Sanjay Leela Bhansali/ Sukoon

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

Sanjay Leela Bhansali/ Sukoon

Genre: Ghazals

Label: Saregama HMV 

Rating: ***

Beginning with Guzaarish in 2010, filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been regularly composing music for his own movies. Many of his songs are picturised with lavish sets or against artsy backgrounds.

His latest project Sukoon, in contrast, is a non-film project focusing on ghazals. Naturally, without specific visuals in mind, his approach had to be different, focusing entirely on the tune, words, quality of singing and use of instruments.

The album has some songs which again prove Bhansali's mettle as a composer. Besides pleasant structures, he is aided by good use of bansuri, santoor, sarangi, rabab, sitar and strings. But there are also some areas which could have been avoided. The cover says 'Originals by Sanjay Leela Bhansali', but two of the eight songs (one has two versions) are fairly well-known ghazals sung brilliantly by others before. Old-timers will recognise 'Woh Jo Hum Mein Tum Mein Qaraar Tha' for the immortal Begum Akhtar version, and the brilliant Shreya Ghoshal's take doesn't add any value. Likewise, Pratibha Singh Baghel's rendition of Ghalib's 'Har Ek Baat Pe Kehte Ho' would instantly make listeners think of the Jagjit Singh and Ghulam Ali versions, instead of admiring it for its own presentation. 

One may argue that this album is aimed at attracting more youngsters to ghazals. But the truth is that a majority of those who listen to these songs long-term will in all probability belong to the older generation. It's one thing to sing popular old songs at concerts and mehfils, and another to record fresh versions which just don't match the originals, no matter how accomplished the singer and hard the effort. Besides this, there's a new version of Arijit Singh's Gangubai Kathiawadi song 'Muskurahat', sung - or rather tweaked rather well - by Shail Hada. But adding 'Reprise' to the name doesn't make it original.

Okay, rant over. Moving on to the other songs, there are some gems. Bhansali has chosen his singers in an interesting manner, opting for singers associated with films (Armaan Malik, Shail Hada, Shreya, Madhubanti Bagchi), classical (Rashid Khan) or multi-genre (Papon). With the exception of Pratibha, none of them is recognised as a ghazal specialist. Four songs, including 'Muskurahat', have been written by A.M. Turaz, a regular in Bhansali's films. 

The album begins on a popular note, using simple words to convey emotions. In fact, the first song 'Ghalib Hona Hai' isn't a ghazal in the technical sense, as it doesn't follow the stipulated qaafiya-radeef pattern of rhyming. Armaan Malik sings Turaz's free verse, "Ishq teri aankhon mein likha, padhne de zara; hum ko bhi Ghalib hona hai, in ghazalon si aankhon mein khona hai". The video, directed by Mitakshara Kumar and starring Armaan and Sharmin Saigal, involves a simple tale directed at the youth.

Shreya displays her usual class on 'Tujhe Bin Chaand', penned by Siddharth-Garima. With its lengthy rhyming pattern and hill-area sound, this sounds more like a film song. You'd probably expect Deepika Padukone or Alia Bhatt to pop up from some corner of the room.

After this safe introduction, Papon's ghazal 'Dard Pattharon Ka' is sheer magnificence. Kumaar writes, "Dard pattharon ko bhi hota hoga, kisi ko kya pata, kisi ko kya pata, chupke chupke samundar bhi rota hoga, kisi ko kya pata, kisi ko kya pata." The singer's expression is fabulous.

Rashid Khan comes up with a pathos-filled beauty in 'Gham Na Hone'. His voice modulation and diction are flawless as he sings Turaz's lines, "Gham na hone ka koi jashn manaaye kaise, yaad aate nahin tum toh bhulaaye kaise". Some of the other shers are "Jiske har shaher mein hota hai tajkiraan unka, woh ghazal aapke mehfil mein sunaaye kaise" and "Jism mehke hai teri khushbuon mein ae Turaz, vasl hum tera zamaane se chupaaye kaise".

Turaz is in super form on 'Siva Tere', where he writes, "Siva tere kucch bhi dikhaayee na de, khuda is sazaa se rihaayee na de". The song has been rendered in two versions by Madhubanti and Shail. Playing out first, the female version creates an impact, but the male rendition seems just like a pale cover version. Ideally, songs with two takes should have different approaches in sound and impact. Past examples include 'Pareshaan Raat Saari Hai' by Chitra and Jagjit Singh and the Kudrat film song 'Hamein Tumse Pyaar Kitna by Kishore Kumar and Parveen Sultana. In each case, both renditions had their own personality, something that's missing here.

To conclude, despite some loopholes, the album is worth checking for its melodious tunes and effective lyrics, with Bhansali displaying a good sense of aesthetics. Of the lot, the Papon and Rashid Khan ghazals stand out. Most important, with this album and three songs in Gangubai Kathiawadi, Turaz proves he is coming out on his own as a poetic lyricist. He recently used a three-line sher format in 'Jashn-e-Gham', composed by Salim-Sulaiman and sung by Pratibha. It will be interesting to observe his work after this.