Adaa Likhna – I am tempted to call this song an AR Rahman in style and execution. It is very similar to Rahman in buildup, it starts with Shaan laying the foundation & mood, minimalistic ‘sounding’ synthesizer work that is actually well detailed, a lone chord creating a tempo, chirping birds, a gentle gush of cymbals, a steady beat that picks up and lifts the song till it soars in your senses and you start snapping your fingers and nodding your head. The smooth Sax is very cleverly tucked into the background. What I love about such songs is that the base rhythm and structure that the entire song carries within is laid bare for a wistful ending. That’s what leaves one humming the tune in his/her head while feeling feathery light and wistful. Shreya Ghoshal is easily one of the sweetest sounding singers and she has done a good job of adding romance and innocence to the song.

Aaoon to subahah jaaoon to mera naam sabah likhna
Barf pade to barf pe mera naam dua likhna

Gulzar uses words beautifully romanticizing mornings and evenings, sunrises and sunsets

Urzu Urzu Durkut – The strings that open the song are of a mandolin and they seem to open the door to a paradise with bubbling brooks and huddled sheep under tall chinar trees.
The guitar work that blends in with the children in chorus creates a carefree mood and that is what this song is about.

Chhann se bole chamak ke jab Chinaar bole
Khwaab dekha hai aankh ka khumaar bole
Khwaab chhalke to aankh se tapak ke bole
Jharna chhalke to pura aabshaar bole

I am unable to say what is more stunning – Gulzar’s lyrics, the music or Shreya’s singing. It is one of the best songs I have heard this year – excellent composition, dramatic & fluid in structure and flute work that adds to the playfulness. It’s almost like watching a river flow through ravines and bouncing off rocks, creating roaring white waterfalls yet forming calm pools in places.

Mere Chaliyan – a solo by Shreya, this is a Punjabi song, through and through. Each song in this album has one instrument featured strongly and this one has the harmonium. Although I am not a great fan of bhangra kind of music, this one is a song I’ll definitely dance to. Perhaps it’s the tiniest bit of sweet pain in the otherwise cheerful tune that makes it so soulful. The little bit of classical swaras/notes that are sung in between are completely out of place in this song.
Some foot tapping Dhol work finished the song with gusto and surprisingly I felt like I wanted more!!

The same song has been cast into the remix mould by Sameeruddin and Abhishek Arora. Even though it is not a run of the mill Bhangra remix it failed to impress me. The funkiness overpowered the romantic sweetness of the song.

Ajmer Wale Khwaja – Nizami Bandhu, the famous Qawwals have composed and rendered this song. It is slightly modernized and can be categorized as fusion. But the integrity of the Sufi style in the song has not been tampered with. The background music generates a certain tension, and the intricate classical high pitched aalaap intensifies the moment. I am certain that if this song is picturized as well as it is rendered, I will have double the goose bumps to deal with.
Kahoon Kaise Sakhi – Also by the Nizami Brothers, this is a love song. There is some splendid guitar, drums that makes this emotion filled song intensely passionate at times. It is a brilliant piece of fusion. This is a perfect example where a classical piece is enhanced by blending it with another style of music. While it might seem easy to do, it is easier to mess it up. It takes a great deal of respect and understanding on part of the musicians and composers towards one another and their respective styles of music, to create a synchronized and tasteful blend - a Jugal-Bandi of sorts. I am in complete awe of this new genre of fusion of classical and contemporary Indian music.

The music for both the qawaali numbers are by Sameeruddin and Abhishek Arora. The background score for the movie is also done by them.

The other remix this duo has made is for the first song Naam Adaa Likhna. This is an unbelievably smart treatment that brings an entirely different perspective to the same sweet song. The original lyrics are interspersed with English lyrics and that liberates the song almost like it just received a gallon of Gatorade. For a disco deewaani like me, the delicate touch of retro music indicates that disco is back!! I must agree with the other critics this is a superb remix!

The album is finished with the Yahaan Theme. The Santoor, Mandolin, Flute, Dhafli like percussion and a soulful Tara create a rather short fusion masterpiece of a background theme for this soundtrack.

All in all a very impressive album and exciting as well!! It is a real treat to hear good, original and innovative music in popular Bollywood cinema. This kind of newness is one I have longed for, for a long time!! And it’s only just begun......