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| Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Top 7 Movie Songs |
What can you expect from a person in his movies whose entire childhood was spent listening to the radio? Well! We are talking about the Sanjay Leela Bhansali. The auteur has always emphasized on his undying love for Hindi film music. Well! Today Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat goes on the floor. Music is the backbone of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s cinema and you can easily tell that he conceives a film on the basis of songs, isn`t it! Do you remember Devdas’ climax in which the camera tracks Aishwarya Rai, clad in a Bengali sari, running inconsolably towards her dying Deva? Or, the jhumar scene between Salman Khan and Aishwarya Rai in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, in which Bhansali uses the chandelier as a character than a mere prop to craft one of Bollywood’s most popular romantic scenes? The lyricism of these scenes and much more remind you of an innate understanding of the finer nuances of music and the art of using songs to not simply advance the story but often, to tell the story itself. We decided to scrounge through the archives and look at top 7 movies of Sanjay Leela Bhansali that mesmerized us with their music.
Khamoshi: The Musical (1996)
Khamoshi: silence. Isn’t it ironic how this movie was a musical, and yet the name clearly refers to an era of tranquillity, of silence?
Aaj me upar shouts out, “I will not let anything put me down; today I am the happiest person alive.” The beat is fast, with a lilting melody that makes you want to stand up and start dancing right there, on the spot. Aankhon me kya conveys the love hidden beneath the silence of a face, which speaks as loudly as a voice. Bahon ki darmiyan has a slow and smooth beat which gives it a calming melody. It is a perfect song for a slow dance and conveys that you don’t need words to express your feelings. Khamoshi ended up having some of the most beautiful love songs ever. You must have noticed though, that most of the lyrics say that you do not need a voice or hearing to listen to the heart, and I guess that is why the title of the film is Khamoshi. Silence from the mouth, silence in the ears, but volume and beautiful voices in the heart. And that’s exactly where these songs are from the heart.
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999)
Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’s soundtrack must be a personal triumph for Bhansali, who as a Gujarati, borrows from folk influences. The album starts off with Chand Chupa Badal Mein" which tells the cute tale of the moon playing hide-and-seek games, as the hero tries to cuddle with his reticent love. Then comes the splendid song "Aankhon Ki Gustakhiyaan" by Kumar Sanu. The chorus adds nicely to the song with heavenly alaaps in the background. The song was picturized in the middle of some wedding preparations going on in the household and is very well shot with a lot of flirting between the lead pair. Lastly, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam title track! What can I say about this song? Where do I start? The song opens with an operatic female voice and then leads into an unforgettable mini-rift of violins. What follows after that is pure magic! The sheer beauty of the song is that it’s not all singing from start to finish yet it communicates a plethora of emotions through the phenomenal instrumental passages. In fact, the album boasts of extraordinary music that has the potential to astound you even now, with its cocktail of songs, each one unique, colorful and brimming with a mirage of authentic flavors covering as much of the A to Z (of Hindi music) as possible on one album!
Devdas(2002)
Shreya Ghosal marks her debut with “Silsila Yeh Chaahat Ka.” The song is about a girl waiting for her lover, sounds familiar, huh? Ghosal’s flawless rendition; notice the way she easily carries off the part where she has to stretch the “Piya” refrain.“Maar Daala” sung by Kavita K. Subramanium and K.K. is a mujra. The slight harmonium touch by Darbar really adds to the flavor of the song. Bairi Piya is done with a lot of grace and maturity. In the end, The album uses raga influences of Indian classical music, mujras, semi-classical and light numbers are all given a fair treatment. The resulting mix is appealing and has something for everyone.
Saawariya(2007)
The fast beats, techno, and catchy songs rule the charts! The album starts with "Saawariya" song- a fresh and a feel-good song which is very hummable. And when Shaan followed it with a soothing sweet-sounding "Jab Se Tere Naina", I had already increased the volume to get completely drowned in the music. Now "Masha Allah" is a song which is direct dil se from Monty Sharma, and SLB full justice to this song with dreamy sets. Thode Badmash has some innocence, naughtiness. Violin interlude in Yoon Shabnami is amazing. Saawariya reprise is the perfect ending for the album. In the end, it’s a complete score wherein Monty has poured his heart and soul into each and every track.
Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela (2013)
The album is a proof that SLB is nothing but a short of legendary even in music! Latching on well to every tune and every beat, the song is carried out with commendable energy. We all have watched Nagada Dhol and yes, despite being similar to Dholi Taro`s beats, this charming folk music is perfect in Shreya Ghosal`s voice. The instrumental arrangement of Lahu Munh Lag Gaya is fascinatingly well synced. Ang Laga De is a brilliantly executed seductive track. Aditi Paul renders her voice with perfection. Though it is the picturization of the film that will matter more in enhancing the beauty of this track! Adding one more beauty to his fast-growing repertoire of good songs is Arijit Singh with Laal Ishq. Arijit renders it most soulfully, ably supported by the chorus in the right places. Ram Chahe Leela is the one song that stands out from the rest in terms of the arrangement. The soundtrack album is quite comparable to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s last, Guzaarish, in its mix. This hangover factor is concerning though.
Aaaaaand........
Special Mention........
How can we forget the latest Bollywood movie Padmaavat starring Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor and Ranveer Singh in the lead roles? Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s magnum opus Padmavaat makes it the seventh film that the filmmaker has scored music for. Bhansali creates ‘Khalibali’ for Padmaavat which in all likelihood is the song for Ranveer Singh to shake his leg too. The Arabic touches on the orchestration of ‘Khalibali’ make it a more appealing piece than the aforementioned two. Bhansali and Turaz do even better with the other, more exotic sounding ‘Binte Dil’ – the sultry song sounds almost like a world music piece, rather than a Bollywood song. While Arijit Singh’s Arabic modulations don’t always hit the mark, he does a wonderful job of conveying the passion in Turaz’s lines. Haven’t we all heard Ghoomar more than enough number of times already? Despite having a folk vibe to it, the song is being loved by everyone across the board. Ek Dil Ek Jaan has been crooned beautifully and Padmaavat should put singer Shivam Pathak on the map. All in all the soundtrack of Padmaavat is above average at the least. I wonder why the best songs on the album Binte Dil and Nainowale Ne were kept under wraps!
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