The AR Rahman-Mani Ratnam duo is back to mercilessly stimulate our ears. No sir, they indeed did not have enough with delighting us with Roja (1992), Bombay (1995), Dil Se (1998), Saathiya (2002), Yuva (2004) and Guru (2006). Raavan, Ratnam's latest, is creating expectation before its release with a soundtrack that is daring and sumptuous to say the least, tribal at its core and… let us cut to the chase and give you our take on each spine tingling track.
'Beera Beera' is the introduction of the film's main character and opens with Mustafa Kutoane's earthy Afro voice. Additional tribal and electronic voice effects are joined by the enthralling rhythm of clapping hands, drums, xylophone, bells and the hearty singing of Kirti Sagathia and Vijay Prakash. As soon as the promos of the film were out (refer to the video below), AR Rahman fans were glued to their earphones in approval of this track's excerpt, claiming him the most talented music alchemist of this modern era. Listen to the teaser for yourself and enjoy.
Second track, 'Behene De', plunges the listener into a dark but captivating musical journey. It features deliciously accurate vocals by Karthik, who some listeners might remember for his spunky rendition of song 'Behka' in 2008's hit film Ghajini. Not surprisingly, in this track Karthik succeeds in carrying the listener through soulful string arrangements and modern electric guitars with the same skillfulness, leaving us with only one wish, to hear more of him! As if this were not enough brilliance, Gulzar adds his golden touch to the song by painting with exquisitely deep words the doomed feeling of helpless love (refer to lyrics and their English translation here).
Following these splendid songs, 'Khilli Re' undusts sitar, tabla, tambourine and flute, providing a dreamy fusion of traditional Indian music and modern sounds which features the honeysweet voice of Reena Bhardwaj, previously acclaimed for her singing in Meenaxi. Her rendition of the melody lingers on well after you have listened to the entire album.
Next in line are 'Ranjha Ranjha' and 'Thok de Killi'. Despite the fact that 'Ranjha Ranjha' has 'Ghenda Phool's' (Delhi 6) star voice, Rekha Bhardwaj, at its forefront, and even though 'Thok de Killi' has a powerful masculine sound, these might well be the album's first tracks that you might have a difficulty warming up to as both songs feature a liberal use of synthesizers and electric guitars. One of AR Rahman's greatest assets is his will to experiment. That of Mani Ratnam's is to leave enough space for Rahman to go beyond his boundaries and create genius tracks. I still wonder if some listeners will believe that the composer has overstepped them in these particular two songs, but then again, only time and the film that inspired him will tell.
Music: A.R.Rahman
Lyrics: Gulzar
Singers: Vijay Prakash, Mustafa, Mohamed Irfan, Karthik, Sukhwinder Singh, Am'Nico, Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Reena Bhardwaj, Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi, Kunal Ganjawala
Soundtrack release: 23 April 2010
Label: T-Series
Buy ´Ravaan' music on Itunes
Closing the album, 'Kata Kata' is slightly reminiscent of AR Rahman's excellent work in films such as Mangal Pandey or Roja. A festive and euphoric chill will run down your spine as you listen to the track time and time again, discovering a voice here or a percussion there that you had not quite paid attention to before. Yes, you've got it, the track boasts such rich instrumentation that you are unlikely to ever tire of it. Ila Arun's Rajasthani rawness is mind blowing and will stir any remaining dormant cells.
Raavan is an intriguing and unpredictable soundtrack that promises to awaken audiences to the world of an equally effervescent being with 10 heads and 100 names... Get ready. Umeed ko aag laga zara (Set your hopes on fire).
Note: Seemingly, the Hindi version of the Raavan soundtrack shall sadly lack one song featuring the talent of Sonu Niigaam. The Tamil version of the song should be released soon in the Tamil soundtrack for the same film. Please refer to this post often as we shall provide updates.
Lyrics: Gulzar
Singers: Vijay Prakash, Mustafa, Mohamed Irfan, Karthik, Sukhwinder Singh, Am'Nico, Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali, Reena Bhardwaj, Ila Arun, Sapna Awasthi, Kunal Ganjawala
Soundtrack release: 23 April 2010
Label: T-Series
Buy ´Ravaan' music on Itunes