What seems like a wait that lasted decades is slowly coming to an end. As
cinegoers await A.R. Murugadoss's *Ghajini* to the hit the screens, the
music of the eagerly awaited remake of the Tamil blockbuster (of the same
name) has hit the stores. Partially inspired by Chris Nolan's *Memento*, *
Ghajini*'s Hindi remake stars Aamir Khan and South-Indian actress Asin, who
reprises her original role again for the remake. While the original score
was done by Harris Jayaraj (*Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein*), A. R. Rahman is
sitting in the music director's chair this time round. Accompanying him is
lyricist Prasoon Joshi (*Rang De Basanti* and *Taare Zameen Par*).
*Ghajini*'s list of singers comprise of Javed Ali ('Jashn-e-Bahara' - *Jodha
Akbar*), Benny Dayal ('Tu Meri Dost Hai' - *Yuvvraaj*), Shreya Ghosal, Suzy
Q ('S for Sonia' - *Kidnap* and 'Mahiya' - *Awarapan*), Sonu Nigam (guest
appearance) and South singing sensation Karthik who sings his first
full-fledged Hindi number.
*Ghajini* is produced under the banner of Allu Aravind and hits the screens
on 25th December 2008.
The album begins with the already popular *Guzarish* sung by Javed Ali. The
track commences with guest vocals by Sonu Nigam who is heard through the
song. While Javed Ali's rendition is effective, it lacks the emotion that
the lyrics demand. Sonu's vocals on the other hand, although mere humming,
enrich the song and makes one wonder if Sonu would have been a better choice
to sing the number than Javed. The music has a soothing and relatively
simple melody, almost mediocre. Lyrics have been penned well by Joshi,
especially the verses in the middle that depict the protagonist's fears of
losing his beloved through metaphors of dreams made of glass and heavy
clouds threatening to obscure the moon. It seems that too much emphasis was
put on rhyming words in the chorus, and this may have worked towards it
mediocrity.
Next is *Aye Bachchu*, a hip and rocking track, sung enthusiastically by
Suzy Q. Her western style of singing suits this track to the T and unlike
her peppy number 'S for Sonia' in *Kidnap*, 'Aye Bachchu' does not reek of
pretentiousness. The music is fast-paced, full of cool attitude and oomph
and transcends Rahman's previous so-called dance numbers ('Pappu' - *Jaane
Tu* and 'Shano Shano' - *Yuvvraaj*). Prasoon Joshi pens an excellent track
about seizing the moment and living life to the fullest. Most likely to be
picturised on Jiah Khan, this track will go a long way if it is well
choreographed.
The album slows down with *Kaise Mujhe*, rendered by the Benny Dayal and
Shreya Ghosal, who recently impressed audiences with 'Tu Meri Dost Hai' from
*Yuvvraaj*. Benny gives a power-house performance for someone who has just
debuted. His rendition mirrors the intense emotional lyrics (excellently
penned by Joshi) and tugs on your heart strings. Shreya emerges in the later
portions of the track and also impresses. Musically, the track is relatively
traditional with just the right amount of modern touches. The track also
appears as an instrumental later on in the album.
Karthik's *Behka* is up next. A jazzy track that has all the makings of an
excellent show number, it is brilliantly rendered by Karthik. Karthik has
the lovelorn, head-over-heels feel of the song down pat. A member of *
Ghajini*'s Tamil soundtrack, listeners are urged to check out Karthik's 'Oru
Maalai'. The music is outstanding, especially the drums in the latter
portions of the song. Joshi pens another brilliant song that takes a poetic
and somewhat comic take on being in love from a guy's perspective.
After 'Behka' comes the vibrant and energetic *Latoo* sung by an equally
vibrant Shreya Ghoshal. The track is full of life, very much like Asin's
character, beautiful and playful. Once again the musical and lyrical talents
of Rahman and Joshi create magic. Like 'Behka', 'Latoo' is a sweet and comic
take on a girl head-over-heels in love. Joshi depicts this brilliantly while
Rahman reflects those emotions with a lively mix of modern sounds.
In comparison with the Tamil soundtrack, *Ghajni*'s Hindi remake maintains
the high caliber of music that was given by Harris Jayaraj. Also, like
original, the album is relatively lively and romantic for a movie that is
quite grim and action orientated.
*Ghajini* suffers from the great-expectations syndrome. The prolonged heavy
media coverage combined with the pressure of matching the blockbuster status
of the original, not to mention the scrutinizing eyes of the fans of the
original film, will no doubt cause the music to be heavily construed upon.
As a result, its appeal may vary with varying audiences.
Nonetheless, *Ghajini* is definitely Rahman's strongest album this year.
'Guzarish', while being popular with the masses, is musically and lyrically
quite mediocre. 'Kaise Mujhe' might prove to be too intense and situational
for some, despite it being a power-house of a song. Jazzy 'Behka', rocking
'Aye Bachchu' and the lively 'Latoo' are definitely the best tracks of the
album. All in all, *Ghajini* is an impressive album.
http://entertainmentworlds.wordpress.com/2008/11/27/ghajini-music-review/
--
regards,
Vithur
