Chamkila Music Review-AR Rahman back with Rockstar team
You can’t really listen to a song from this legendary team and have an instant reaction to it. You might get hooked to a beat or a phrase, but there will always be a world that will be still left to absorb.
Also, it always helps if you are out, on the road, or travelling. Nothing hits like an Imtiaz Ali- AR Rahman — Irshad Kamil song on a solo bus ride. Worse the state (mental, not geographical) you are in, better the songs hit.
ARR- Imtiaz Ali Playlist on Apple Music, curated by Ajit Mundra
Having said that, let me write prematurely about the songs of Chamkila from my unadventurous living room.
The Chamkila biopic by Imtiaz Ali has been highly anticipated ever since the announcement, primarily because of AR Rahman’s name attached to it, and Diljit Dosanjh as well (hey there, DD fan). A teaser was released mid-2023 with bits of Baj Baaja Baja song, and we had ‘Ishq Mitaye’ release a month ago to a great response, with Naram Kaalja/Daingan Daingan a couple of weeks after it, again to great response. And now, we have the full album of Amar Singh Chamkila out finally. There are 6 songs with a music lover’s dream-voice cast, and with the rich tapestry of masterpieces like Rockstar, Highway & Tamasha behind them, this team has nothing left to prove, but we know they will never give anything short of miraculous.
Expectations
I didn’t believe it at first. It was too good to be true. AR Rahman, Imtiaz Ali and crew travel to the remote villages of Punjab to make a movie! Then I looked up Chamkila, the artist, whom I had never heard.
My Punjabi music listening is very limited in the present day, growing up was different though as I have listened to artists famous in the 90s, like Malkit Singh, Late Surjit Bindrakhia (great at breakup songs), Hans Raj Hans, Babbu Maan, Amarinder Gill, Sukhshinder Shinda, or the artists that Bally Sagoo used to collab with in his many Punjabi/Desi albums, hence making them visible on a larger platform. I do know that the genre exists and is very popular among masses(that songs of Chamkila play in, he is called Punjab ka Elvis) and it is probably credit to the singer, more of which we should get to know in the movie, but personally have never been much interested in massy Punjabi music. I know if AR Rahman has said yes to this, we are going to hear something new, fresh and crafted with care. Diljit Dosanjh, again I am not fond of. Or any of the present day Punjabi singers as all/most they sing about is crass topics. Then I wondered would Diljit sing songs in the album like Daler Mehndi, Hans Raj Hans or Mika have done in previous ARR albums?
So I had lots of questions and curiosity filled in the head for this album.
I was also sceptical, as I am with most ARR albums but more so, off late, given the cold reception some of his recent works have met with. It is not like AR Rahman ever stopped giving superlative music, be it any film, any project, not just in Hindi, but it has not become fashionable to write his music off and say, he doesn’t have the same magic anymore. You could spend hours, days, month arguing about this to some smart alec on social media (or you could read my book on ARR!) but it is undeniable that people just haven’t given a good listen to his albums (few examples follow with links to my music reviews) in past 6–7 years for reasons best known to them.
And now, Amar Singh Chamkila, The Album…
ISHQ MITAYE (MAIN HOON PANJAAB)
Mohit Chauhan
This is the typical Balle Balle Tunak Tunak Tun Tim Tim Luck Luck funky Punjabi groovy song. You just can’t not like the beat that starts off before the very Earthy open verse with its Aaho’s in place. Mohit Chauhan with his signature bassy vocals make each word and line register along the catchy beat.
Mere Agge Duniya Ka Rang Saara Fikka Apne Lahu Se Hi Lagaaya Maine Tikka Dass Kyon Daraan Pakkiyan Jadaan Apne Paron Pe Mujhe Pakka Hai Bharosa Main Udaa
Chal hawa bana ud jaawaan, sama bana gum jaawaan ..A wandering soul on self-discovery…couplets, verses & poetry that stirs..same zone as Phir se ud chala all over again…
The Rockstar team gives us another legendary song. What initially feels a simple Punjabi groove goes into Sufi territory with signature AR Rahman touches & layered instrumentation. Bliss! Main Hoon Punjab.
