Between Reviews: The Mughal Ear
THE MUGHAL EAR
FEB 3, 2008 – A WEEKEND TRAWL THROUGH AR RAHMAN’S SCORES for period films – in anticipation of his soundtrack for Jodhaa Akbar – resulted in an answer to a question I never knew existed: What would Apur Sansar look like gussied up in mainstream garb, with stars and songs? The scene where Apu wakes up and discovers his wife’s hairpin in bed and toys with it, possibly recalling the events of the night that caused the trinket to slip away in the first place – couldn’t it be scored to Dheemi dheemi from 1947: Earth? When a soundtrack first makes its way into the world, it is bound so inexorably to its parent film that, short of a lobotomy, it’s impossible to listen to a song and not think of the way it plays on screen. But then the years pass and the film is left behind in the half-hidden recesses of memory, and that’s when the song, if it’s any good, assumes a life of its own. That’s when it snaps the threads that ground it to a particular film, that’s when it becomes a universal encapsulation of its essence. When we listen to Abhi na jaao chhod kar today, doesn’t it appear to have been crafted to express not Dev Anand’s entreaties of love so much as ours? And isn’t Dheemi dheemi a perfect musical analogy to the thoughts running through Apu that dreamy postcoital morning: Tu jo paas hai, mujhe pyaas hai, tere jism ka ehsaas hai?
Art is often described as abstract because solid, mathematical evaluation criteria cannot be applied to matters of discernment and taste, but a simple application of ratio-proportion to the soundtrack of 1947: Earth shows you concretely – at least, it showed me – that this is one of Rahman’s most successful soundtracks: the number of songs that have survived the wear-and-tear of overlistening (and time) is the same as the number of songs in the album. It’s a perfect one – as are two others, the magnificent soundtracks for Water and Mangal Pandey (okay, Dekho aayi Holi apart), and this makes me wonder if Rahman has, in his studio, a secret vault of everlasting goodies he opens only for filmmakers named Mehta, namely Deepa and Ketan (and perhaps, on rare occasion, for a Benegal and his Zubeidaa; rediscovering Saiyyan chhodo mori baiyyan and Dheemi dheemi gaaoon were the other highs of my weekend). A Gowarikar, on the other hand, appears way down on the period-film list, for I found that the songs from Lagaan sounded better when echoing nostalgically in the confines of my head than when leaking out of the speakers in the present day. O re chhori was every bit as folksy and lovely as I remembered it, but the rest of the album shone only in parts. I perked up at the rousing four-line openings of Baar baar haan and Ghanan ghanan, but the songs subsequently meandered away from memorableness. And while Lata Mangeshkar’s of-a-certain-age voice conveys a palpable ache in the bell-jar rise-and-fall of the line Chanda mein tum hi to bhare ho chaandni, O paalanhaare was otherwise a bit of a chore to get through.
Rahman and Gowarikar were far more successful when they collaborated on the contemporary soundscape of Swades. Yeh jo des hai tera is still one for the ages, and I’d forgotten what a beauty Saawariya saawariya was, with the closing portions of its stanzas taxiing down the tarmac before achieving blissful liftoff at Bhooli hoon main jaise apni dagariya, after which the tune gracefully descends to the mellower altitudes of the mukhda. And now, with Jodhaa Akbar, the composer and the director go back in time for another stab at another period, and after a few listens, the album seems to hover between their earlier efforts – though, thankfully, closer to Swades in terms of achievement. I feel it will age better than Lagaan, but unlike Swades, what appears to be missing here is that undefinable, perhaps even unknowable, aspect of the creative process capable of nudging an album from solid goodness into flat-out greatness. In other words, a perfect one this isn’t. The craftsmanship is extraordinary, and yet, as a whole, it’s only intermittently that this soundtrack worms its way into your soul. Perhaps it’s just that we’re too greedy, too demanding when it comes to this composer, or perhaps Gowarikar simply needs to eavesdrop on his music director’s sittings with one of the Mehtas.
