Gulaal: some impressions and a lyric post
Vinay
waste even one of them. In recent times, Omkara was one such album.
And then Aaja Nachle came close to it. I have yet to familiarize
myself with Delhi-6, but I will put Gulaal there as well.
It is Piyush Mishra's album, literally. He is not just the lyricist
and the music director but also sings a few songs. Another person who
has his stamp on it is Indian's Ocean Rahul Ram. Along wIth his voice
he brings the unique Indian Ocean sound to it. The album is a unique
blend of theatrical and folk styles of music. Seldom seen in HFM and
rarely done this well.
The film Gulaal, as its director Anurag Kashyap has revealed, is
inspired from Sahir's lament 'ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaae to kyaa
hai' and is a tribute to Sahir. As much as that Sahir's Pyaasa verses
are echoed in the soundtrack at some places. Actually one complete
song is basically an extension of 'ye duniyaa agar mil bhii jaae to
kyaa hai'.
The soundtrack is dipped in political and social commentary. In a
lighter vein it even takes some jabs at America, but most of it is
local, contextual, and hard-hitting, at times dark. Such things can
very easily wander into cliche-ville, but Piyush Mishra keeps them
fresh, original, and poignant with some unique images.
The arrangements are minimal; in a couple of songs almost non-
existent. To some listeners who are used to "well-filled" songs, it
may feel empty and lacking but I found it just appropriate for an
album that is trying to 'say' something. At the same time, this
relative lack of a beat-based or rhythm-based hook in most songs may
come into the way of instant accessibility of the soundtrack and may
affect its short-term popularity negatively.
The album contains some of the finest issue-based lyrics heard in HFM
in some time.
'aarambh hai prachaND' is in the style and tradition of viir-ras
poetry and makes a point *for* war:
'bhiigatii maso.n me.n aaj
phuulatii rago.n me.n aaj
aag kii lapaT kaa tum baghaar do'
Then sample this well-written and poignantly sung piece from 'o raat
ke musaafir':
'chal to tuu pa.Daa hai
faasalaa ba.Daa hai
jaan le a.Ndhere ke
sar pe Khuu.N cha.Dhaa hai
mukaam khoj le tuu
makaan khoj le tuu
i.nsaan ke shahar me.n
i.nsaan khoj le tuu
dekh terii Thokar se
raah kaa wo patthar
maathe pe tere kasake
lag jaae naa uchhalake'
In 'shahar' Piyush briefly borrows Sahir's template from Pyaasa:
'kahii.n pe wo juuto.n kii khaT-khaT hai
kahii.n pe alaawo.n kii chaT-paT hai
kahii.n pe hai jhi.ngur kii aawaaze.n
kahii.n pe wo nalake kii Tap-Tap hai
kahii.n pe wo khaalii sii khi.Dakii hai
kahii.n wo a.Ndherii sii chimanii hai
kahii.n hilate pe.Do.n kaa jatthaa hai
kahii.n kuchh mu.NDero.n pe rakkhaa hai'
'yaaraa maulaa' sounds contextual to the film, but has a broader point
as other songs:
phir wo aaye bhii.D banakar
haath me.n the unake kha.njar
bole phe.nko ye kitaabe.n
aur sa.Nbhaalo ye salaakhe.n
The songs, like most theatrical and folk songs, work much better as a
whole. And even though the lyrics on their own are excellently
written, the way they have been executed in totality leaves a much
more profound impact. I hope the picturization takes it a little
further (something that was true for some 'Aaja Nachle' songs a couple
of years back. BTW, is it just a coincidence that Piyush Mishra wrote
them too?).
I am posting here lyrics of one of the lighter songs from the album.
The song has made me chuckle almost every time I have listened to it
so far.
I have some problems with the language of this song (also of the
'bii.Do' song from this album). As is becoming very common, In order
to bring some regional flavour (Rajasthani in this case) some random
words and grammar of random sentences are changed, while leaving the
rest in standard Hindi. This actually makes it neither here nor there.
It is effectually in a dialect which nobody speaks. But it has rather
been the way most Rajasthani-flavoured songs are done in Hindi films,
so I am going to give it a benefit of some precedence. It made me
cringe a bit nevertheless. Apart from that issue though, it is very
wittily written and the humor (and sarcasm) is delightful. Rekha
Bhardwaj goes for the kill.
If lines like:
"raaNaa jii mhaarii sautan ko ghar le aae
puuchhe to bole fre.nD hamaarii hai haay"
are intended to make one smile, Piyush sneaks in some like:
"jaise harek baat pe Demokresii me.n lagane lag gayo bain"
that go a little deeper.
