Long back while we used to travel from Manipal to Mumbai after spending an amazing time at our uncle's place, i remember being in a seriously bad mood, thinking of the school life which was to resume in a few days. The rainy weather would add to the gloom, and in such a state, i had seen this absolutely depressing movie.
Erstwhile Ram and Lakhan (Jackie and Anil) are working for a drug lord named Kachra Seth (Paresh Rawal - awesome makeup) at different points of time, involved in their own revenge stories, which gets entangled with a common love interest - the most beautiful girl in the world (Pooja Bhat:P). I only wonder what was Priyadarshan sir thinking when he made a movie with such a beaten plot. The role essayed by Jackie has the most tragic story-line of all and it made me shed a tear.
The passengers in the semi-luxury CPC bus had an option of either watching the film or going to sleep. I chose to see it, not just because i loved both Jackie and Anil back then, but also because the music was by A.R. Rahman. I believe his backing tracks also played a huge role in making this drab movie watchable.
A keen listener of Rahman can tell you the times in which a certain song was made. As far as i know, strings section became prominent from the times of Rangeela (1995) and continued for some years and this movie made in 1998 features some of Rahman's best strings based songs.
The soundtrack on a whole, is a treat to hear, yet very few people today know about it. I will write about the four songs i really love.
The soundtrack on a whole, is a treat to hear, yet very few people today know about it. I will write about the four songs i really love.
Starting with the Hindi take on Rahman's iconic song Anjali Anjali - Mil gayee woh manzilein, presented by Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu. Yes, this is the only Rahman song, Sanu ji was fortunate to sing (:P) and I will give him full marks for his vocals. Musically, Rahman has expertly replaced the saxophone of Anjali Anjali with guitar and flute. The bass part and strings section are beautiful. The tabla is a present here and there and it gives a ring to the song.If you have heard Anjali Anjali, you will like this one, but you may take some time to appreciate it.
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The choir-centric Jo Maanga tha (Shukriya tera Shukriya) presented by my most favorite south Indian singer - SP. Balasubramaniam sir is my most favorite song. A very upbeat track, with a cool bass line, saxophone and strings, and the rich on emotion voice of SPB, it is one of a kind Rahman song. Towards the end it has a feeling of dissolving in bliss, which i really love.
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Tu hi tu is a very Techno-Carnatic fusion kind of a number. ARR has used the voices of KS Chithra and MG Sreekumar, both from Kerala, for this one. In those days, directors had absolutely no say in the Rahman's choice of singers and as far as the actors on whom the song has been filmed are concerned, the choice is certainly disappointing. Chithra maam has done a fab job. MG's accent proves a disadvantage at a lot of places. But Rahman's musical treatment of the song makes it great piece overall. His chorus is memorable and a great hook. The beats are good too.
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Hariharan, being the guru-bhai of ARR (both are chelas of Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan) was part of every Rahman soundtrack in the 90s.
Tum ho meri nigaahon pe chaayi (Bolo kaun ho tum) is one of Hariharan's most awesome and least known numbers. In my opinion, this is the best strings based Rahman song of the 90's. With a waltz form, the song employs Hariharan's strength as a ghazal singer. The flute pieces are memorable and the imagery created by the lyrics is outstanding. Sujata's voice here and there enriches the experience.
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