http://www.bollyvista.com/article/a/31/7427/1/
Music analysis of ‘Water’ By Abid ©2007 Bollyvista.com Rating : 9/10 Credits Producer/s: David Hamilton Director: Deepa Mehta Music: A R Rahman Lyrics: Sukhwinder Singh & Surjo Bhattacharya Vocals: Ajay Chakraborty, Kaushiki Chakraborty, Raqeeb Alam, Sadhna Sargam, Sukhwinder Singh and Surjo Bhattacharya Label: Sony & BMG “Every cloud has a silver lining”. The delay, first in the making of ‘Water’, and then in its shooting venue being shifted to Sri Lanka, resulted in one good thing and that it is another (perhaps with the exception of ‘Jodha Akabr’) period film album by A.R. Rahman. Music lovers were quite sad when Rahman announced that ‘Mangal Pandey -The Rising’ would be the last one in the series. So, for all those who are fed up with the synthesized, techno music dished out these days, a warm welcome into the world of pure, unadulterated Hindustani sounds and music, by none another than the king of period-film music, Allah Rakha Rahman ( A.R. Rahman). Pure, serene and celestial are the sounds of the santoor and veena that commence the enchanting ‘Aayo Re Sakhi’. Sukhwinder’s vocals enthrall the listeners, as he goes “Chanan, chanan”. The blending of his vocals to the mystical Kashmir sounds of the santoor is just magical. A song of pure love and ecstasy (akin to the love of the lead pair to that of Lord Krishna and Radha) that heralds the beginning of the monsoon -”saawan”, the season of love. The typical, yet much loved and appreciated Rahman crescendo (this time it’s musical), followed by some excellent rendition by Sadhna Sargam, till the end (when she is finally joined by Sukhwinder), the musical arrangements comprising predominantly of the santoor, veena, dhol, tabla, surbahar, etc., takes this song to a climax that leaves the listeners zapped. After the amazing first composition, it is the turn of ‘Piya Ho’, a semi-classical gem. It’s a petal soft, slow paced, entirely situational track; a satirical ‘Bidai’ number. It boasts of some excellent ghatam and bead combination, mesmerizing flute notes and traditional Indian percussion instruments. Then there is the vocal arrival of Sukhwinder on the scene, as he takes over from the amazing Sadhna Sargam. The female chorus that goes “Sun ri koyalia” and Sukhwinder’s repeated “Piya ho”, brings the song to a close and leaves the listener with a lump in one’s throat. Next up is ‘Naina Neer’, a pure North Indian composition (in terms of musical arrangements) and lyrics (mostly ‘Brij-Bhasha’ and chaste Hindi), by the versatile Sukhwinder Singh. The lyrics show his depth and range as a writer and also gives an insight into his spirituality. “Vish ka pyala kaam na aaya, Meera ne pee kar dikhlaya, Prem to hai Gangajal isme, Vish amrit banjaye.” Excellent! As much as we praise the lyricist, another person that deserves a mention is Sadhna Sargam, who shows what classy singing is all about (through this number), and we know now why she is such a favourite with A.R. Rahman, especially when it comes to ‘difficult to render’, semi-classical stuff. Then we have another treat in offering, ‘Shaam Rang Bhar Do’, a Holi number from A.R. Rahman (after his so-so ‘Holi re’, number from MP) and this one is worth its weight in platinum! It is a fast placed, situational track. The ‘Sham Rang’ refers to Lord Krishna, who was dark skinned and the ‘Brij Holi’ (which rocks even today in Mathura). It symbolizes being drenched in colours of love , as Lord Krishna epitomizes love. As this is a folk inspired number. Richa Sharma has been roped in, and she is good, yet restrained. Raqeeb Alam and Surjo Bhattacharya compliment Richa’s base vocals perfectly. ‘Vaishna Janato’, a prayer (”prarthana” ) that is synonymous with the father of the nation, Mahatma Gandhi (and marks his introduction in the movie); snatches of which we hear on T.V and radio (especially during the prayer services), on the death and birth anniversary of Mahatma. Here is the full version of the absolutely delightful prayer that the Mahatma stood for: that is “One God For All”. We have heard the likes of Lata Mangeshkar rendering this prayer, which was very dear to the father of the nation, and now we hear Ajay and Kaushiki Chakraborty, who have rendered this number quite competently. This composition is capable of elevating the listener to a very high level of spiritual experience. The album ends on a more religious mode with another full devotional number dedicated to Lord Krishna and Radha through ‘Bhangari Marori’. Sukhwinder shows his class once again. The composition depicts vividly the “Raas-Lila”, a song cum dance form of ancient India immortalized by Lord Krishna and his “gopis”. This album, in a nutshell, pays obeisance to lord Krishna and Radha and will find favour with lovers of classical and semi-classical music. For all those “hungry for more Rahman”, there is a treat in store, in the form of some super hit numbers by A.R. Rahman, which includes the mesmerizing ‘Ay Hairathe Dil’ and the delightful ‘Kosa Hai’ from the recently released musical hit’”Guru’ , to name a few.
