HAIDER - MUSIC REVIEW

Just when Bollywood music required some stability, grace and meaning, post some horrendous songs with a rapper promising to get Grammy and songs which definitely ensured that the NADEEM-SHRAVAN era was coming back, Vishal Bhardwaj delivers HAIDER. Needless to say that the expectations were soaring from this album and Bhardwaj has exceeded the expectations, like he does, always.

 There is something enigmatic about the combination of Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar Sahab, and it has been this way since they first collaborated for Maachis. Bhardwaj is back to complete his trilogy of the Shakespearean tragedies post Maqbool and Omkara; this time attempting to adapt one of the most difficult plays written by Shakespeare, Hamlet. What is surprising is the emphasis on the music that has been laid in this film. From adapting Faiz’s Ghazals to bringing out the best in Gulzar, from the rock influences to the Kashmiri Rubab, this album is a gem!

AAO NA - That Bhardwaj is no muck at Rock genre was evident years ago when he enthralled everyone with the soundtrack of Paanch. AAO NA is a brilliant composition, some thing which gives visibility to the album and to the film, and despite having elements of a chartbuster song; this is a very dark song.

The grave calls out to the dead to come and sleep as the world is dead is exactly what the song means. The rock influences in the song are superbly supported with Dadlani’s vocals as he croons along seamlessly. AAO NA is haunting and extremely catchy. Vishal Dadlani’s energetic vocals only make this song all the more irresistible.

BISMIL – It is this song that made me clap; clap for the brilliance of Gulzar’s command over words. Long ago in some forgotten era, songs were written to create imageries and situations in the minds of the listener which had to be interpreted to understand the subtlety of the wordplay. Unfortunately, explicit seems to be the norm of the day and hence a Desi Kalakar becomes a Superstar, meanwhile the genius of Bismil largely goes unnoticed. Sukhwinder Singh gives this song a very unique identity. Bismil is essentially the portrayal of the Mousetrap portion in the original play.

Depicitng the entire scenario with the story of two nightangles and an eagle, set in the backdrop of Kashmir valley, Bismil surely is an example of the power of words. It is the usage of Personification at its very best. Bhardwaj quietly lets the words weave their magic as he perfectly sets up the composition complete with Rubab’s Sarangi’s and Ektara’s.

KHUL KABHI TOH – Arijit Singh is an extremely gifted singer. Khul Kabhi Toh makes him utilise his wonderful gift of making difficult songs sound ridiculously simple. This one isn’t the quintessential Bollywood romantic track but is a trademark VB romantic track and is not very difficult to identify that. The vocalist steals the show as Gulzar sits back and pens down prosaic verses and VB sets them all into a very tempting groove. The beauty of this song lies in the smartly composed music. The romace comes out literally as the song progresses.

 Bekaraan, Khamakha etc (all VB’s compositions) have been already where Khul Kabhi Toh tries to be, but with lines like-  jhuk ke jab jhumka me chum raha tha, der tak gulmohar jhum raha tha, you can hardly complain.  

EK AUR BISMIL – I could barely figure out the reason behind putting the original composition into Arabic beats and make it sound shabby. It may also be primarily because of the fact that the focus here shifts from the words to the beats and hence it irked me as a listener. In all probabilities, this song will not be included in the film and will only be used for promotion purposes and that is good enough.

JHELUM – Vishal Bhardwaj showcases his skills as a singer with Jhelum, a track which talks about the pathos and sorrows where Jhelum’s struggle to find the shore serves as a metaphor for the protagonist’s search for a goal and shelter. This one is a short track but conveys what it intended to.

DO JAHAAN – Suresh Wadkar sings this track along with Shraddha Kapoor who sings certain Kashmiri folk portions in this song. This is probably the weakest composition in the entire album with Wadkar’s vocals turning out to be the only saving grace. The song goes off beat many a times and causes more distraction rather than indulgence which otherwise VB is extremely capable of with his compositions.

AAJ KE NAAM - This is not by any means a full blown track but a recitation of Faiz Abul Faiz’s masterfully written poem by Vishal Bhardwaj’s favourite, Rekha Bhardwaj. I sincerely urge everyone to search the symbolic meaning of this particular song for the Urdu used will significantly be incomprehensible for many of the listeners. Having read Faiz’s work while I grew up, this one connected instantly, more so because of the way Rekha Bhardwaj has recited it.

Rarely do you find a film maker and a music director willing to adapt and resurrect such beautiful pieces of literature for the coming generation.

Un haseenao ke naam, jinki aakho ke gul, chilmano aur dareecho ki belo pe, bekaar khil khil ke murjha gaye hai.

Faiz dedicated this poem to the undying spirit of women by portraying various life situations in the lifetime of women.

GULON ME RANG BHARE – When Mehdi Hassan Sahab lent his voice to the mesmerizing words of Faiz, magic was born in the form an evergreen ghazal. This probably was the 1^st ghazal that I ever listened to. Jagjit Singh entered a bit late into my playlist. Excited as I was to listen to one of my all time favourite ghazal being re-rendered by Arijit Singh, I pressed the play button and trust me it has been on the loop. Playing continuously for over 3 days now, Arijit Singh holds onto his own skill sets and beautifully recreates the magic that once was created when Mehdi Sahab had the mic at his disposal.

But the person who deserves the applause is Mr. Vishal Bhardwaj. I have not seen anyone adapting a classic and turning it into another classic. What remains to be seen is how he has used Faiz’z work in a Shakespearean play.

Haider as a music album is a gem in itself. The lyrics tell a story, the music complements it and the singing puts out the emotion which the lyricist had in mind while penning the songs. 

In an era where the standards have literally been demolished as to what can qualify as music, VB and Gulzar Shab come across to reassure the faith in music. The chartbuster list would not boast of Haider’s songs but the listeners who are willing to invest some time to listen to some genuinely creative efforts, Haider’s playlist would be something to boast about.

For some music is a part of life, for some, a way of life.

**4.5 STARS**