While AR Rehman has worked in a lot of period movies as a composer, he seems to come up with some gems everytime!
Jodha
Akbar is no different.
The album opens with Azeem-o-shaan shahensha a song which sketeches a perfect grandeur image of the times of Akbar with a liberal use of big instruments. The lyrics of this song in particular are very different and one might feel a touch of Lagaan in them
The second song In lamhon ke daaman mein actually makes you wonder about the story line of this movie, since there is a lot of Chorus and the song goes back and forth in narrating some turn of events...sung brilliantly by Sir Sonu nigam and the female lead singer. Although I personally feel that Shreya Ghosal would have been a better choice for this song.
The third song comes to you in form of qawalli ’Khawaja mere khwaja’. One is forced to draw comparisons between this qawaali and the recent Halla bol qawalli and while the halla bol composition could sound good intermittently, it has a MASS sound to it. Compare it with this Jodha Akbar composition by Rehman and you will get goose pimples the moment you hear the qawalli starting! This one has a more sufi touch to it and I would like to believe that Rehman has actually paid a tribute to Nusrat Fateh ali khan....and HOW!
The fourth composition is titled - ’Manmohana’ and is sung by a relatively new singer. This one can be best described as a song which has elements of ’O palanharey’ from lagan when it comes to the music arrangement and overall sound, and a feel of ’luka chippi from rang de basanti, when it comes to lyrics. A classical masterpiece which will grow on you and will continue to haunt you even after you see the movie.....(more of a climax or a critical situation like song)
Now the last and finest ’kehne ko jashn-e-bahara’ sung by Javed ali. This song is hand picked by the lyricist and Sir AR Rehman has done well to choose a new, fresh and a soulful singer to sing this one. The way this song describes a cute love fight is just awesome and the listener is literally forced to press the REPEAT button on this one! (It is playing in background as I type this review! for the second time in a row!)
The album also contains instrumental versions of Khwaja mere Khwaja and Kehne ko jashn-e-bahara. You might like it a lot since both of them are composed using different instruments. Rehman has cleverly NOT used flute in Jashn-e-bahara song (which is replaced by guitar when the vocal version ends...making it all the more cute) only to use the flute in the instrumental version of jashn-e-bahara.
The instrumental version of Khwaja is also very good but one should hear the vocal version of it more because one will hear Sir AR Rehman throwing his voice with so much ease and devotion that it will give you goose pimples!
All and all an album which is worth buying and which leaves you asking for more!
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