(This article is sponsored by Sounds of India)

Film: Meenaxi - Tale of 3 Cities (Hindi)
Lyrics M.F.Hussain, Rahat Indori, Sukhvinder Singh
Cassette Label RPG HMV
Director M.F.Hussain

Meenaxi: A musical score as colorful as the artist behind the movie

This reviewer has a natural bias to all things Rahman. If you can live with that, read on. Meenaxi is a forthcoming movie by M. F. Hussain, the wildly popular Indian painter extra ordinaire. Whereas Mr. Hussain’s film making abilities are yet to be established, if the music in this production is anything to go by, the film must have some merit. The audio tracks for Meenaxi contains music that will grow on you like a blanket on a damp bed – cold and austere at first listen, you’ll catch yourself humming them under your breath and reaching for multiple replays on day 2. This soundtrack is as eclectic as it gets and contains a sample of everything you’ve come to adore about A. R. Rahman’s styles.

The soundtrack begins as if Mr. Rahman never finished up his work on “Zubeida”; a Shyam Benegal movie released 2 years ago and adorned with nostalgic melodies by this maestro. The Meenaxi CD opens with “Ye Rishta”, a tune that is immediately recognizable as having staying power akin to the energizer bunny. It is vocalized to near perfection by Reena Bharadwaj, a relative new comer to the Rahman line up and has the hallmark percussion that lights up this tune for John Themis’ guitar arrangements to come in midway and set it ablaze. “Chinnamma Chilakkamma” begins deceptively with a pan flute and a telugu folk refrain; the first bass thump heralds the real beast in this tune with Sukhwinder Singh belting out what looks destined to be the next “Chayya Chayya”. I can see this resonating in the discos in India and Europe if marketed properly.

“Do Khadam Aur Sahi” is a guitar-based ballad that sounds convoluted on first listen but unwinds to a smooth melody with repetition. Sonu Nigam never had it so good with any other music-director; Mr. Rahman surely brings out the best in him. And just when you begin to doubt ARR’s ability to sustain this tempo comes a track called “Dhuan duan”. The vocal intonation that sets up this tune is unprecedented in popular music leave alone the stuff that passes for music in Bollywood. Hats off to Ms. Asha Bhonsle for another superb rendition – this septuagenarian, unlike her more popular older sister, has chosen to live on the wild side and must take special pride in emulating the wanton vixen. And then there is the track called “Rang Hai” that uses the voice of a Lebanese singer to support Alka Yagnik’s vocalization of a tune reminiscent of “Rang De” from Thakshak. This starts off as though it could be Sting’s “Desert Rose”, Rahman style. However, it settles to a more traditional “holi” song, pleasing to the ear. A Sufi quawwali and some fill-in instrumentals complete the line up on this audio CD.

Over the years, A.R. Rahman has gained the unique advantage of attracting talents from all over the world to collaborate with him. Music credits on his soundtracks now include increasing numbers of western artists; Meenakshi boasts the talents of renowned new-age artists such as John Themis and John Asher. With globalization, world music is the most rapidly expanding genre and the Rahman troupe looks well poised to soar. It is possible that the Meenaxi soundtrack may not resonate well with the Indian youth battered by synthesized hip-hop prevalent in the current Indian music scene but the discerning listener will find this soundtrack indispensable. Take a listen and stay with it - it’s a sure fire way to inject a spring in your step for months to come. This juice is definitely worth the squeeze.

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