Song Composed, Produced, Arranged by A.R. Rahman Lyrics by Irshad Kamil Singer — Mohit Chauhan Music Supervisor — Hiral Viradia Mixed and Mastered by Nitish R Kumar Musicians :- Dhol — Hanif Dhafrani, Aslam Dhafrani Additional programming — Sarthak Kalyani, Suryansh Additional Vocals — Harshil Pathak, Sarthak Kalyani, Inderpreet Singh, Romy, Aasa Singh, Arvinder Singh
NARAM KAALJA (DAINGAN DAINGAN)
Alka Yagnik, Richa Sharma, Pooja Tiwari, Yashika Sikka
Mera Auratpan Saara
Tere Naam Vaseeyat Hai
Mera Auratpan Saara
Tere Naam Vaseeyat Hai
Main Ghar Ki Kheti Hun
Main Ghar Ki Kheti Hun
Meri Ye Tarbiyat Hai
A layered track, rooted in folk, emanating from the soil. A catchy open through traditional instrumental set up (alghoza, tumbi overlay over dhol), fusing with studio elements like a backing bass (Keith Peters no less) and electronic synth, leads us to the bright vocal structures led by Alka Yagnik, Richa Sharma & Pooja Tiwari’s front chorus and additional vocals of Yashika Sikka, Pinky Maidasani, Shifa Ruby, Meenu Kale evoke a village band having fun. The lyrics talk about many things — from women being free, to their own desires, some not so subtle, how they view Chamkila, how he echoes with them… I like how dense this song is, packed with vocals and attitude, only towards the end you may notice the signature AR Rahman elements more, but that is the beauty of this team (Imtiaz Ali, Irshad Kamal, ARR) that you always have a fresh creation which is a thing, a life of its own, just like this song, which will live on to find meaning through years, and yet impress the listener with rich musicality.
Musicians : Rhythm — Omkar Salunkhe, Hanif Aslam, Pratap Rath Additional rhythm arrangement — Parag Chabra Flute — Paras Nath Bass — Keith Peters
TU KYA JAANE
Yashika Sikka
This song slows things down after two dance-ish numbers. And it is a good break, one that breathes through mellow set-up of simpler mandolin-sarod let melody and Yashika Sikka’s heartfelt rendering of a what seems to be a one-sided exhortation/celebration of love that is better hidden than expressed. At times her voice invokes Harshdeep Kaur and at times, Kavita Seth and Jaspinder Narula, when she hits the high notes.
Yashika, who did a cover of a bit song in Lekar Hum Diwana Dil (another super-underrated album by ARR ), Tasalli, on her YouTube channel 3 years ago, has sung for a few other film projects and has an impressive array of independent songs in her discography, gets to announce her proper arrival in the big leagues with this retro-tinged AR Rahman song (she also features in Daingan Daingan).
Sachchiyan mohabbattaan buland karke
rakhna pitaari mein tu band karke
rusna vi hansna vi naal tere
sab se chhupake rakhna ang-sang maine
jeet loon zamaane se main jung karke
tujhpe duppate wala rang karke
suit se apne main loongi mila
rakhna tujhe seene pe ab maine
chhup chhup takti hoon
kehna sakti hoon
Tu Kya Jaane mere yaar…
The words by Irshad Kamil are just brilliant (who is great with writing for female characters, as recently evident in another beautiful couple of songs from Tera Kya Hoga Lovely), and the more you hear this song, the more you fall in love with the atmosphere, the vibe, till the last humming as the strings sustain, you are in a dreamy air that is so comforting it feels like therapy.
BAJ BAAJA BAAJA
Mohit Chauhan, Romy, Suryansh, Inderpreet Singh
Ganda sa banda hai social darinda hai
If you are looking for ‘That AR Rahman’ song in Chamkila, look no further. Baaja is everything you wished for, and more. From variations that parallel Chali Kahani or Strawberry Aankhen or the underrated Soja Soja (99 Songs), this song is a musical theater piece that is just exemplary of the God that ARR is, when he is in the ‘zone’.
Chamkila Sexila Tharkila wo Ganda Banda
Baaja is like 3–4 songs packed in one — one that is mellow singer’s paean (set against a kora- like instrument) to love …
Ain-e-Ishq da pehla akkhar
samajh na sabnu aave
koi challa sajde karda koi tumbi te gaave
chahe koi sajde karda ya tumbi te gaave
wakhra wakhra sabda rasta
ik manzil te jaave
ek manzil te jaaye
other one the central hook which again goes into a fast dance-friendly mode towards the end, one with Mohit Chauhan’s Phagware ka hawaldar mode mouthing village-tau gossips and commentary of Chamkila’s life hilariously, and one the Sukhwinder-mode Punjabi rap comes almost out of nowhere. Phew!
