After the depths of the late 70s and 80s, melody gradually returned to Hindi cinema. The old guard gave way to new talent and the music scenario in general improved. Some went to the old and tested formula of music, while some defied it to create new and innovative sounds and genres. Following are the few albums that hit the right notes. Roja (1992) First glimpse of the genius. It was not difficult to predict even then that the young composer A R Rahman would be amongst the greatest musicians we had ever known. He should have got an Oscar for this one too. However, Time magazine in 2007 named Roja amongst the 10 best movie soundtracks.
Many believe ‘Dil hai chhota sa’ to be the best song in many many years. The Reggae rhythm fused with Indian melody was a stroke of genius. 1942 A Love Story (1993) R D Burman’s reminder to the Hindi film industry on what Indian cinema had missed in the period when he was relegated to the sidelines. The melodies were so lilting, it could be from the era of 40s; yet it sounded new and exuberated freshness.
Javed Akhtar’s 22 different similes for ‘Ek ladki ko dekha toh aisa laga’, Kumar Sanu’s best romantic ballad ‘Kuch naa kaho’, the playful ‘Rooth naa jaana’ and one of the better monsoon melodies in years ‘Rhim Jhim Rhim Jhim’ makes this album Panchamda’s swansong.
Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge (1995) The return of the quintessential melody after more than two decades. The record-breaking movie and the soundtrack became the benchmark for the typical candy floss romantic musical genre which is followed even today.
Aditya Chopra made Anand Bakshi re-write the verses for ‘Mere Khwabon me jo aaye’ 25 times. The song actually sets the wonderful feel and pace of the movie which never lets up till the end. This was Bakshi’s best work in years and probably the last. None of the songs carried any sad or downward feel. The entire album was fresh, playful and romantic. Dil se…(1998) The third and last of Mani Ratnam’s trilogy, though it tanked at the box office, its music managed to do wonders for many. A R Rahman had only himself to compete with, Gulzar found his second wind and Sukhwinder Singh became the new singing sensation.
But more than that, Dil se… set a trend for the Sufiana feel to music that has not stopped in our movies since. ‘Chhaiyan chhaiyan’ and ‘Satrangi’ were pure Sufi poetry by Gulzar. Barring the Lata solo ‘Jiya jale’, all the other songs were given the feel and sound of the Sufi genre. All the subsequent movie songs featuring this genre are derivatives of Dil se....
