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From the rural to the urban, classical to the modern, the album sees seamless interweaving of styles, genres and voices
After the huge critical and commercial success of ‘Chak De India’, Yash Raj Films is readying for release another venture that looks at life through a different lens: ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey of a Woman’, directed by Pradeep Sarkar. And the music, released on Yash Raj Music, is a triumph of melody and imagination.
It kicks off with ‘Hum To Aise Hain’, a jaunty song of affirmation sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal, Swanand Kirkire & Pranab Biswas. Starting off with the sounds of classical music and ambient sounds, the song morphs into the voices of Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal. But even though they sing “Jeb mein humri duhi rupaiya...”, there is no doubt that the world is still at their command. The album kicks off to a truly fresh start as rustic and semi-urban sounds mix with the contrasting voices of the singers.
The song that follows, though, ‘Zara Gungunalein Chalo’ is as urban as it gets in its sounds and rhythms – a jaunty guitar base coupled with harmonies makes the song pacy, yet romantic. Searching for a little relief from the tedium of urban life, Babul Supriyo and Mahalaxmi Iyer give voice to the characters of Abhishek and Rani in this lovely number.
The next track, the title track of the movie, ‘Chunari Mein Daag’, is proof of why some vintage wine works wonderfully well in new bottles. Modern funk beats weave in superbly with the resonant voice of Shubha Mudgal & the fast paced thumping spoken word delivery of Meeta Vashisht. Shining through the song is the strength of the title character and her resolve to survive all odds.
KK & Shreya Ghoshal sing the next number, “Ek Teekhi Teekhi Si Ladki”, picturised on Konkona and Kunal Kapoor, talks about the characters’ affection for each other despite their eminently human foibles. Peppy and zesty, the liquid sounds of piano and guitar carry the song along smoothly and effortlessly.
Next up, Rekha Bharadwaj sings the wonderfully different “Ehi Thaiyaa Motiyaa”. It starts off with the tabla, immediately signifying that this is bound to be a stellar new addition to the variety of great Hindi film songs deriving from a strong classical base. What’s more, it is the voice that carries the songs more than the sparse instrumentation. And the imaginative use of the ghungroo almost as a supporting musical instrument casts a hypnotic spell on the listener.
The album ends with “Kachchi Kaliyaan”, which brings together Sonu Nigam, KK, Sunidhi Chauhan & Shreya Ghoshal. A traditional UP folk song is spunked up with driving beats that still do not mask the essentially Indian ethos of this youthful number. With its sheer hummability, “Kachchi Kaliyaan” is a good bet to become the “Kajra Re” of 2007.
An album that is anchored in the melodious history of Indian film music, but is equally aware of the changing times; an album that blends folk and funk effortlessly, ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey of a Woman’, delivers a superbly entertaining listening experience without precedent.
‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey of a Woman’ stars Jaya Bachchan, Rani Mukerji, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor, Abhishek Bachchan, and Hema Malini in a special appearance. It is produced by Aditya Chopra, directed by Pradeep Sarkar, with music by Shantanu Moitra and lyrics by Swanand Kirkire.
The music of ‘Laaga Chunari Mein Daag - Journey of a Woman’ is also available for download in a digital format (as a single song or entire album) through the Yash Raj Films Website and also on popular sites like iTunes, Rhapsody, Yahoo, among others.