The percussion heavy Azeem-o-shaan shahenshah extrapolates to an entire number the love-in-the-time-of-war feel in the interludes of Ilayaraja’s Sundari kannaal oru seidhi, from Thalapathi. I was instantly hooked by the rhythm patterns – all pounding drums and clashing steel – and it’s a superb touch that the staccato lines of melody, the unvarying ups and downs intoned with almost military precision, gradually segue into a pattern of notes that flows more organically, more tunefully, as if hinting at the warrior-emperor’s impending transformation at the hand of love and in the arms of his queen. But beyond that conception, there isn’t much to hold on to in the number, which wears its welcome out by the second stanza. This sense of gradually diminishing returns isn’t as pronounced in Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahara hai, the first of the love songs (nicely sung by Javed Ali, who sounds as if Sonu Nigam’s throat had been roughed up, just a bit, with sandpaper), but if the number feels less than what it could have been, it’s due to the strangely truncated second interlude (especially in light of the first one, filigreed with exquisite work on strings). But the tune is gorgeous – the instrumental version, with a delectable flute replacing the voice, bears this out – and Ali glides through it admirably. If I had to pick a nit, I would wish for a little more variation, perhaps emotion, in his singing. It’s as if he mapped out the high notes and the low notes and set about conquering them with a mountaineer’s diligence rather than a musician’s grace – but, again, the melodic lines are so stirring, I couldn’t help returning for a fifth, or a fifteenth, listen.
The other love song is the magical In lamhon ke daaman mein, one of Rahman’s most structurally ambitious compositions and easily this album’s standout. Hearing Sonu Nigam (with the backing of a robust chorus) seesaw expertly between crescendo and decrescendo, between moody meditation and defiant declaration, it’s as if a committed, if weak-willed, lover grew a spine of steel through the course of the song, then flopped lovesick on his mattress again, then roused himself once more, then decided it wasn’t worth the trouble and slipped back into supine romantic longing. There’s so much character in this song, it’s as if stage directions were written into its crevices. I felt this especially when Madhushree begins the second antara with humming that sounds almost absent-minded, as if she walked into the recording studio lost in her own thoughts and snapped out of her reverie just in time to ready herself for the unexpected contours of the end of the stanza, beginning with ki prem aag mein jalte hain. The anticipation to see this number play on screen is at once thrilling and terrifying. What a canvas to mount a picturisation on… but what if they aren’t up to it?
The mood of this pair of love songs finds interesting contrast in a pair of equal-opportunity devotional numbers, making this soundtrack, if nothing else, some sort of secular triumph. Khwaja mere khwaja, sung by Rahman, begins with a number of overlapping dissonances that find somewhat pat resolution almost instantly. There are interesting rhythm patterns and a great snatch of interlude music that goes on to colour the subsequent stanzas, but this isn’t a patch on – to take a loose genre equivalent – Al maddath maula from Mangal Pandey. But the instrumental version is a drop-dead stunner, veering into bylanes uncharted by the original and coming off like Pachelbel’s Canon in D reconfigured for strings and an oboe. There’s a breathtaking purity of purpose in this piece that’s unmatched by anything else in the album – or perhaps only by Bela Shende’s exquisite cry from the heart that kicks off Manmohana. The soulful mukhda is a thing of beauty, the orchestral tapestries are lushly woven with alternating flute and strings, but the stanzas are disappointingly one-note. Javed Akhtar, however, compensates somewhat with an extremely startling line as Shende drops to a murmur near the end, as if exhausted by the fervour of her full-throated devotion. “Bansi ban jaoongi, in honton ki ho jaoongi,” she whispers, and in wishing that she were a flute in service of those Lips, she reminds us that bhakti and shringar, the spiritual and the sensual, are oftentimes one and the same. And that’s true of great music too, which operates as much on the pleasure centres of the brain as the strings of the heart – and there are times the soundtrack for Jodhaa Akbar comes tantalisingly close, but it’s no hookah.
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ARR for me falls in tha same league as (as you know very well by now) Lata Mangeshkar. It’s extremely, extremely difficult for me to reconcile to the fact that some of their work can fall below the high standards they have set for themselves.