-Vinay
% ITRANS Song #
%
\startsong
\stitle{raaNaa jii mhaare ... jaise duur des ke}%
\film{Gulaal}%
\year{2009}%
\starring{}%
\singer{Rekha Bhardwaj, Chorus}%
\music{Piyush Mishra}%
\lyrics{Piyush Mishra}%
%
% Tags: folk, humor
% Audio on: T-Series
% Contributor: Vinay P Jain
% Transliterator: Vinay P Jain
% Date: 3 Mar 2009
% Series: navagiit
% Comments:
% generated using www.giitaayan.com
%
\printtitle
#indian
%
raaNaa jii mhaare gusse me.n aae
aiso bal khaae
agiyaa barasaae
ghabaraae mhaaro chain
jaise duur des ke Taawar me.n ghus jaae re airoplen -2
raaNaa jii mhaare aiso gurraae
aiso tharraae
bhar aae mhaare nain
jaise sare aam bha_ii~
jaise sare aam iraak me.n jaake jam gae a.nkal saim -2
raaNaa jii mhaarii saas nanad ke taane
raaNaa jii mhaare jeTh sasur kii baanii
raaNaa jii thaape bhuut paret kii chhaayaa
haay raaNaa jii thaape il bil jin kaa saayaa
he sajanii ko Diiyar bole
Tharre ko biiyar bole
maa.Nge hai i.ngalis bolii
maa.Nge hai i.ngalis cholii
maa.Nge hai i.ngalis jayapur i.ngalis biikaaner
jaise bisalerii kii~
jaise bisalerii kii botal piike ban gae i.ngalis main -2
raaNaa jii mhaarii sautan ko ghar le aae
puuchhe to bole fre.nD hamaarii hai haay
raaNaa jii ne Tha.nDaa chakkuu yuu.N kholaa
bole ki haay Tha.nDaa maane kokaa kolaa
raaNaa jii bole moro.n kii bastii me.n hai shor raaNii
kyuu.Nki ye dil maa.Nge mor
mor raaNii, mor raaNii, mor raaNii
mhaarii to biich bajariyaa haay badanaamii ho ga_ii
mhaarii to laal chunariyaa sharam se dhaanii ho ga_ii
mhaaro to dhak dhak howe jo jo biite rain
jaise harek baat pe Demokresii me.n lagane lag gayo bain -2
jaise duur des ke Taawar me.n ghus jaae re airoplen
jaise sare aam iraak me.n jaake jam gae a.nkal saim
jaise binaa baat afagaanistaa.N kaa
jaise binaa baat afagaanistaa.N kaa baj gayo bhaiyaa bai.nD -2
jaise duur des ke Taawar me.n ghus jaae re airoplen
raaNaa jii mhaare
%
#endindian
\endsong
(For Devanagari version, copy the text at http://www.giitaayan.com/x.htm
or check giitaayan's Recently Posted Songs list)
Pavan Jha
compositions.. Some of the songs took me back to college and theater
days...
Piyush Mishra is a unspoken talent.. following him since DD Days, and
finally the guy is getting some recognition..
> (For Devanagari version, copy the text athttp://www.giitaayan.com/x.htm
Arunabha
Vinay wrote:
> I am posting here lyrics of one of the lighter songs from the album.
> The song has made me chuckle almost every time I have listened to it
> so far.
>
> \startsong
> \stitle{raaNaa jii mhaare ... jaise duur des ke}%
> \film{Gulaal}%
> \year{2009}%
> \starring{}%
> \singer{Rekha Bhardwaj, Chorus}%
> \music{Piyush Mishra}%
> \lyrics{Piyush Mishra}%
> raaNaa jii mhaare gusse me.n aae
> aiso bal khaae
> agiyaa barasaae
> ghabaraae mhaaro chain
> jaise duur des ke Taawar me.n ghus jaae re airoplen -2
Thanks for a very detailed and painstaking analysis of the soundtrack.
There is one thing that has bothered me since the first time I read
the lyrics however. I hate to be the advocate of morality or
sensitivity, but I think the reference to the 9/11 attacks in order to
create a sense of absurd humour is very disturbing and in bad taste.
The rest of the song is brilliant, and even the particular line I have
an objection to is astounding in the sheer audacity and unexpectedness
of the simile. Yet, is it right to use a tragedy of that scale merely
to evoke a moment of levity in a song ? Because it happened in a
country several thousands of miles away and not our own ? Had it been
a reference to the Mumbai terrorist attacks, would we have enjoyed the
joke, or condoned it in the name of artistic license ? And they go
around censoring "mochii", "sunaar" and "barber" from songs/films.
Given the political conditions, and the arbitrariness of the critics,
one has no hope from objectivity from them. But Piyush Mishra being an
adman/media person himself ought to have had a broader view of
matters.
-- Arunabha
Vinay
First of all, I think you are confusing Piyush Mishra with Piyush
Pandey. The latter is an adman, the former an artist (in as varied
capacities as actor, music composer, lyricist, singer - all of which
are on show in Gulaal).
Now, as for your objection. I see your point and it has been raised on
several other forums as well. I am really not very clear on the moral
dimension of it. But let me tell you what I think from purely artistic
standpoint i.e. taking it merely as a film song.
When I see it from the point of view of the character singing the
song, I do not find it particularly offensive. I realize that some
mujarewaalii in Rajasthan may not feel as emotionally attached to the
tragedy as someone who has witnessed the incident and its after-
effects in the media would. For her, the incident is just that - a
spectacle of sort. It's the image of the event that she recognizes,
not its political or tragic ramifications. Hardly unlikely even for
many educated people in India, IMO.
