Reviewed by: Sunder Kumar
sunder@indolink.com

The album has nine numbers - though not quite 9 songs, and the strong recommendation justified by a full 10 ratings is because not one of the nine numbers can be flawed or picked for being not what one would expect it to be. But this rating should be seen in the overall picture of this being the soundtrack for a movie that would not stake a claim to be a musical entertainer. The songs and the supporting soundtrack numbers fully live up to this intent to enhance a serious movie experience, the musical arrangements are few but most effective and lyrics not always catchy but very meaningful.

Even the sing singers seem to be aware of the intent of songs in the movie - and no one brings this out better than Sadhna Sargam singing the folksy marriage tuned Banno Raani. Supported by apt lyrics, the musical arrangements are kept to a minimum to evoke a feeling that you are hearing a commendable amateur performance at the marriage shamiana down the lane. So much to credit the singer and the music director in particular for successfully bringing out an authentic air to music.

Two instrumental themes contribute to the nine numbers in the album. A music connoisseur may want to look at them deeper, but to the average listener, both would come across effective pieces of background score for a serious movie. Piano Music as one is called is a brief filler at best last not much longer than a minute. Theme Music - on the hand is much longer and much more varied. It still shares the piano as a lead instrument, though the arrangement is significantly richer here. And most importantly, the theme score, much like a similar score for a similar movie - Bombay, is as haunting and effective, if not more.

Two more numbers in the soundtrack - though far closer to being songs are two variants of one song - Yeh Jo Zindagi Hai. Srinivas sings the lead lines on both variants, with a slight accent that does disturb, if only a little.   From the well-versed lyrics of Javed Akhtar, this sounds like a background song to romantic situations in the movie - and Sujata Trivedi and Sukhvindara Singh each come in for body of the song respectively. The tune is soft as a background love song would be, and the arrangement pronounced by a slow beat and an effective chorus lending good meat. In similar vein is Ishwar Allah, sung not so much as a duet but more a dual, by Sujata Mohan and Anuradha Shriram - and the lyrics given the backdrop of partition convey the idea of unity and peace.

The three songs, if one would want to differentiate these from the rest, stand out par excellence for brilliant lyrics and music. Javed Akhtar is possibly at his best describing women - be it Afreen Afreen with Nusrat, or Ek Ladki Ko Dekha with R D Burman, or the most recent Woh Ladki Jo Sabse Alag Hai with Anu Malik in Baadshah.  Here he does a more poetic form of that in Dheemi Dheemi, sung or more so, recited as well as only Hariharan could.  Rahman keeps the music to a minimum to highlight the poetry that the song is. The song itself does remind you a little bit of a similar number involving this same trio in Kabhi Na Kabhi. That however does not reduce the greatness of this song by any measure.

Sukhvindara Singh, who seems to give his best to A R Rahman does more than full justice to the two best songs in this album. Ruth Aa Gayee Re is easily the most catchy song in this album - and despite the rustic feel, largely due to dependence on traditional Indian instruments (mainly percussion instruments). Traces of A R Rahman show in some notes, but this is surely one of his most different and yet very catchy numbers. I would rate this song on par with the best of the year so far, as far as catchiness goes.  Raat Ki Dal Dal Hai, also sung by Sukhvindara Singh is particularly notable for brilliant lyrics and a feeling of heaviness in the music.

Overall, this one certainly stands out as a remarkable score by A R Rahman, illustrating his mastery as much as that of Javed Akhtar when it comes to meaningful and powerful poetry. The singers are at their best, and one can be assured that the movie will do fair justice to these songs. Though, I wonder if fair justice will be full justice, as I fear that a few numbers would be reduced to being used as background numbers (like E-Ajnabi in Dil Se).