Jodhaa Akbar was one such experience. When I first heard it, it just didn’t do anything for me (except for Khwaja, which appealed to me instantly). Then I listened to it again and again and again (something one needs to do for any ARR score), still it didn’t work as much as some of other ARR scores you mentioned. In terms of orchestration the songs are exquisite, but the tunes fell terribly short of expectations (probably it was the fact that this was a period film, but I expected more intricate and complex tunes than the simple, though ‘gorgeous’ tunes ARR gives us). And Javed Akhtar was a disappointment for me as well. I completely understand the brief he got from AG about using simple language, but I just cannot imagine Jodhaa-Akbar without exquisite Urdu or pure Hindi.
Talking of ARR’s exceptional qawallis I personally think he was at his best with “Ye Barq-e-Tajalli” in Meenaxi.
Baradwaj, I agree with what you said about the instrumental versions. I loved them more than the originals, specially Khwaja on the oboe!
Aditya Pant: About “again and again and again (something one needs to do for any ARR score),” I don’t know why there’s this myth that this is true only of ARR. I feel this is true of ANYONE whose compositions are intricate (and therefore of ARR too). I submit to you Monty’s sountrack for Saawariya. It grew on me after a number of listens. I mean, songs like ‘Jab se tere naina’ are instantly catchy, but ‘Yun shabnami’ is a real beaut that takes a bit of getting used to. The tunes, as you say, are the culprit here. The stanzas of Manmohana, for instance, are extremely ordinary. Yeah, and the poetry was a bit of a downer too. But I understand AG’s POV. You can’t get away with stuff like ‘beqas pe karam kijiye’ today. Doesn’t that make you a bit envious of the filmgoing culture of the early days? I mean, to make something like MeA a mega-blockbuster… and it’s a film where each and every line of dialogue is almost in verse. Or even Heer Ranjha for that matter, though Priya Rajvansh is hands down the worst actress I’ve seen on screen.
Ash: Yeah, that Khwaja instl. was the track that made the album for me, along with In lamhon.
On, I didn’t mean that it’s true *only* of ARR. As you say, it’s true for anyone whose tunes are intricate….Ismail Darbar, Vishal Bhardwaj.
Heer Ranjha was quite an experiment, something no one would have guts to do now. And I agree about Priya Rajvansh. She was extremely bad! But she got some of the best LM-Madan Mohan gems to lip sync to….all thanks to Chetan Anand…That gives me a funny thought…Just imagine RGV making a film completely in verse with Nisha Kothari in the lead, lip syncing to exquisite ARR (or Vishal Bhardwaj) compositions sung by Shreya Ghoshal
“Ear”!!!!!!Ha ha! Good one! I agree with you for the most part. The magic of 1947-Earth or Zubeida is certainly missing..and then again maybe I should listen to it a few more times!In lamhon ke is my personal favorite..
I just started to read Matthew Bortolin’s “The Dharma of Star Wars” and your Yodaesque “In other words, a perfect one this isn’t” almost nudged me to break my silence and let you know that a smile to my lips, this did bring…
Even for Rangan, this review is some kind of “peak” — simply superb, thorough and comprehensive, and enchantingly sensitive to the music. Wow.
Maybe a word should go out to the other rather “less popular” soundtracks of ARR. Meenaskhi, I thought, was outstanding. So was the Legend of Bhagat Singh especially tracks like Sarfaroshi ki Tamanna.
In Rang De Basanti, for instance, I absolutely loved Lukka Chuppi although the more instantly catchy tunes would be Lose Control or the title track.
Goes to say that quite often, the ones that don’t instantly appeal end up living longer. Of course, this may not be true always, as Dil Se Re sticks in my favourites list till date as do some Harris Jayaraj numbers.
I am also surprised to find out for myself, when you just pointed out, that Lagaan’s soundtracks haven’t really lasted that long to appeal to me. This is not to say that they aren’t good, but they don’t seem to have the same appeal to me as they had earlier.
Mistake in the last para of what I had said. What I meant to say, that Lagaan’s music, over time, hasn’t been appealing to me now as it had been earlier. Although the songs grew into me over time.
I have always felt any Rahman album with the exception of Iruvar/Dil Se/Sapnay/Roja/Swades (shit the list just extended itself) demands multiple listenings to get to the ‘wow i love it’ phase.
Ambitious compositions apart, I am still waiting for it to hit me- mind u its done quite a few loops. Just feel this one wont make the exception list.
