There are a couple of A.R. Rahman songs which are simply mind blowing in their musical complexity. I have always wanted to document some points around all of them. I will start off with the song, which hit me almost 16 years after i actually heard it for the first time.
You must have heard Satrangi re from Dil se. Me being fond of only music, lyrics being secondary, i have always loved this song, and am continually enthralled by its musical beauty. The tune of the song seems to be based on one of the Bhairav raagas, probably to give it that nice Arabian feel, since the song had been filmed in a desert colored setting of Ladakh.
But the Arabian connection goes real deep, and I realised this today. It would be worthwhile to quote Wikipedia here on the movie
..Dil Se is said to be a journey through the 7 shades of love that are defined in ancient Arabic literature. Those shades are defined as attraction, infatuation, love, reverence, worship, obsession, and death. The character played by Shahrukh Khan passes through each shade during the course of the film.....
And that exactly is where it hit me so hard! I had read this article two weeks back, and only today did i realise the Sat - rangi, refers to the 7 shades!! I wonder how many of the lyrics aficionados were able to figure this out; i am sure the people with Urdu background must be finding my reactions funny...:)
And to think of Mani Rathnam's genius, he made a movie which looks like a flick on terrorism on the front, but is something with a deep undercurrent. The journey of love, based on the Arabian concept, portrayed in the life of the protagonist, and condensed into such a musical masterpiece! Such an execution is only possible when legends come together, and this happens rarely.
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A salute to Gulzaar saab, Rahman sir, Mani sir and Sonu ji...truly a masterpiece!! With that, here's the song, but before that, a few lines that everyone who has loved will completely understand...
You must have heard Satrangi re from Dil se. Me being fond of only music, lyrics being secondary, i have always loved this song, and am continually enthralled by its musical beauty. The tune of the song seems to be based on one of the Bhairav raagas, probably to give it that nice Arabian feel, since the song had been filmed in a desert colored setting of Ladakh.
But the Arabian connection goes real deep, and I realised this today. It would be worthwhile to quote Wikipedia here on the movie
..Dil Se is said to be a journey through the 7 shades of love that are defined in ancient Arabic literature. Those shades are defined as attraction, infatuation, love, reverence, worship, obsession, and death. The character played by Shahrukh Khan passes through each shade during the course of the film.....
And that exactly is where it hit me so hard! I had read this article two weeks back, and only today did i realise the Sat - rangi, refers to the 7 shades!! I wonder how many of the lyrics aficionados were able to figure this out; i am sure the people with Urdu background must be finding my reactions funny...:)
And to think of Mani Rathnam's genius, he made a movie which looks like a flick on terrorism on the front, but is something with a deep undercurrent. The journey of love, based on the Arabian concept, portrayed in the life of the protagonist, and condensed into such a musical masterpiece! Such an execution is only possible when legends come together, and this happens rarely.
A salute to Gulzaar saab, Rahman sir, Mani sir and Sonu ji...truly a masterpiece!! With that, here's the song, but before that, a few lines that everyone who has loved will completely understand...
Ishq par zor nahi, hai yeh woh aatish Galib
Jo lagaaye na lage, aur bujhaaye na bane...
Translated as:
Love can't be tamed, it's like a fire that overpowers everything else
At times, it doesn't start even after repeated tries; but once started, it's impossible to extinguish
Thanks to Wikipedia and http://gulzar101.blogspot.in/2011/09/satrangi-re-dil-se.html for the insights
Even I did not knew that there is so much thought process behind the song and the movie. I always liked the songs but never liked the movie. I guess I will have to watch it again from new perspective.
ReplyDeleteExactly my reaction when i realised this yesterday. We do not know how many hidden gems lie in our collection...:)
ReplyDeletecool!
ReplyDelete