*Movie* *Delhi - 6* *Director* Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra *Music* A R Rahman, Rajat Dholakia *Cast* Abhishek Bachchan, Sonam Kapoor, Waheeda Rahman *Sonia Chopra *
It's such a delight listening to *Delhi-6's* music – you're strangely reminded of the *Rangeela* days, when Rahman's extraordinary music disturbed at first, and then had us in a trance. Glancing through the list of the songs on the cover, you wonder how an album can encapsulate the trippy, romantic and devotional, all in a breath. It's not an easy blend (there's a poem even, voiced by Amitabh Bachchan in the end), but this album rebelliously keeps them all, treating each specially. Don't miss the booklet penned by Prasoon Joshi that comes with the album, where he gives an introduction to each song. *MasakAli* This symbolic song is also full of fun, with mischief dripping from its every word. Mohit Chauhan's stylish singing, and the soulful music add to the exuberance . Chauhan is the Dooba Dooba man who sang as part of band Silk Route. Films didn't use his potential much, until *Khoon Chala* in *Rang De Basanti* came along and the more recent *Tum Se Hi* in *Jab We Met*. In * Masakali*, he adds nuance to every word, maintaining that hint of roguish nudging. Rahman's retro-inspired music is super fun. Prasoon Joshi's lyrics are delightful and words like `colony' add to that old-Delhi feel. *Arziyan* The *jugalbandi* of two distinct voices is the highlight of this fabulous * qawwali*. Javed Ali's (*Jashn-E-Bahaara* in *Jodhaa Akbar*; *Guzarish* in * Ghajini*) smooth yet powerful voice is juxtaposed with Kailash Kher's earthy, raw vocals. Like Rahman's qawwalis (*Noor-un-Ala* in *Meenaxi*, *Piya Haji Ali* in *Fiza*, *Khwaja Mere Khwaja*) this one too is soulful, but not as potent as the earlier ones. The music has the tabla and harmonium and lyrics are beautiful with lines like *Marramat Mukaddar ki Kardo Maula*. The title of the song is *Arziyan*, and the song's lyrics delicately build around this idea. *Dilli-6* Super trippy and super fun, this song has all its elements working perfectly. But the song belongs to the lyrics and vocals. An ode to Delhi, the song describes the city as a *mehfil* and says *Iske baanyee taraf bhi dil hai; iske daayne taraf bhi dilm hai* (such a mind-boggling turn of expression!). Rapper Blaaze (*Gangsta Blues* in *Slumdog Millionaire*) teams up with Benny Dayal (*Kaise Mujhe* from *Ghajini*), Tanvi (*Gangsta Blues*). Viviane and Claire spruce the song singing the French lyrics. The song ends with the words – *Ye Dilli hai mere yaar; Bas ishq, mohababt, pyaar*. And you hit rewind immediately! *Rehna Tu* The song, like all songs sung by Rahman, convinces you why Rahman is a genius twice over. With singing as soulful as the music, this song is a masterpiece. Utterly romantic, the lyrics are beautiful with lines like *Tujhe badalna naa chaahoon ratti bhar bhi sanam, Bina sajaawat milaawat naa jyaadaa naa hi kam*. The ending is an unexpected music monologue with strings and the flute. In his booklet, Joshi mentions this to be one of his favourites with Rahman. *Hey Kaala Bandar* The lyrics go - '*Hey kaala kaala kaala Bandar, Bahar hai ya andar.* It wasn't me I swear, Everybody's looking for the monkey out there. ' It's an enjoyable, energetic song with dancy beats, lifting you off the dreamy mood of the previous song. *Dil Gira Dafatan* International singer Ash King (was heard in Har Kaur's *Close to Me*) seems a strange pick for this intense song – but wait till you hear it. So earnest and passionate is his singing, you can't help getting immediately affected. King says the words slowly, almost like a prayer and maintains this tempo throughout. Award-winning playback singer Chinmayee's backing vocals are haunting. The lyrics are beautiful, right from the song's title, but somewhere go into overdramatic expressions like *samandar lehero ki chadar odhke so rahaa hai*. *Genda Phool* One is excited to get to the song for Rekha Bharadwaj's singing . An utterly underused singer, Bharadwaj received her overdue recognition with the *Beedi Jalaile* and *Namak Ishq Ka* songs in *Omkara*. Here, she sings how the * sasural* is an unenviable place to be in saying - *saas gari dewe, nanad chutki lewe; sasural genda phool*. These bitingly authentic lyrics, so reflective of many women's lives, is sung with a contrasting dash of humour. You cannot help fall in love with the folksy song, though it ends just as you are beginning to enjoy it. *Bhor Bhaye* Yes, you read that right. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan teams up with Shreya Ghosal singing this classical composition (*Raag Gujri Todi*). Ghosal makes your jaw drop singing the harkats and aalaps with confidence and adding her own nuances. Possibly, one of her most challenging songs till date. Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan's singing, an unexpected treat in a film album, is mesmerizing. *Aarti (Tumre Bhavan Mein)* If the first part of the album is trippy and fun, the latter half is classical/devotional heavy. You're invited into this *aarti* with just voices singing (Rekha Bharadwaj, Kishori Ashok Gowariker, Sujata Majumdar, Shraddha Pandit). The music is mellow with temple bells forming the primary sound. The film has that calming effect, that devotional songs usually have, regardless of whether you are a believer. *Rating: 4/5* http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/review.php?id=14858857&ctid=5&cid=2425&?vsv=HP4 -- regards, Vithur