On a different note, have you heard the songs of Ore Kadal? 5 songs all in one raagam? Exceptional Oeseppachan!!
Nandita: “then again maybe I should listen to it a few more times!” and what point would you make a verdict?
Sometimes, overlistening can also result in your getting “familiar” with a tune, which makes it “less unlikeable” than earlier, but not necessarily a good one.
Sagarika: After a long time, commented have you? The reason for the silence, intriguing it is.
Qalandar: Thanks man. Been catching up on your blog-travelogues. Great stuff.
Piker: Yeah, that Lagaan discovery was a bit of a shock. Perhaps they fit in so well with the movie that we remember the songs well, but as audio-alone, they haven’t lasted. I was downright bored at times.
DPac: Nope, but will look out for it. Which ragam, by the way?
Baradwaj, I know what you mean about Lagaan. I listened to the soundtrack incessantly when it first came out, but I haven’t been inclined to revisit it lately. But I frequently listen to other ARR albums from before and afterwards.
Some random thoughts:
The soundtrack is good, but it is rather “impersonal,” for lack of a better word. It lacks the intimate happinesses or torments of Lagaan and Swades, as well as an older soundtrack like MeA. Azeem-o-Shaan glorifies an emperor, Khwaja Mere Khwaja glorifies a Sufi saint, and the two love songs are relatively staid and subdued. Mann Mohana has the most emotion. But hopefully the songs work out well for the film that Gowariker has made.
The soundtrack does not have the “typical classical period film” feel to it, with tablas and sitars everywhere. I think ARR and Gowariker consciously tried not to have the songs be too much like MeA, Pakeezah, etc. There is more of a Middle-Eastern feel to the orchestrations than in similar previous Indian films.
Mann Mohana is a beautiful song. The unexpectedly early musical interlude is gorgeous.
I was disappointed that there wasn’t a classical Tansen-esque number in the soundtrack.
BR: So true about overlistening leading to familiarity and hence less unlikeable. HR’s compositions are a calssic cae in point…at least for me.
BR,
Splendid review. This is the first ime I am reading ur post. Loved ur style of writing and ofcourse, the content. I cannot concur with you more on what a rasigan expects from art. I thought your words nicely captured the dynamics of “proper taste”.
The only downside I felt was that probably you dwell too much on history to stage your current opinion. Comparisons, moreso with past works are always unfair and counter-productive. I always believe that ARRs works are best enjoyed if gauged in isolation in its righteous position. Doubts from past and distrust in picturisation made it seem as if you didnt dare to pass a definitive verdict on the album. Honestly dats how i felt
My point exactly!At what point does one make a verdict? More often than not, my pick of the album changes with repeated listening. At times revisiting the album also leads to discovery of newer layers in the music which either add to or lower the appeal.This is especially true with ARR.
brangan: “Reason for the silence”…hmmm. I could say loss for words but it would be a phenomenon you’d never fathom. Maybe it was a quirky idea to hit the pause button on commenting and wait and see if a lapse in frequency would go largely unnoticed. And you’re saying it didn’t?
Sirji,
I have started enjoying your few and far flung music reviews so much that I wish you would write these more often
. Outstanding would not even begin to describe this review. As regards the album, I love the songs, but completely agree with you that this is not going to be one amongst Rahman’s best…..
Ravi K: I’m glad so many people are ‘fessing up about Lagaan. Had a feeling I’d be lynched for that view
I know they’ve tried not to do a MeA/Pakeezah, but this album was going to be a bit of a tough sell anyway, so a part of me wishes they’d pushed the envelope a little more.
Thamizh: In an ideal world, yes, we’d have zero expectations and no frames of reference when we approach a work. But IMO that’s humanly impossible. And I thought the last line of this review *was* a “definitive verdict ”
Sagarika: Ah, mind games. Naan indha vilayaattukku varala pa
Hi Baradwaj,
That was a nice review. I was eagerly awaiting for your review on this. I have listened to the soundtrack just a couple of times. But, I do find something missing in this album. Swades was really excellent and i remember listening to it continuously. i feel it is one of ARR’s unsung masterpieces.
As to this one, I guess it it is too early for me to pass mine. But I loved In Lamhon..
