Very well written ARRvind! I respect your expressions and every comment for the songs! The whole album is a larger than life experience...
________________________________ From: ARRvind <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, July 19, 2010 1:38:23 PM Subject: [arr] Revisiting "Meenaxi- Tale Of 3 Cities" | A Mantra to Heal Cast: Tabu, Kunal Kapoor, Raghubir Yadav, Nadira Babbar Soundtrack and Background Score : A R Rahman Lyrics : Rahat Indori, MF Hussain, Sukhwinder Singh "Meenaxi- Tale Of 3 Cities" - HYDERABAD, JAISALMER, PRAGUE ,is the second brainchild of acclaimed artist MF Hussain after "Gajagaamini" . But the reason of this movie's existence till date(If, any) is because of none other than our musical prodigy AR Rahman Sir! Had ARR not been an integral part of Meenaxi, she would have donned to her gruesome natural death! Tabu's excellent portrayal, MF Hussain's charismatic colors and Santhosh Sivan's breath taking cinematography also added as a catalyst to the movie. But despite all these hyper positives,Meenaxi failed miserably at the box office, so much so that,it did not find its place at all in certain cities of India. Nobody knows when the movie released and screened .The movie's fate turned so bad , thanks to the huge controversy created over a Qawwali song which was supposed to be referred to the almighty had been referred to the woman. Well, for us Rahmaniacs, the music album and the ever haunting background scores are more than enough treat to the senses! ARR sir directly pierces our heart and makes himself comfortable inside! There's no room for us to replace that space! Meenaxi's main USP lies in its earthy musical score which picks up the essence of 3 cities - Hyderabad, Jaisalmer and Prague.! The below opinions about the soundtracks and BGM scores are straight from my heart! Chinnamma Chilakamma - Hyderabad | Sukhwinder Singh Chorus: Ganga, Febi, Kanchana Going by the initial lines, anybody gets duped that the song would be a typical south indian peppy number with its Telugu Lyrics. But as Sukhwinder picks up his lines, one gets the Hyderabadi accent in its full flesh! That is the magic spell the entire album offers you;thorough nativity! Sukhwinder,always is the thump provider to any electrifying compositions of ARR.In this case, he has penned the lyrics as well. He always adds his signature styled nuances and makes the song sound more addictive. The flute interludes and some dholak drums here and there (by Shivamani) provide the audical treat. Chinnamma's choreography is also worth a mention here. Rang Hai - Jaisalmer | Alka Yagnik Hummings by : Dallinda A rustic mysterious cry of a woman welcomes you to this earthy Rajasthani folksy number. The woman behind this mysterious voice is a Lebanese singer Dallinda! Alka Yagnik is the perfect choice to do the vocal honors for the song.Her expressions in the lines "Kya Keh Rahaa Hain Sun Sunn...Paayal Pehen ke Phagun.." is first rate!! This song can be more enjoyed by seeing its resplendently colorful visuals( thanks to MF Hussain) on screen. The mud pots(Ghatams) and some strange strings are the main highlights in the instrumental arrangements. Noor-Un- Allah - Hyderabad | Murtuza Khan, Qadar Khan The most controversial song in ARR's career(of course for no fault of his!). This song's controversy had such mighty powers that it pulled out the entire movie from the screens due to an offensive reference made to the woman instead of the almighty. ARR, being a Sufi Saint, has come up with one of his career best qawwali with a sufi touch! Its soo sad that this great number didnt get its due credit. Both the Khan brothers have performed aptly, though ARR's voice is royally missed here! ARR creates an unbelievable magic with few basic instruments like Tablas and Harmoniums.! The rythm patterns throughout the song is scintillating to say the least!! You feel like getting immersed into this purified sea of melody and get all your sins washed off! In the movie, this number is split into two halves. Both the starting and ending phases of the movie has this song. The entire story happens between this song.And the lyrics gets its honors from MF Hussain himself.! Dhuan Dhuan - Prague | Asha Bhonsle, Kunal Ganjawala Percussion : Shivamani Additional Grooves : James Asher The Legendary singer Asha Bhonsle pairs up with ARR once again to render this sultry and seductive number. ARR, right from Rangeela days, has always chosen Asha ji for young, vibrant and peppy numbers like this and she, regardless of her age, has always come out with great flying colors. This particular number is very less talked about among the Rahmaniacs, though it boasts of great percussions by ARR's loyalist Shivamani and has great rhythmic grooves. Kunal Ganjawala makes a distinct attempt at the hummings in the European style which is highly impressive. Ashaji's seductive touch particularly in the lines"Behak Rahee Hain...Nashe Mein Hai Samaaaaaaa.. .Nanananaana. ..heyeyeye. .Nanannana. .." is something that we can rave of.The choreography of this number is also very unique and the Prague culture is briefly and crisply exhibited!! Potter's Village - Jaisalmer | Instumental Percussions : Hossam Ramzy Strings: John Themis There's nothing in this world to beat ARR's wizardry in Instrumental pieces for his film albums. Who on earth can compose such precious jewels which spontaneously haunt any music loving creature of this universe? Potter's village is one such jewel.I literally burst into tears on the very thought that such legendary compositions went in vain for a film which never saw its daylight! The initial strings portion by John Themis drags your attention from whatever work you are involved in. This sound seems to carry some mysterious message with it pointing to far distance of the Jaisalmer desert village where the skilled villagers are making mud pots. The in-between Ghatam sounds makes it very clear that the pots being produced are tested for its sound. After a while, a nerve cracking percussion mixes with the strings and ghatams and bring in some groove which is best experienced than told by mere words!! 