Music Review: Jai Santoshi Maa ...

By Joginder Tuteja, IndiaFM

In an age where different subjects are being

tried out practically every passing week, there are some film makers

who are opting to remake the yesteryear hits, albeit in a contemporary

manner. While the world is aware about Farhan Akhtar remaking 'Don' and

Ram Gopal Verma going ahead with his version of 'Sholay', not many are

aware that Percept Picture Company and director Ahmed Siddiqui have

gone ahead and wrapped up 'Jai Santoshi Maa', remake of the 1970s

superhit, and are all set to release it this festive season. Starring

Rakesh Bapat and Nushrat Bharucha in the lead, the film has music by

Anu Malik [who sees a third straight musical release after 'Zindaggi

Rocks' and 'Jaan-E-Mann'] with lyrics by Swanand Kirkire, whose songs

in 'Lagey Rahe Munnabhai' are now making waves.

There are umpteenth devotional albums that arrive at the stands

[especially in the interiors of India] every week. Will the music of

'Jai Santoshi Maa' turn out to be a cut above them? Not really, though

it does sail through well!

Pair of Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik, who have been heard together in

dozens of romantic numbers, are heard in a different avtar when the

title song 'Jai Santoshi Maa' begins. Elaborately choreographed with

good picturisation, this devotional song is about the appreciation of

'maa' by the lead pair of the film. Paced on a slower note with

'dandiya ' beats forming its musical base, the result is just about

alright though it starts playing on your mind after repeated hearings.

As expected, both the singers are good in their rendition while singing

at a low pitch.

Orchestra at the beginning of 'Bigdi Bana Do' creates a haunting

effect but soon settles down with Alka Yagnik coming to the scene. A

sad track with the female protagonist praying before the Goddess to

intervene in the time of her need, it has Vijay Prasad reciting the

'shlokas' intermittently. Primarily for the situation, it is extremely

slow and doesn't really impress much. Karunya sings the male version of

the song which is even slower and is set in a classical mode. One

wonders if audience of today would really be patient enough to give it

a hearing other than watching it during the film.

Its nostalgia time with two songs from the original film

resurfacing, though sans any remix/rearrangement! First to come is Usha

Mangeshkar's legendary track 'Main To Aarti Utaaroon Re' which was

written by Kavi Pradeep and set to tune by C. Arjun. Well, what can one

say about this track which can easily be cited as the MOST POPULAR

devotional number ever composed. It was a rage when it was released in

the 70s and is still a hot favorite in the Navrataras more than 3

decades after it was heard first. Beautiful rhythm coupled with some

authentic rendition makes this a superb track to hear all over

again.

Suresh Wadkar, who has been on the musical scene even today, was a

youngster when he sung 'Yahaan Wahaan – Apni Santoshi Maa' for the

original film. The song is revived from the classic and it makes for a

beautiful hearing once again. The song still sounds so fresh with and

even youngsters can easily identify with it since it is still heard

often in the 'jaagrans' that are a common feature at least in the North

belt of India.

After the nostalgia, it's time to return to the present with Anu

Malik returning with his compositions. Lataji, who makes select

appearances, is heard after a long time in 'Aisa Vardan' which has a

nice built-up to it. The song is a clear take off on 'Itni Shakti

Hamein Dena Daata' and there are no pretensions of hiding the source as

well. That's the reason why it doesn't take much time to identify with

the song since one has already appreciated the tune since years. Its

celebration time for Lataji's fans as they hear her again in 'Laal

Chudiyan', which is again a popular number from the past and is based

on folk music from the North West. No wonder, it is a nice hear again!

Well, this is not all from Lataji as she creates a hat-trick with

'Na Chitthi Aayee' which comes soon after. A painful track about a

woman waiting for some message from her loved one and looking at 'Maa'

as the only hope, it is again situational and follows the same route as

'Bigdi Bana Do' in terms of feel and the impact it creates on the

audience. An average sounding number.

Hari Om Sharan, who is a known name in the world of devotional

music, is heard in 'Taro Taro' which has a good rhythm attached to it.

The track would be immediately picked up by his followers, especially

women, who are traditionally known to love such style of compositions.

The track indeed has a serene feel to it, mainly due to Hari Om

Sharan's vocals which create a great impact. Anu Malik and Swanand

Kirkire create a good devotional number that makes for a worthy

inclusion in the album.

A couple of 'aartis' come towards the end of the album in the form

of 'Jai Maa Santoshi (Maha Aarti)' and 'Maa Santoshi Ki Aarti'. Usha

Mangeshkar is roped in for the former while Shaunak Abhisheki croons

the latter which is based on an eternal 'Om Jai Jagdish' theme and

hence comes quite easy on ears.

There is a surprise in store as a love duet is heard before the

album is wrapped up. Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik are roped in for 'Suno

Suno' which tries to be extra mushy by following the mush approach with

a slow pacing but the overall result is quite 'thanda'. It is just a

rehash of many numbers belonging to this genre composed by Malik

earlier and hence doesn't really impress much.

One factor which was clear much before even playing on the first

song of 'Jai Santoshi Maa' was that its genre restricted its demand to

a select audience only. In Indian households [especially in the

interiors] where devotional tracks are still sung and heard on festive

occasions the album may still have some reach but apart from that the

songs would be heard mainly in the film. While the 2 songs ['Main To

Aarti', 'Yahaan Wahaan'] are still the best part about the album, the

remaining original tracks do well to make the rest of the album a

decent hear.

Rating: 2.5

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