Ravi; Yeah, I can’t recall the last music review I wrote. Perhaps Cheeni Kum. And thanks.
Suganth: I don’t think Swades is “unsung.” A few of its tracks became quite popular.
Dear BRangan:
Great music review!! (I think you should do this more often than you do now!!!)
Well, as I mentioned in one of your “comments” section I think it’s NOT a “master-piece” album from ARR and the combo of Gowariker-ARR-Javed have failed for the first time, in my humble opinion.
So, ARR’s music follows this normal curve – if you plot the growing of the music as claimed and then the de-growing as baradwaj here has outlined, looks like we can plot a normal distribution:-)
Great review of JA. I really enjoyed Manmohana, even though I know it will not be the most popular track in the album. ARR imparts an old-world ‘bhakti’ to it, with the flute pieces weaving in and out seamlessly.
Superb Superb Review(Has this word been said a million times in your blog?).
Just this weekend, i was revisiting old ARR(way back to Pudhiya mannargal, Roja, bombay) and ended up with 1947 earth! I don’t feel the same way about the other Mehta or lagaan(listened to it again last week, unexpectedly liked it, but Taal let me down) but completely agree about the Deepa Metha. And they have ‘water’ to prove that it was not a one time thingy.
Rahman, to an extent is a director’s MD but it does surprise me that he can work this well with Deepa Mehta. I think Rahman once said in an interview that she even gives him the specific raagas that she would like to hear.
Totally unrelated to this piece, but did you say you love Thavamai Thavam irunthu? Did you just get sold out on the fine recreation of rural middle class milieu that you decided not to care for the moral story(regressive not coz it asked you to take care of your parents but coz it does so with complete disrespect to the younger generation’s life) with thrusted in your face? And what about Cheran’s annoying expressions which would never let me connect with his character ever? You just mentioned it as a passing reference and here I am breaking my head over it.
APALA: “failed”? Hmmm…
Gaussian: One day I swear I’ll understand that comment, then I’ll get back
RP: But bhakti, these days, is almost always “old world” – no?
s: Comments about TT in the relevant post…
hmm…Do you think it’s a problem with the directors or a choice that Rehman makes in that as wonderful as his music sounds , there is a predictability to the kind of songs/background score that he composes for a movie ? For instance if it’s Rehman for a period movie you know the kind of songs you are gonna get . The last time he really surprised ( in a hindi movie atleast) was in Rang De …the music which plays in the background during the “flash-back” (?) sequences (the rockish quitar stuff) seemed merely quirky at first but later on (perhaps after repeat viewing )seemed apt . …also do you think Rehman’s background scores have been generally weak esp when compared to the quality of his songs ?
bala, rahman’s bgm is adequate and sometimes, well, different. I dont know if you come from the same angle as me – the ilaiyaraja one – but getting used to the IR style means that pretty much everything else becomes ‘ordinary’:-). What Rahman brings to the table is a off-the-cuff , out-of-the-box approach. That might work, as in RDB, or might backfire miserably, as in Bombay.
This is perhaps a reflection of their styles – the spontaneous, emotional approach of Raja as compared to the deliberate, pontificating style of Rahman. I always feel that Rahman’s score are calculated and calibrated to touch a certain chord – and in doing so, lend a synthetic feel to them – the most famous example would be the Bombay theme – melodious, evocative, and quite touching but somehow I feel that quite a bit of work went into it and I feel that distance. Maybe it is just me. But the best BGM works of Raja seem so natural, so spontaneous – be it Mouna Ragam or Nayakan or Punnagai Mannan or Sethu – which means that the emotion comes out ‘unpolished’.
Havign said that, maybe it is unfair to compare Bombay with Raja’s works. Swades would be a better sample from the matured Rahman – I thought both the songs and the BGM there were less polished and from-the-soul. At the same time, I cant classify none of Rahman’s later, especially Hindi, BGM’s as inadequate. The greatness of Raja was that the BGM’s were not only adequate – pretty much, you cant think of bettering even a note there. It fits the scene like the scene was written for the BGM Score. Well, that’s genius and while Rahman is a genius in his own way, my personal belief is that spontaneity is an inevitable companion of genius and on that count, Raja remains untouched on Indian BGM space, bar a Salil Chowdhary here and there
Ha.. finally, few more ppl who have issues with Rahman’s BGM. I have often wondered how people praise Rahman’s BGM in the same breath as his music. Esp. when this comes from some musicians even, makes me doubt myself.
