Naren's indie round-up/ May 2022, Ep 2

(Picture: Rohansh Pandit with Javed Ali at the song launch at The Club, Andheri, Mumbai)

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Rohansh Pandit ft Javed Ali & Andrea Jeremiah/ Say No To War

Label; Self-released 

Rating: ****

Rohansh Pandit, son of ace music director Lalit Pandit, makes his debut with the song 'Say No To War'. As the title suggests, it is a song with a message, much needed in these strife-torn times.

A bilingual number sung by Javed Ali and Andrea Jeremiah, it has lyrics by Rahul B. Seth, with inputs from Anoushka Sivashankar and Rohansh himself. The composition has a strong melody, with good correlation of English and Hindi words, crisp back-up vocals and a short guitar solo by Richard Mithra.

The song is adorned by lines like "Aao milke hum yahaan rok le yeh nafraton ka karvaan" and "Pray to the Lord to show us the path and fill everyone with compassion and love". The video, a collage of representative images, goes perfectly with the treatment. This is a commendable and courageous debut from Rohansh, creating a song of substance.

Vasuda Sharma & Arnav Maggo/ Tere Bina

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Arnav Maggo, young singer-songwriter from New Delhi, teams up with Vasuda Sharma, who began her career with pop group Aasma, on 'Tere Bina'. The song talks of a relationship turned sour, and the emptiness that follows.

Both singers coordinate well, with Arnav composing the tune and Vasuda writing the lyrics. Typical lines are, "Kaise karein yeh dard-e-dil bayaan, tere bina hai hum adhoore yahaan". A highlight is the use of string arrangements by Severn Duo.

The video is shot in outdoor greenery. Though it goes with the song, it's quite routine in terms of content and treatment.

Amrita Chatterjee/ Khushboo

Promoted by: Ramavtar Productions

Rating: ***

One has heard ghazal singer Amrita Chatterjee at the Khazana festival in Mumbai, besides the album Ghalibaan with Sudeep Banerji. Now, she renders 'Khushboo', composed by Ramavtar Dayama.

Over the past year, Dayama has been quite prolific, releasing songs by Poorva Guru and Prajakta Savarkar-Shinde, among others. His composition goes well with Amrita's voice, and his use of violin and sitar is smooth.

Dr Muneeb Hanafi's matla (opening couplet) is, "Banke khushboo khila gulaab aaye, mujhse milne mera shabab aaye". It's a simple ghazal, sung expressively. One must also mention the way the musicians and others have been credited prominently at the beginning of the video, like in the old movies. Hope more take a cue.

Afsana Khan/ Dhokebaaz

Label: VYRL Originals 

Rating: *** 1/2

Within non-film music, one has seen a tendency of the big labels to use Bollywood-styled videos with lavish sets and Saroj Khan-inspired choreography. Universal's VYRL Originals follows the practice in 'Dhokebaaz', sung by Afsana Khan and composed and written by Jaani.

The video has been directed by Mahi Sandhu and Joban Sandhu, and choreographed by Saurabh Prajapati. Here, you have Vivek Oberoi with a thicker moustache and a whisky glass ogling at Tridha Choudhury, who dances around with a large troupe, lip-non-syncing Afsana's words.

Afsana has a powerful voice, suited to the song's qawwali flavour, inspired by the Nusrat school. The lines "Ho dhokebaazon mein reh reh ke dhokebaaz ban gaye" make a good earworm. It's the kind of song that's aimed at the masses and Vivek Oberoi fans.

Akash/ Priyanka

Label: Self-released 

Rating: ***

Indian-American singer Akash has earlier released the tracks 'Affection' and 'Khushi', blending hip-hop with a bhangra vibe. His latest song 'Priyanka' uses a similar mix, but stands out with its catchy tune.

The song is about a man's obsession with Priyanka, supposedly Chopra, played by a doppel-non-ganger. Another woman, played by LeA Robinson, completes the plot. The video thus talks of idol worship, but one also sees shades of the Netflix series You.

Akash's rapping is smooth, and the song has a hook. At least the Priyanka Chopra fans will hum it. Wonder how Kangana will react.