Raanjhnaa || Dhanush & Sonam || Anand L Rai

[A.ANAND]

Music review: Ranjhanaa

Composer: AR Rahman

Lyricist: Irshad Kamil

Rating: ****

The AR Rahman film albums, that truly excel are the ones where he gets an able collaborator in the director too.

His best albums almost always emerge out of films that deeply embrace their music, helmed by directors with a fine musical ear. In Raanjhanaa, director Anand L Rai, who demonstrated a surprising understanding of music in his debut Tanu Weds Manu, does exactly that, making the maestro plunge into the musical flavours of Benares. The title song, Raanjhanaa revels in its lucid antara-mukhda-antara defying structure riding on a captivating beats of the dhol, the fresh voices and unconventional singing by Shiraz Uppal and Jaswinder Singh. Rahman's use of Hindustani semi-classical music, fashioned around his own ingenuous musical methods, is at play throughout. Be it the sparkling sitar solo in the title song or the elegant strains of the saarangi in Banarasiya, which has a khanjani-dholak motif, and is sung by Shreya Ghoshal. A superb arpeggio juxtaposes with Sufi tune in the haunting Piya milenge, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and the KMMC Sufi ensemble.

The album's Banarasi colours are further enhanced by Ay Sakhi that has the delightfully playful singing by Madhusree, Chinmayi, Vaishali and Aanchal Sethi.

A part of the film has an urban setting, and the maestro hits it out of the park here with Tu mun shudi, a Sufi-hippie hybrid that revolves around its Persian catchphrase sung by Rabbi Shergill and Rahman. The composer masterfully blends qawwali and bhajan through the charmingly lovelorn, Tum tak. There are two vastly different numbers, Nazar laaye and Aise na dekho, that sound like they could've been in another film. The latter is a beautiful ballad by Rahman.

Irshad Kamil's lyrics provide a perfect foil to the music. And this is Rahman's finest turn since Rockstar, seeing the maestro enter exciting new musical territories.

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/mu...hanaa/1126241/

[mappi]

Raanjhanaa Songs
[As there is no thread for the Hindi version, I am writing it here]

After few weeks of hearing Raanjhanaa songs, I should say I am blown away by the sound quality. I was always for ARR when it comes to sound design : the mixing is top notch. Throw your ipod, stop your HD audio driver installed computer player, delete your MP3 files and get the CD (the flac). Then equipe yourself with a sony 5.1 (Sony means sound), preferably with prologic. Sit back and play Raanjhanaa, you will get exactly what I mean. Cutting out all the "déjà-heard" comparisons, here is what I have to say about the songs :

Raanjhanaa - A youthful road song with quite impressive tempo. I think they do not want the audience to be aware when the song starts and ends on screen.

Banarasiya - Now here comes a contrast song to Raanjhanna. What you heard previously sets back a little to put forward the "female-take" version.

Piya Milenge - Firstly I am not in for Sukhwinder Singh and secondly the forced qawwali did not go well with me. No further comments keeping in mind there are others favoring this song.

Ay Sakhi - This is easily the irritating song. Addressed for pre-teens, everything in this song is itchy, notably "kyon kyon kyon" and "pein pein pein". And how many of you suddenly hummed "Ek Chidiya Anek Chidiya" ?

Nazar Laaye - An Amazing song. So soft and romantic. Surprisingly the Lyrics are too good and syncs well with the tune.

Tu Mun Shudi - Here comes the 2nd best of the Album. Make yourself a pint of Guiness and the goal is not to spill the beer while moving for the song. And the "yeah" is the reminder that you are not moving your head. Interesting part is the lyrics - I do not know how many paid attention to it - I could not understand the first 2 lines of the lyrics, so I looked for it and found that these lines are not hindi but Persian [credit to that anonymous person whose lines I am quoting here] :

"
Tu mun shudi, tu mun shudi
Mun tu shudam, tu mun shudi
These are Persian lines from Hazrat Amir Khusro's Sufi Love Kalam, lines mean:
You've become me, You've become me
I've become you, you've become me.
"

Now it would be more interesting to know the presence and influence of these Persian lines both in the movie as well as to ARR. Any ARR fans take up this task ?

Aise Na Dekho - My 1st pick. What a composition - saturday night club classic type and ARR voice is pure. "Registaan Mein Khoya Aansu" (Tears lost in the desert) - absolutely WOW.

The Land of Shiva - Sakthi Kodu

Tum Tak - a massacre. However you look at this song its ugly. Whatever argument you come up with, still its pathetic, the way "TUM" is violated.

Now the ultimate comparison : Mariyaan vs Raanjhanaa. Easily Raanjhanaa, simply because its joyful.

Raanjhanaa : "someone who loves you deeply" is justified thru the songs. Rest is to watch it on screen.

[Brianengab]

♫ Piya Milenge ♫ The next song from Raanjhanaa releases tomorrow!!

[Brianengab]

♫ Piya Milenge ♫ The next song from Raanjhanaa releases tomorrow!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=ixPqO_eCckI

[Yathu]

I can't comment on the lyrics or if they make sense or fit or whatever but I am really enjoying listening to "Oliyaga Vandhai" (wow!), "Unaal Unaal" (Pooja from SuperSinger! Just made this connection, didn't realise whilst listening to Tum Tuk ^^) and "Paraka Seivai" (like the sound of the new female singer Mili Nair).

[lancelot]

Are the tamil songs out?

[satissh_r]

Are the tamil songs out?

http://www.dhingana.com/tamil/ambika...latest-39e8a31

[lancelot]

Just started listening to it. first song Solvadhai Seidhu and it is awesome!

[Mahen]

AGREE..oliyai vandai is superb

[SoftSword]

oliyaai vandhaai is sandhosha kanneerae level...
never heard javed ali to be so sweet... so unique...
and paarkkadhae... is jamoon with ice... apdiyae urugi urugi...

pretty average lyrics overall...