From my personal experience, there are times when I have found his back ground music distracting me from the scene itself, important scenes where I am completely immersed and suddenly start noticing the bgm and wondering what exactly is it trying to convey and so on… or Rahman simply plays the movie song again as back ground mousic…
May be watching too many movies with Illayaraja’s background music could be a reason, i mean there is no mouna raagam with bgm..
“At the same time, I cant classify none of Rahman’s later, especially Hindi, BGM’s as inadequate.”
This should read
“At the same time, I cant classify any of Rahman’s later, especially Hindi, BGM’s as inadequate.”
That was me! BR, your server side ghost is active again!
I thought I am among the minorities these days!!!
Being an ARDENT FAN of MASTRO ILAYARAJA (for couple of decades now!!!), I found ARR’s music hardly “spontaneous” (there is no “natural flow”, you know) and sometimes I could feel the “strain” (that ARR went through to create it) in his music.
Please do know that I like most of his songs, but still feel that more often than not his music – how do you say it – does not SOOTHE me like Raja’s!
ARR’s BGM, like RAJ said, in the beginning years was awful!! (I still remember bursting out to laughter when I heard “flutes” being played in a stunt sequence in Pudhiya Mugam!!! But I loved his work in RDB, Swades and of course GURU.
But J-A did not excite me even as much as Laagan excited me! I thought his work in EARTH album was FAR better than this one. Again, I do not possess the skill (FOR SURE!)for doing detailed analysis of his music – it’s just a humble opinion!!
To be fair, one has to consider their backgrounds and the whole gamut of experiences that Raja went through before becoming a film composer. The man’s seen it all from being a Communist to the other extreme:-). I also feel he has a greater instinctive understanding of Cinema as a whole than ARR. The key to BGM is to understand the director’s vision instinctively. He also happened to grow as a film composer along the likes of Mahendran, Balu Mahendra – not to forget Padmarajan, Rudraiya – the sheer range of films he has had exposure to is greater than Rahman. Rahman did work with Manirathnam, Shyam Benegal, the mehtas and , and,and..err… Subash Ghai. But the Shyam benegal he worked with was not the same Shyam of the 70-80’s. Mani himself was in his full-MBA product-selling mode, except for Iruvar where Rahman did a fantastic job, I thought, including BGM.
The problem can be seen most acutely in the Fire BGM – okay, so China Town,focus on the Chinese feel; and so on…individually, that is adequate. But where he misses out is in understanding the film as a whole and making his BGM organic and integral to the movie. Now, I know that would make ARR fanatics spew fire at me. Swades addressed this in part but again a bookish approach breaking down sequences into mood1, mood2, mood3 can be seen. Ironically, this is the man who broke all conventions with songs.
“Lagaan is another specimen. Okay, so there’s the gori mem – bring in a sort of symphonic-sounding,well ,sounds and that should take care of it” kind of approach. The climactic moments of the movie did have some inspired rousing stuff but other than that, there’s a tired, formulaic approach. IMO, Raja probes into the mind of the characters – and accentuates the characterisation (watch Johnny) whereas Rahamn focusses on just the mood of the scene and that definitely robs the movie of a vital component. Not so much in the case of movies like Rang De Basanti, where the mood was the important component so he does get away sounding like apt. This is most vitally seen in the caseof movies like Tehzeeeb- wonderful songs but where’s your contribution to the characterisation, where’s your support to the director’s vision?
“Subha Panthuvarali” …
can we await a review ?
or interview?
of the music as well as the movie..??
Bala: See what you’ve stirred up?
DPac: just that much? no further requests?
Oh the fun
Raj : Glad that you mentioned Tehzeeb. That was one soundtrack (i eman the songs) that was quite badly reviewed, but I felt that ARR did a great job of interpreting urdu poetry differently.
I agree with you about his BGM though, especially Fire. But I think his BGM is much better in period films than contemporary films.
