Guru

Forgive me my readers, for it is that time again- the time when you groan and go “Oh no! Not again! Not yet another superlative, adjective filled, Rahman worshipping review”. Try as I might to be objective, and brave the onslaught of the waves, it is all in vain as I break down and give in to this man and fall to my knees and bow to him. Now that I am done with the theatrics, let me dispense with the unpleasant first.

There is something comforting about familiarity, which is why we tend to associate anything new with something we know well. Right from telling someone you meet that they remind you of someone else, to trying hard to find out which old song a new one resembles, we try to mentally map the unfamiliar with the accustomed. Rahman gives you a million opportunities to do this, for he extensively reuses bits and pieces of his old compositions to give you something pseudo-new, yet mind blowing. Moreover, he uses a lot of commercially available loops which explains why some of his beats sound “lifted” from somewhere. To me, this is not a sign of creative saturation, but rather it showcases his ability to reuse the familiar and conjure up something phenomenal. To give you an analogy, there is this scene in The Mask, when Jim Carrey pulls out balloons and twists them into all kinds of shapes. When you see the final shapes that evolve, you don’t sit and complain that it’s the same damn balloon that made all of them. Actually, the analogy sucked, but I hope you see the connection anyway.

So coming back to the music of Guru- Yes I agree. Dum Dhara does sound like the Gayatri Mantra for it is inherently hymn like in intonation; A fifteen second flute bit in Mayya Mayya is probably from some Buddha Bar album and Satrangi Re makes a presence too; Ay Hairathe starts off like Poo Kodiyin(Iruvar) and uses a bit from Ye Rishta(Meenaxi); Ek Lo Ek Muft has a beat uncannily similar to Ayyo Pathikichu(Rhythm); There is a hint of the Bombay theme in Jaage Hain. If the songs didn’t impress you because of a few reused bits, then you are just nitpicking. If the songs impressed you and the reused bits still bother you, didn’t you hear perfection is overrated?

Guru had kept me edgy and nervous all this week. I have lost count of the number of websites I have scrounged for updates, and the number of times I have refreshed the browser. And when the samples came out, I was floored by Tere Bina, welcomed back with a pleased familiarity- Hariharan in Ay Hairathe, piqued by the exotic Maryem Toller in Mayya Mayya, and hastily dismissed off Barso Re. But these were mere mortals, and when I saw the credits for Jaage Hain, that had Chitra, Rahman and the Madras Choral Group, I smacked my lips for I knew that would be what I really wanted. And when I heard Rahman’s off-key whisper, to the accompaniment of those soulful strings, I knew he was teasing me as if to say “You have waited so long, wait a little more”. And then the eruption of the high pitched vocals, followed up by that spell binding chorus- ecstasy! What a moving, emotionally sapping composition. There are two kinds of anticipation, one when you don’t know what you are getting; the other when you know exactly what you are getting. Usually, there is no fun in the latter, but the thing about Jaage Hain is that it makes even that so much fun. You know Rahman is going to break out in that now-familiar vocals, and you know the choir is going to repeat after him, and yet you eagerly wait, as though standing in a beach waiting for the waves to come and soak you.

And the lyrics though sparse are so evocative- Gulzar’s sequel to Robert Frost’s “Miles to go before I sleep” is “Miles have gone by. Let me sleep”. Rahman mentioned in an interview that the music starts off with a Turkish feel, moves on to become “north Indian friendly” and then operatic. So this is likely to be the climax song a la Malarodu from Bombay. By the way did you notice the classy touch -the faint bagpipes when Rahman whispers?

Tere Bina, Rahman’s ode to Nusrat and what an ode at that. Widening his singing repertoire, he attempts a romantic duet, probably for the first time and pulls it off with such finesse. You can almost feel the childish excitement when Rahman starts an ambitious Ga Ga Ri Sa like Nusrat's flurry of notes in Afreen Afreen, and then checks himself and falls back to a simple Luka Chuppi like style. But the highlight of the song for me is Chinmayee. It is one thing to be talented, it is an entirely different thing to constantly challenge yourself and push the envelope. Singing with tremendous versatility, she steals the thunder from Rahman especially when she alternates between low and high pitches in the end.

Ay Hairathe, the return of the prodigal son. Hariharan makes a comeback to his comfort zone in this melodious Ghazalish duet. Hey wait, there is fodder for all you Rahman nay sayers. The Dum Dhara chorus is lifted from somewhere. Oh right, its from Tere Bina. Tch Tch, recycling tunes in the same movie. That’s a first even by Rahman standards. Anyway, I am assuming the two songs are linked in some way in the movie.

To many people living in North India, anyone from the south is a Madrasi. I would have made a similarly misinformed generalization and branded Mayya Mayya as Arabian sounding, had I not read that it in fact has Turkish influences. With an infectious rhythm, Maryem Toller’s sultry voice, and the Holida interlude by Keerthi to die for, this is the pick of the peppy numbers. Rahman experiments big time with Baazi Laga which is the “north Indian friendly” number. Keeping in mind that Guru is a period film, this is the only song from a different time in the album. Rahman has always been among the few music directors to give the backing vocalists their due and recognition. I loved the way he uses Swetha and Bhargavi in that catchy chorus.

Barso Re, for me has a disappointing start but redeems itself very nicely in the next two stanzas. Ek Lo Ek Muft has the funny Joiyyun Joiyyun chorus which is actually nice to hear. But for once I am not impressed with Rahman’s pick of vocals. Bappida though doing exactly what is expected of him does not lend anything special to the song. When Rahman usually does the music equivalent of a casting coup, he has always produced songs to remember-MSV in Aalalakanda(Sangamam) and Vidai Kodu(Kannathil Muthamittal) and why even, Silambarasan in Bailamore(Kaadhal Virus). In all likelihood, Barso Re and Ek Lo are likely to make a better impact on screen, which is a given considering that the former boasts of Ash in Adirampally;)

So let me try ending this a little different. If I had to survive a week on a deserted island, I would consider an iPod loaded with the songs of Guru, and back up batteries essential to my survival. Of course, I would need food and water, but we were talking about essentials…Right?