10000 Oscars can be conferred upon ARR just for this masterpiece instrumentation! !! Cyclist's Rhythm - Hyderabad | Instrumental Percussions : Shivamani Flute : Navin Kumar Cycle's bell ring is always annoying to many of us..! But certainly never after you hear this brilliant piece from Rahman - Shivamani duo..!! A mere cycle bell can be made absolutely enjoyable only by someone who's not less than the Wizard himself. Hyderabad is more famous for cycles and to bring to the audience notice, MF Hussain has come up with such brilliant idea to promote it by making Tabu stand amidst a group of cycles surrounding her.After those initial rhythmic bells, another Rahman's close buddy Navin kumar showcases his brilliance through his breezy flute piece which scintillates and chills down to our spines! The awesome threesome (ARR, Shivamani and Pravin) combine together in a jugalbandi of sorts towards the end suddenly picking up the groove! Shivamani's fast "Tappangucchhi" beats doesn't spare anyone from tapping the feet and match some steps! Again ARR makes us realize that instrumentation can't get bigger than this..! Yeh Rishta - Jaisalmer | Reena Bharadwaj Strings : John Themis If anybody remembers Meenaxi, it should be because of "Yeh Rishta" song! The only song which was promoted well before its release and rightly so deserved its due appreciation! A fresh sounding debut youngster Reena Bharadwaj, who was specially flown in from the UK,starts the song with her humming "Hmmm...hmmmm" even as Pravin blows the heavanly soothing flutes. This part, for me, is the BEST portion of the song! Reena's husky voice works so well to the song that the song turns sweeter in multiple folds! And, yes, how can i not mention the most spectacular portion of the song, where the listener feels there is a fresh water stream gushing out very next to you! It just flows into the ears and purifies our soul when digitally modulated Reena hums "Hainnnnnn Haiiiiiiinnnn. ."! A sugar candy melody with right mix of grooves and strings usage by John Themis makes Yeh Rishta as our permanent rishtedaar(relative )! And, never miss to enjoy the final most humming of Reena towards the end "Aaaaaaaaaaa. ...Ummmmmmmmmmmm m.." I recommend all to see the video of this song! Truly colorful and amazing choreography! !! Rahat Indori, the lyricist, deserves a special pat on his back too..! Do Kadam Aur Sahi - Starts in Jaisalmer and Ends in Hyderabad | Sonu Niigaam Strings : Rashid Ali Flute : Navin Kumar Needless to say, my BEST pick of the album! And yes, the career BEST song of Sonu Niigaam according to me!! I don't consider this just as a song! This is my Lifetime Companion!!! ! I never consider this song just as a audio wonder..Do Kadam is my BEST companion, my life partner, my soulmate...it goes on!!! Ive never been so emotionally attached to any others like i am to this soul mate. I have built my own image picture and have given a life to it too..! Sounding too fussy?? Hehee...just pouring out my honest opinion of this life defining masterpiece composition! Right from its initial pale sounding strings when Sonu begins "Zindagi Haath Mila..." to the life filling trumpet sounds amidst the strings towards the end is like a holy path that we travel! Hats off to the lyricist Rahat Indori for penning such life defining lines. Each line is like a book that defines life. The now famous singer Rashid Ali's showcases his expertise on the strings effortlessly. Sonu Nigam's voice comes in as a fresh breather to this breezy journey, particularly his intense expressions of "Uuuummmrr Bhar Saath Sahee..." registers like gold! His voice has parts of blue (Sadness) , some happiness and more warmth in some other parts. I have nothing else to say about my Guru ARR, simply because i cannot express my feelings for him through words! Another most inspiring part of the song is towards the end, when a mild trumpet blows even as Sonu hums "Hmmmmm...mmm" . The best suggestion i can give is, switch off the lights at night, lie down on your bed, put your best quality earphones, close your eyes and press "Play". And you will definitely travel to the Paradise, get your senses a royal king size treat,comeback to the normal world and never come out of the hangover for many days!! That's the ARR touch of Do Kadam for you!!!! To experience this journey to the paradise in more detail, please click this below link and go much deeper. This is one of the best reviews i ve ever read in my lifetime about a song.! Hats off to our own member and an awesome writer, Mr.Dasun!!! http://www.mail- archive.com/ arrahmanfans@ yahoogroups. com/msg37122. html Background Score: As the title conveys, the story plot features 3 cities : Hyderabad, Jaisalmer and Prague. Rahman emerges as a clear winner in giving life to all these 3 cities with his magical BGMs. While he goes completely into Qawwali rhythms for Hyderabad, a rustic ,earthy, Arabic rhythms for Jaisalmer and a rich lavish strings for Prague, ARR , along with his trusted team members, brings out the essence and cultures of all the 3 cities through his enticing scores. Particularly, when Tabu roams around the Hyderabadi markets, an ultra spectacular "Ni Sa Sa Sa..." humming along with Tablas and Harmoniums , when Kunal roams around Jaisalmer, the female humming and scintillating Cello's and Violins to show the city of Prague, all speaks for themselves about the essence of the cities. MF Hussain has clearly emerged as a winner in extracting the BEST of the bests from ARR! Never miss the opportunity to savor yourselves with such haunting BGMs by ARR. To put in simple words.. Meenaxi Haunts and also Heals With her Melody!!!
