Musical power-play

Yes,Dhan dhan dharti re is the finest musical composition we have heard in months in Hindi cinema. It has some of the cleanest and finest arrangements and sound quality you can hope to hear in the current era of tin-pan closet programming. And yet the core strength of the Wayne Sharpe song – as it should be – is in its melody and Gulzar’s exemplary words,which skip his trademark esoteric motifs (heard in Raavan and Kaminey) and hit your emotional solar plexus with solid thought and verse (Batware ho to yeh dharti kat-ti hai/Sukha padta hai to dharti phat-ti hai/Ek pal jeeti hai,ek pal marti hai). Wayne starts off with a Vande Mataram riff and goes on to blend a Western symphonic back-up mixed with – incredibly – Indian mitti ki khushboo as well as more than a hint of raag-daari.

The song has two versions – one by Shankar Mahadevan and the reprise by Sonu Niigaam. The former connects even more because of Shankar’s straight, soulful and simple rendition,while the Sonu version,though impressive,has the singer’s admirably-accomplished artistry overwhelming the composition and even taking attention away from the song per se. Still,few songs affect you and cast such an emotional spell blended with exhilaration in the way and to the degree this one does.

The second rank goes to Aadesh Shrivastava for his superb raag-based beauty that he also renders – Mora piya mose bolat naahi. Lyricist Sameer keeps the verse supple (Mora jiya mose bolat naahi / Dwaar jiya ke kholat naahi). The Kavita Seth version pales before this because of the gimmicky mix of vocals and orchestra.

Shantanu’s Ishq barse has a foot-stomping rhythm and a familiar aura about it. Singers Hamsika Iyer and Pronoy Biswas along with lyricist Swanand Kirkire sing it superbly. If filmed well,Ishq barse can really do well in the Beedi jalaaayale genre. Pritam’s Bheegi si bhaagi si is the conventional modern duet,but the recall value isn’t very strong and Irshad Kamil’s lyrics could have been better. And the song’s impact is considerably reduced by Mohit Chauhan’s flat singing and Antara Mitra’s over-cute tenor. This song will probably bring in the initial interest,but when the ‘promo’ euphoria ‘Waynes’,the solid sur and symphonies will take over.