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Rahman Rises


WOW! Rahman is absolutely terrific in the period epic The Rising - Ballad of Mangal Pandey, throwing aside all cliches, stereotypes he creates an absolutely wonderful album that isn't commercialised at all. This is definitely one of Rahman's most serious efforts. The ensemble which he uses, the tunes, the rhythms and the abundant rustic flavour just oozes out of the CD.

Starting out with "Mangal Mangal" Rahman makes his intents clear: this is no Lagaan, this is far more serious, powerful and affecting as the album progresses, this fact becomes ostensibly clear. "Mangal Mangal" is comprised of three versions, normal, "Aatma" and "Agni"; each one conveys a different mood and likewise each one has different lyrics and even different style of singing. This song seems to be heavily influenced by south Indian flavour - a wonderful culmination. These 3 songs are lively, rustic and make you think of the Azaadi they were fighting for

Next up is "Rasiya", undoubtedly the track of the album, track of the season, track of the year. The song hovers like a bee and deals with pride, prejudice, pleasure and providence. The love/hate relationship which the singer seems to be expressing is wonderful; sentimental without being sappy, enigmatic without being indulgent. Rahman at his absolute best in this one.

"Al Maddath Maula" is a devotional song based on Muslim practises. The song reminds you of "Zikr" in Bose: The Forgotten Hero, but has a number of major differences. The song is powerful, more uplifting and ultimately more rounded than the former. Rahman's high pitched cries are joyous to listen to; he possesses great versatility in singing.

"Takey Takey" is the closest your going to get to pop infused rap in the 19th Century and moves along at a lively pace - it seems to have a lot of Punjabi influences. It's a good song but is hardly a masterpiece. There is a mandatory "Holi" song and it is rather redudant. Nothing wrong with the song - just heard 1 too many.

The other absolutely scintillating song in the album comes in the form of "Main Vari Vari". It cleverly is awash with emotions. It deals with us at a philosophical level and along with "Rasiya" represents the best 2005 has to offer. There is a certain curiousity the song will make you feel; I don't know what it is, but it something.

Rahman has stated that this film is his last "period epic" for a while, he needs the change but one can't help but wonder what else he could achieve if he did something like Kamal Haasan's stalled Marudanayagam. As it stands, The Rising is THE album of 2005.

This entry was posted by Blogpur, on Sunday, July 24, 2005. You can leave your response.

“Rahman Rises”

  1. Anonymous Anonymous Says:
    8:33 PM  

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