----------------------> = My response After hearing and reading director Ashutosh Gowarikar say that the theme of the movie didn't require impressive music tracks, one wasn't expecting too much from this overdue album. And as it happens, low expectations mean the listeners will not be too disappointed by this UTV presentation produced by Gowarikar, with music by A.R. Rahman and lyrics by Javed Akhtar. Jodhaa Akbar: Looking back In Jodhaa Akbar, there are five songs in the genre of praise, devotional and romantic. But one cannot understand why the flavour of the period was not maintained for the music. In the 16th century, the style of music was raag-based classical music followed by a slowly evolving thumri-dadra culture. If the costumes, jewellery and sets of a film can ape a time period, why can't the music? Are listeners not able to discern and appreciate these subtleties?
-----------------------> Good question and very reasonable criticism. But, I think that if this soundtrack stayed too true to its time, you wouldn't have many takers. This is a big budget movie with lots of commercial viability at stake. Yes, Rahman infused a lot of contemporary sound in the music, but as far its core and sole, it's very much in the classical realm. Most, if not all the songs are heavily raaga based (Kafi, Darbari, Deshkar, Jog, Alaya Bilawal, Desh, Kirwani, Mishra Bhairavi) with traditional percussion and lots of traditonal instrumentation (flute, santoor, sitar, oud). I do agree that Rahman should have included at least an additional pure classical track like a Dhrupad Simply put: Couldn't the songs have been more Indian? This epic could have done without the predominant Western arrangement, Turkish and Japanese drums, keyboards, et cetera. How about some unadulterated Dhrupad? Or just the form of music that Mian Tansen sang for Akbar? Rahman's sense of aesthetics is good, and his presentation and packaging styles are benchmarking Indian music standards, but this music does not fit a period film. Any song from this film could easily be used in any modern-era film situation. And the songs are too long. --------------------------> Again, valid criticism of the period nature of the score, but again, Rahman had announced that he wanted this to sound more contemporary to cater to today's youth, which I can understand. Songs too long? I don't agree. Each song is so gripping IMO, they end before you know it! Still to be seen how they are played out on screen. The silver lining is the use of several new voices such as Bela Shende, Madhushree, Javed Ali, Mohammed Aslam and Bony Chakravarthy. Having sung for the big boss of Indian cinema music, these singers can surely hope for a bright future. Rahman himself has fabulously sung Khwaja mere Khwaja, a peppy hummable qawwali number. Sonu Nigam excels in the pleasant but ordinary creation, In lamhon ke daaman meinnever heard him sound as sexy as he does in this love song. -----------------------> Why do so many of you call this song ordinary? Mellow, yes! But, not ordinary! Ordinary is what Pritam and Himesh Reshamiya dish out daily. Ordinary is sappy music by Nadeem Shravan. Listen to this song with headphones and hear all the minute instrumentation and craftmanship that went into this song, and then tell me it's ordinary. You won't be able to. Bela Shende does a Lata Mangeshkar in Mann Mohanaa. Here is a sweet, thin, high-pitched voice, but the singing is superficial. ------------------------> What? Superficial? If you're comparing her to Lata, ANYONE but her would sound superficial. Is this a fair comparison? I don't think so! She sung with so much flair and emotion! Give her the credit she deserves! I don't see her as a Lata wannabe. I just see her as Bela! It's obvious that she is following Madam M's style, but that trademark punch of the prima donna is missing. This is something all female singers of the day need to note and work on. But what is this overdramatic bhajan doing here in the first place? It not only fails to sustain, it just goes on and on! ----------------------> I'm very disappointed in your analysis here. This Bhajan is in the soundtrack because Ashutosh felt it appropriate for the plot, which we don't know much about yet! Why judge it so unfairly that way as of now when nobody's seen the movie? If you really analyzed the beauty of the musical stanzas here and the lyrics, you would then appreciate the true beauty of this masterpiece. There is so much musically happening....it's breath- takingly haunting! By the way, it's a bhajan! It's kind of supposed to be repetitive in style and go on and on! Most bhajans do that! Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah and Jashn-E-Bahaaraa are easy on the ears and will be accepted by fans of the Chennai music-maker. The slight use of classical taraana-type pieces and two miniscule sitar works are some efforts to bring in the flavour of the subjecta stark contrast to an otherwise Western-influenced Rahman submission. But pick up the album, definitely for the fantastic photographs, designing and printing of the CD. UTV Music distributed by Sony BMG, Rs 160. -------------------------> You forgot to mention to pick up the album for its haunting music and evergreen melodies! Good review and a fair criticism of the "periodness" of the soundtrack, but I otherwise disagree with you a lot.
