Album Reviews Jodhaa Akbar A.R.Rahman
4/5 What's it about Ashutosh Gowariker, Javed Akhtar and A.R.Rahman have been an inseparable team since 'Lagaan'. After the contemporary 'Swades', the trio of filmmaker, lyricist and composer now have joined forces (talents) for an epic love story. Comparisons with 'Mughal-e-Azam' (despite being a mythical love story of Akbar's son) are inevitable. Impressively packaged with a lush green and gold tinted inlay that shimmers giving the 'Jodhaa Akbar' case that royal touch. Music 'Jodhaa Akbar' starts off grandly with 'Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah', a rousing track that makes you sit up and enjoy the energy. The tender 'Jashn-E-Bahaara' appeals to you because of its simplistic music. The scene stealer of 'Jodhaa Akbar' is the ballad 'Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein' - a song with flashes of composer Naushad's influence. 'Inn Lamhon..' is a crochet of delicate notes that are soothing but is deceptively intricate. 'Mann Mohanaa' a semi-classical devotional composition, is thankfully soothing as Rahman's idea of devotional is not a fervent and high-pitched call for god but delving into soulful and mellow notes. "Khwaja Mere Khwaja' is a fine composition with subtle note-shifting technique. Lyrics Javed Akhtar's lyrical skills are optimized in 'Jodhaa Akbar'. The lyricist alternates between Urdu and Marwari vocabulary as can be heard in 'Azeem-O-Shaan', a song in praise of the emperor Akbar. 'Inn Lamhon' and "Jashn-E-Bahaara' delve in the splendour of affection between Akbar and Jodhaa. Akhtar's leaning of elaborating a moment continues with 'Inn Lamhon' where the lyricist enthralls you. Moreover Akhtar's imagery is simplistic with rich poetry. 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' is a Sufi poetry by Kashif. Vocals The chorus singing along with Mohammed Aslam and Bonny Chakravarthy for "Azeem-O-Shaan' is pitch perfect. While the vocals of 'Khwaja Mere Khwaja' will sound natural only if it's depicted that the Sufi singer (onscreen) has migrated Chennai to sing in the darbar. Though Rahman's vocal skills are unquestionable, his diction is. Perhaps a singer with a baritone voice quality would have done wonder to this beautiful composition. The very gifted Bela Shende is perfect to execute the angst of 'Mann Mohana' with restraint. Javed Ali is a talent with fresh voice, who has effortlessly sung 'Jashn'-E-Bahaara'. Sonu Nigam is unbelievable in 'Inn Lamhon' particularly whilst rendering the part 'Mere Khawabon Ke..' in the track. Orchestration For this soundtrack, Rahman has interpreted grandeur with western harmonies and conflux with very In.dian compositions such as Mann Mohanaa and Jashn-E-Bahaaraa Also do not miss the instrumentals Khwaja Mere Khwaja with a French Horn solo. The French horn is also effectively used in Azeem-O-Shaan' - do not miss the fantastic sword rhythms by Sivamani in the song. Recording 'Jodhaa Akbar' soundtrack is grand in its orchestration and also comprises simple melodies, hence the range it covers is a challenge to maintain the continuity of the album. The brass sections are impeccably mixed, the bass is punchy but what spoils the soundtrack are the vocal sounds of the score. The natural texture of the vocals is lacking and making it sound muffled. Sum Up As every Rahman score takes its own time to register, "Jodhaa Akbar' is no exception to the norm. The composer has produced melodies that are easy on the ears, and the songs do not fit in the 'classic' mode per se. Also what works against the expectations is the quantity of songs for a magnum opus (5 songs only). Nevertheless it's a score that can be enjoyed if heard without preconceived notion of 'Jodhaa Akbar' being today's answer for 'Mughal-E-Azam'. Wish there were more songs to experience. Tracks to experience Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah Jashn-E-Bahaara Inn Lamhon Ke Daaman Pe Album Ratings Overall 4/5 Music 4.5/5 Lyrics 3/5 Vocals 3.5/5 ORchestration 5/5 Recording 2.5/5 Swapnil Raje AV Max, February 2008
