Jodha Akbar music review - apunkachoice

Composing for a period film in present times is no easy task. One has to walk the tight rope and balance the musical moods of the era bygone with the present taste of music buffs, which, unfortunately, is heavily inclined towards anything techno and rap.

AR Rahman walks the thin line. His compositions in 'Jodhaa Akbar' have a mere glimpse of what would have been the musical culture in Mughal times. And it also attempts to cater to the present popular tastes. This way, the music album of 'Jodhaa Akbar' ends up neither here nor there. The compositions are good, but they are not great.

Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah is a powerful song hailing the Mughal emperor Akbar. The number, sung by Mohammed Aslam and Bonnie Chakraborty, is heavy on beats and has a pleasing orchestra in the background. Rahman shows his musical wizardry with sounds that create images of rattling swords and chains. Also unmistakable in the song is the theme melody of 'Lagaan' that plays a number of times.

Jashn-e-Bahara could have been a much better song had Rahman chosen a better singer than Javed Ali, who surely sings the right notes with skill, but doesn't have much emotive appeal in his bland vocals. Still, the song, set on an Arabic tempo, carries Rahman's subtle magic. The tender notes of rubaab, mandolin and santoor form the backdrop of this soft romantic track, set to poetic lyrics by Javed Akhtar.

However, the Jashn-e-Bahara instrumental version on flute is a delight to the ears.

AR Rahman is back to what he does best in Khwaja Mere Khwaja, a sufi qawwali with a dash of techno touch. The song, an ode to Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti of Ajmer, has Rahman himself wielding the microphone and jarring the senses of a listener with his emotive and evocative vocals. Though the song relies liberally on tabla and harmonium, the techno flavour ruins the purity of this devotional track.

The instrumental version of this song takes you by surprise. How Rahman keeps the same melody but changes its timing and structure just slightly to suit the Oboe and accompanying orchestra shows his command as a composer.

In Lamhon Ke Daaman Mein is a lilting track about the gradual passing of intimate moments. Sonu Nigam and Madhushree's impressive singing adds to this slow-paced song a mellowness that is broken by raucous chorus. Javed Akhtar's words paint the imagery of two lovers sharing their most special moments together. It is a song that makes an impression only after repeated hearing.

Mann Mohanna is a devotional track addressed to lord Krishna. Supported by tabla and heavy orchestration, this song, sung by Bela Shinde, is a plea to the lord from a despondent woman.

All in all, the songs of Jodhaa Akbar are below the usual standard of a genius like AR Rahman.

Rating: **1/2

Courtesy: http://www.apunkachoice.com/music/alb138/

NAIR SAN: The legendary indian patriot in world cinema

1964 Japan Olympics. It was a thrilling moment for India when Indian Hockey Team won the Gold. But when the National anthem was being played at the medal distribution ceremony one among the crowd began shouting at the Japanese Government only because of the fact that instead of India ’s National Anthem the authorities played Pakistani National Anthem. Even though there were many officials and great personalities from India who were witnessing the incident none raised their voice other than this great Indian. That was the Indian legendary hero Ayyapan Pllai Madhavan Nair famous as Nair San in Japan. This is only one of the incidents which show the patriotism of this great man who became the reason for ending the Asian exploitation by the British during the freedom struggle.

For those who know Nair san personally he is special in different ways. Nair San had to leave his native land Kerala at the age of 18 as he campaigned among the students and led protests and marches against the social injustices of the British. He rebelled against the Education tax polled by English rulers. Being settled in Japan he struggled hard to root out the imperialism in Asian Countries. At the same time freedom fighters in India assembled men against English rulers. His efficiency in Japanese, Chinese and Spanish languages lifted him above all other Indian freedom fighters in Japan such as Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose, Rash Behari Bose, Pratap Singh, Barkathullah etc. Thus Nair San became an ever lively presence in the strong and well arming agitation organized by Indian National Army and Indian Independence League.

Many thrilling moments in the life of Nair San are unknown.. His strange experiences and dangerous encounters taking the roles of a trader, a Holy lama and a Soofi during his one man expedition and exploration through the deserts and Plateau of Manchukia , Ala Shaan , Mongolia , Tibet , and China in 1933 paved the way for ending the illicit wool trade of the British which contributed the major source of their income.

When a renowned film Director from Kerala like Albert honored with awards for his debut film decided to take up the story of Nair San for his next film it is a prestigious moment for the whole of India as the film is being designed in such a way so as to attract the aesthetics of the International audience. Albert’s passion and vision on Nair San is complemented by his tremendous urge to discover new eras on the subject and to create a truly international class Asian film spanning different cultures, languages and religions. The adventurous life of Nair San lighted the flame in Albert’s mind to create such a film where the Director’s creative concept is used more than the mere historical approach. The story is based on ‘Memories of Nair San’ the biography of A.M.Nair and the creative concept is developed by Albert himself.

Padmasree Mohanlal acts the lead role in the first Japanese film directed by an Indian. The other two famous actors in the film are selected from Bollywood. The leading Japanese actress is preferred to be the heroine of Mohanlal. As Nair San married a Japanese lady it is the perfect recreation by the director himself to select a Japanese actress as the heroine.

Discussions and attempts are moving fast to accommodate the world action hero Jackie Chan also in this film to play the role of a Cameo”,

Music maestro A.R.Rahman will be doing music for the film. The traditional Mongolian & Japanese songs included in the film will be a different experience for the music lovers.

The $7.5 million budget film is said to be a different experience for the film lovers worldwide as it is the result of the hard work and enthusiasm of a handful of talented artists. As Japan is the second largest film market in the world the revenue calculated from the movie will be much more than the budget of the film.

The major location of the film is Japan, Mongolia and India . The schedule of the film is planned within 145 days and it is expected to release by the end of 2008. Albert had been in hazardous attempt to secure all the detailed knowledge for the perfection of the film.