He is considered to be one of the most influential directors in Bollywood. A Yash Chopra film is eagerly awaited by Hindi film buffs all over the world. After delivering such musical extravaganzas like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Dil To Pagal Hai and Mohabbatein in the recent past, Chopra has now pulled a magic rabbit out of the hat – the Late Madan Mohan, for his new venture: Veer-Zaara.
Who can forget the great man, who has given us such heavenly numbers as Unko Yeh Shikayat Hai (Adalat),Lag Ja Gale, Naina Barse Rhim Jhim (Woh Kaun Thi), Main To Tum Sang Nain Milake (Man Mauji), Nainon Mein Badra Chhaye, Tu Jahan Chalega (Mera Saaya), Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon (Haqeeqat), Dil Dhoondhta Hai (Mausam), and many more..? Yash Chopra’s trump card, Veer-Zaara - starring Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Rani Mukherjee – uses the maestro’s unutilized compositions, recreated by his son, Sanjeevsanjeev Kohli. The album could not have come at a better time, as another high-profile Shah Rukh starrer, Swades (from the ‘Lagaan’ team: Ashutosh Gowarikar – A R Rahman-Javed Akhtar), lines up to steal the thunder.
The album starts off with the slow and soothing Tere Liye. The piano music at the start of the song has already been featured in the various promos of the movie on the television. The number seems to be a kind of theme song for the whole movie. Rather than turning out into a sad “Judaai” song, it turns into a song about hope for the waiting lovers. The captivating voices of Roop Kumar Rathod and Lata Mangeshkar make the song immensely likeable.
The next track, Main Yahan Hoon starts off slowly, but builds into a real peppy number. After Sonu Nigam took the country by storm in “Kal Ho Na No” and “Main Hoon Na”, Udit Narayan is back as “the voice of the Khan”. A typical “Shah Rukh Khan song”, this is Udit Narayanudit narayan at his best. He carries the song on his shoulders. You can almost picturize the yellow-coloured fields of Punjab (remember DDLJ?) while losing yourself in Udit’s voice (Incidently, the popular Punjabi number “Laung Gawacha” can be heard during the interlude).
The classical Punjabi voice of Gurdas Mann opens the song Aisa Desh Hai Mera, before Udit Narayan takes over. I don’t need to describe the result, with the heavy dhol beats complementing the tabla in the background. The song talks about the colours and sounds of rural India. The song reminds the singer of another great Yash Chopra song – “Ghar Aaja Pardesi Tera Desh Bulaye”.. The superb lyrics are a cake walk such an accomplished poet as Javed Akhtar. Lata joins in the end with a touch of the “Indo-Pak” bhai-bhai mood. The girl says: “My country is no different from yours” (Wahi shaam hai wahi savera, aisa hi desh hai mera). Prita Majumdar also lends her voice in the interludes.
Hum Aa Gaye Hai Kahan is another romantic Lata-Udit number. The lyrics may sound like it is Yeh-Kahan-Aa-Gaye-Hum Part II, but the song is far from it. The music is arranged and the song literally cries out that it belongs to a Yash Chopra movie. It reminds us of the various melodious numbers we have enjoyedenjoys in movies such as Mohabbatein, Dil To Pagal Hai etc. A sure fire chart-topper.
Do Pal is Sonu Nigam’s first song of the album. A slow romantic duet with Lata Mangeshkar, Sonu’s voice brings out the emotions of loss expressed so brilliantly by Javed Akhtar’s lyrics:
Tum the ke thi koi ujli kiran, tum the ya koi kali muskayi thi?
Tum the ya sapnon ka tha sawan, tum thethey ya khushiyon ki ghata chhayi thi?
Yash Chopra wields the microphone in Kyon Hawa, reminiscent of Amitabh’s “Main aur meri tanhayee” from Silsila (“…behti hui zindagi, jaise har pal nayi…aur phir bhi wohi, haan wohi zindagi, jiske daaman mein koi mohabbat bhi hai, koi hasrat bhi hai…- sounds familiar doesn’t it?). Sonu Nigam takes over from there. His lilting voice expresses the excitement of first love. And the result is, perhaps, the best song in the album!
The album picks up a sudden pace with Hum To Bhai Jaise Hai. A song meant to echo the free spirit of the girl – “I am like this only, and will remain like this only”. However, the voice of Lata Mangeshkar sounds out of place in such a song.
The next number is a traditional qawwali – Aaya Tere Dar Par Deewana, effortlessly rendered by Mohammed and Ahmad Hussain. The lyrics give an indication that the song might be featured in the climax, akin to another Shah Rukh qawwali – “Ho Gaya Hai Mujhe Pyar”” from Shah Rukh.
Gurdas Mann steals the show in Lodi, a chhed-chhad Punjabi song, featuring Mann, Lata and Udit Narayan. Compared to the remixed cacophony that is dished out in the name of Punjabi, it is refreshing to hear such a classical Punjabi song. The lyrics seem to be written with Amitabh Bachhan and Hema Malini in mind (who, I believe, are part of the movie). However, Lata again sounds out of place in the song. With the presence of Shah Rukh in the film, one cannot help a comparison to songs such as “Mehndi Lagake Rakhna” and “Soni Soni Ankhiyonwali”.
The last two tracks in the CD do not appear in the film and have been recorded specially for the album. However, after hearing them, one wonders why they haven’t been featured. The first one – Tum Paas Aa Rahe Ho – is a romantic duet featuring Lata and that master of slow songs: Jagjit Singh. The second song Jaane Kyon is a Lata solo. A slow song, it reminds one rather of the slow numbers which captured the imagination of the listeners in the 1960s1970s.
Without any doubt, Veer-Zaara comes as a whiff of fresh air amongst all the techno stuff which is dished out in the name of “remixes” nowadays. As it happened with me, the music might not captivate you right at the first listening. But on repeated listening, it grows on you. Perhaps the only disadvantage of the album is that, it has the “ghost of DDLJ” hovering around the songs. On repeated hearing, you cannot help, but feel the similarity. But perhaps, that is the magic of Yash Chopra and Shah Rukh Khan.
The album also has a CD called ‘The Making of Veer-Zaara’, in Madanji’s own voice, as he leads the listener through the tunes, as if he is explaining them to the singers. A listener will appreciate the album more after hearing these. The songs are appealing to both the old and the young – they have the magical touch of the yesteryears, as well as the melody of the new-age music that we are so familiar with through Yash Chopra’s fulms. Woh Bhooli Daastan (the (forgotten tale) of the Late Madan Mohan is definitely a must-buy for all music lovers.…