Saare sunte iske gaane
And then there are the Rahman-elements — presence of dramatic strings orchestra (the Baaja orchestral cue on orchestra is to die for!) and choir going greek theater. If I were to compare this to a non-ARR track where male singers had so much fun, it would be Emotional Atyachaar from Dev-D (Amit Trivedi).
Also, props again to Irshad Ji for using alliterations throughout (bhay bhayanak, baj baaja, sakht waqt tha, khooni khatre mein, sharmi besharmi, gaane gaata, chhedta chhabeela).
BOL MOHABBAT — Noor Mohabbat Seene La Rabba Rabba Seene La
AR Rahman, Kailash Kher
Tu hi na jo mera to hansaye mujhe kaun?
This song, apart from the initial build on poised flute with bells in the backdrop, is impressive for how raw/studio jam-y it is. It feels unplanned, unstructured as ARR & Kailash Kher start with chants inspired from Baba Bulleh Shah (who was also the inspiration behind a lesser known song called Chhaiyya Chhaiyya), and in no time, you find yourself grooving to the Sufi-vibe.
Hain sookhe honth mukaddar ke
Aur mujhmein qaid kalandar ke
Tu khol de girhe andar ke
Ab naam khumari peene la
Somewhere along the verses, Irshad Kamil also invoke Kabir in an awadhi mold. The plucked-strings segment and the percussion recall songs from Rahman like Al Maddath Maula (from the same singing duo) and Zikr.
Main kis kis ko samjhaoonga
Mera ulta taana baana hai
mera aag alag
aakash alag
meri ajab si mitti paani hai
meri hawa kabhi to badli hai
na mitti hi marjaani hai
With these lines sung by Rahman, the song presents (a possible) artistic dilemma of Chamkila, where he is getting disillusioned. This same feeling is at a higher intensity of realization in the song Vida Karo where we see enter the mode of Guru Dutt from Kaagaz Ke Phool.
VIDA KARO — And now for something completely different!
Arijit Singh, Jonita Gandhi
Tum sabhi saaf sahi hoon matmaila main — Chamkila’s Mea Culpa
This song is a divine blessing we didn’t know we needed. What vocals, what poetry, what eloquent retro vibe! Close your eyes & be transported to a different zone in time & space.
Arijit Singh sung the best song of Atrangi Re (Tumhein mohabbat hai), which married the fine, fine shaayari of Irshad Ji and the raaga-blending skills of Rahman, and that song didn’t get celebrated the way it deserved to be, so this song makes me happy the team will get the much deserved limelight.
Jhooth bhala kyun bologe tum sab sach kehte ho meri nahi hai duniya jisme tum sab rehte ho..
Rendered by Arijit Singh & Jonita Gandhi, this song is a rarity, and surprising to see in this album, not just in the contemporary film music. Takes you to Jaidev/SD Burman/Sahir/Mohd Rafi zone..soft touches of flutes & percussion, piano, and some of the ghazal-esque elements with tabla complementing the verses like in a Jagjit Singh song. I always wanted ARR to do a Jagjit Singh-esque song which celebrates poetry and now that wish is fulfilled too.
Songs that Vida Karo takes me to — Ye duniya ye mehfil, Jaane wo kaise log they jinke, Dekhi zamane ki yaari bicchde sabhi baari baari, Waqt ne kiya, Mujhe tumse kuch bhi na chahiye, Sach ye hai bekar hamein gham hota hai, ye nayen dare dare..
Mere sar pe saari tohmat tum dhar lena
Main to main hoon rooh bhi meri pagal kar dena
Tum khush rehna sab kuch sehna mujhko aata hai
Toote taare ka dharti se kaisa naata hai
Jonita Gandhi handles the second stanza with ease, almost celebrating this song within a song, she later harmonizes beautifully with Arijit as the song revels in the zone it has created.
What a dream album Chamkila’s album has turned out to be..Mohit Chauhan, Arijit Singh, Alka Yagnik, Kailash Kher, ARRahman , Richa Sharma, Jonita Gandhi’s stupendous vocal lineup, songs that are fresh, convey a myriad poetic expression, and make us dance too!