What I find a little out of place in the song is actually the other
two political comments. Now I can be wrong on this but I don't think
the same character would make a politically informed remark like
'jaise sar-e-aam iraak me.n jaake jam gayo a.nkal saim' or, 'jaise
binaa baat afagaanistaa.N kaa baj gayo bhaiyaa bai.nD'. THAT, IMO is
going a bit out of character. And that is something I would have
replaced with something more local or more reasonably sounding like
the character.
As for the 'duur des ke Taawar..' bit, it sure could have been
replaced by a better analogy for 'raaNaa jii kaa gussaa'. It's not
even a very good simile. I don't know why it's there and I don't want
to comment on that before watching the movie. But I am willing to give
Piyush and Anurag K a pass on the ground that for most Indians (who
are the target audience of the film) the 9/11 tragedy, no matter how
tragic it actually was, is more of a symbolic incident than something
that really affected their lives in any significant manner. And they
are not making any comment on the tragedy itself, but merely using
that symbol to make a point.
But as I said, I am still a bit unsure on its moral aspects.
Vinay
> -- Arunabha
Ketan
Vinay says...
>> Thanks for a very detailed and painstaking analysis of the soundtrack.
>> There is one thing that has bothered me since the first time I read
>> the lyrics however. I hate to be the advocate of morality or
>> sensitivity, but I think the reference to the 9/11 attacks in order to
>> create a sense of absurd humour is very disturbing and in bad taste.
When Dick Cheney shot a friend during a hunting trip a few years ago, the
late-night comics had a field day with comments like "Instead of getting 3 draft
deferments, if he had used his shooting skills against the Vietcong, we would
have won the war" It's not too late. Let's send him to Anbar(Iraq) or Kabul". Is
this kind of humour acceptable, considering the tragedies that resulted for
lakhs of civilians in Vietnam and Iraq due to US policies? I did not see anyone
calling for Leno or Letterman's head on this issue.
Ketan
Pavan Jha
Rajasthan has a few traditional folk arts (like Gaali baaji) where
contemporary issues and political statements are sung and discussed in
folk form... What I also loved about the song is it gells well with
theme as the character of Ranaji is an advocate of old age thoughts in
the today's word of globalization.. The political mujra speaks with
contemporary references to speak more about changing times in
traditional mujra form..Though the times have changed, Rana ji nahin
gaye (he wants to go back to Rajshahi days), Mujra nahin gaya, but the
changing times have affected even them and even what they sing (as
retains the lingo of the a world characters live in... (Terrorism (is
a main theme of the film as it draws a thin line in a revolutionary
and a terrorist), liquor (Jaipur and Bikaner are Heritage Liquor
brands), and so on)
Infact Rajasthan (where the film is setup) is a fantastic example of
Heritage meets Modern..
...
Pavan Jha
Vinay
> Arunabha,
>
> Rajasthan has a few traditional folk arts (like Gaali baaji) where
> contemporary issues and political statements are sung and discussed in
> folk form...
I am glad you mentioned 'gaaliibaazii', Pavan. I didn't connect the
two (the folk art form and the song) but seeing that the background of
the movie is Rajasthan, there may be some connection after all.
For those unaware, 'gaaliibaazii' is a very old folk-art tradition of
Jaipur. Near Holi, local poets gather (they used to in Kishanpole or
Chaura Rasta earlier, I don't know about now) and sing poems covering
a wide range of concurrent topics in a clearly insulting way.The idea
is to comment on current social and political issues. Often it is done
in a way that despite not naming anyone there is no doubt to the
identity of the object of insult. It is full of sarcasm and satire.
Often people being ridiculed are present there as well.
The language normally used is the local dialect (Dhundhadi) of
Rajasthani. I have attended some and they are absolutely a riot. They
are normally late night affairs for obvious reasons.
The usage in the 'raaNaa jii' song though is much milder than the
average stuff that you would hear in the gaaliibaazii, it gives you an
idea of the way it is done.
Vinay
arun_...@comcast.net
> In article <143ef04b-fb63-4d27-ba7e-b59c8ed9f...@v39g2000yqm.googlegroups.com>,
Thanks to Vinay and Pavan for the enlightening information on the
folk form of "gaalibaazi" elsewhere int this thread.
Regarding the 'bad taste' issue; my sentiments are mixed -- I think
when Jay Leno and letterman joke about all and sundry we should see
what their mandate is and what their audience's expectation is.
Similarly in an art form like cinema, its the requirement of the
screenplay and context of the film which should define whether this is
in 'bad taste' .. IMO it isn't.. but if this is presented as a stand-
alone poetry piece, it might be considered in bad taste.
I also agree with Vinay's observation that other two political
comments are more objectionable as they don't work in context of the
film either...
Arun
kcp
> sing poems covering
> a wide range of concurrent topics in a clearly insulting way.
then how come aeroplane, Uncle Sam and afghanistaan baind -
objectionable ? I think then they are fully justifiable
kcp