Bas! for the time being..
just wonly 2 requests i have made wonly no saaar?
baradwaj, stirred up?
Aditya, Tehzeeb didnt register high on the richter scale, did it? But then, nor did Zubaidaa. And that one was a gem of an album. I should refrain from commenting on his BGM on period films since I have seen only Lagaan and Mangal Pandey – and I have to say, both were bad from BGM point of view. I dont know – maybe I am just not tuned right – “Mangal, Mangal, Mangal, Mangal, Mangal, Mangal,Oh!!!” – that was just a plain hands-up admission by Rahman – “Okay, I dont know what to do with this movie or scene, I dont know how to score for this”
raj: Your summation comment made my day, but you’ll understand if I don’t let it through. Thanks though
baradwaj, sure, yes, I can see why you wouldnt let it through
. I should say you have too much respect for your ‘friends’ 
.
If I can interpret this a bit, that the summation made your day can imply something else to me – (ie) If I said A is like B, and C is like D – and you agree with that – it implies that you agree that B is like A and D is like C – you know, that makes my day
raj,
thalaiva..u made me proud yet again.:)
raj, I agree with everything you said about BGM…and I couldn’t have said it better.
APALA, 2 things:
. I mean, was Sethu soothing? Infact, if anything, with his choice of instruments and his manipulation of sounds to hit the octave exactly where it will sound pleasant, it is Rahman who produces more ’soothing’ music. The USP of Raja remains that he simply touches the nerves and makes you feel everything – a loud, garish song like Murattu Kalai is really loud, rustic and the over-the-top BGM there is both tasteful and garish; whereas, a Sethu just emanates a cry from the soul. It is the real ‘feeling’ as opposed to ’soothing’, ’smooth’, ‘doctored’ sounds (e.g) bombay.
. If it were like that, it wouldn’t have been faithful to the director’s vision most of the times. Thats not true, as you know.
.
1. Flutes playing for an action scene doesnt bother me much – after all, action scenes in movies is make-believe and if a composer wants to indulge himself there, no issues. Secondly, it isnt the flutes playing during action scenes that bothered – it was the poor execution. Again, it was as if, “Okay, I have this different idea. usually, MD’s go bonkers with Dishoom-dishoom and percussion during this scene, I am different, I’ll play flute” approach. But what happened was that the execution left much to be desired and hence your response. But I do believe a talented MD, even today’s Rahman can do that well -compared to Rahman in his third film, which was Pudhiya Mugam
2. I dont agree with the “SOOTHE” part
So, IMO, it is insulting to call IR’s music, especially, BGM, ’soothing’
3. Taking off from 2, I have always wondered whether Rahman consciously meddles with his music to sound just that bit more pleasing, the situation be damned. Another guy who does this is Maragathamani alias MM Kreem. No wonder quite his scores for Hindi movies receive such rave reviews. There is hardly a disturbing note, whatever be the situation. It is like Sachin’s 241 at Sydney – cut out the fancy strokes, let me concentrate on the leg side – but obviously, when you do that, you cannot be faithful to the situation, to the characterisation in the movie. But you do get away with it – with the ‘pleasing music maker’ tag
Though it must be said that in his telugu avatar, Keeravani, MM has proven that he can do ‘loud’ as well
I am an ARR fan, but even I thought that the songs for Mangal Pandey were uninspired. I didn’t see the film.
In general the examples of great background scores are few and far between in Indian cinema. With a few exceptions even IR and ARR often deliver scores that overly spoon-feed the audience with the feeling of the seen. Maybe the director asked for scenes to be scored when silence would have been better. In this regard they haven’t improved the art of Indian film scores as much as they have contributed to the songs themselves. When a director knows how to use a background score, both have delivered good to great scores.
Oh thank you so much for the note on “Abhi na jaao chhod kar”. I had never listened to it before; what a lovely song!! Gosh!
Kavitha: You’re most welcome. How wonderful it must feel to discover this song for the first time!
Boss,
Brilliant review as always, and I had to come back and re-read it after watching the film. And in some ways, you were right to fear for In Lamhon Ki Daaman Mein.
But sir, Apu? Dheemi Dheemi? I confess to being utterly scandalised at that film being given the Cameron Crowe once-over.