Rahman Se

Omana Penne’s Prelude

Elaborate preludes and lilting interludes are Rahman’s speciality. Right from Roja, we’ve been enthralled by grand openings like the one for Yeh Haseen Vadiya or softer introductions such as the one for Taal Se Taal. These little instrumental pauses within songs heighten the effect of the base melody and keep us surprised till the very end. I think it’s the secret to Rahman’s music.

My favourite prelude of 2010 is undoubtedly Omana Penne’s. It’s a soothing introduction to one of the sweetest songs by Rahman in recent times. I never tire of hearing it, so I have this as my ringtone as well and I’ve made it available to anyone who wants it.

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Songs, Films & The Abstract

The only thing I like as much as Rahman’s music is Mani Ratnam’s films. Luckily, I don’t have to pick between the two because they’ve long collaborated to make my favourite music and my favourite films.

Here’s an insight into why the two work so well together. In a recent interview for his latest film, Raavan, Mani Ratnam explained how he relies on Rahman’s songs to be abstract with his narrative. (Skip to 6:26 in the video if it doesn’t automatically do so.)

If you liked this, you’ll love Part 2 of the interview.

Aaromale – The Lyrics and a (better) Translation

I’ve mentioned Aaromale before, but I hadn’t elaborated on its beautiful Malayali lyrics. I don’t know the language and I wasn’t impressed with any of the English translations online, but my friend, Prateek Rungta, sent me this far better translation which he captured from the film’s subtitles:

Maamalayeri varum thennal
(The breeze that climbs over the mountains,)
Puthu Manavalan thennal
(The newly-wed breeze…)
Pallimedaye thottuthalodi kurishil thozhuthu varumbol
(…that worships the cross on the church steeple,)
Varavelppinu malayalakkara manasammadham choriyum
(To that breeze, the land of Kerala extends a warm welcome.)

Aaromale…
(My beloved…)
Swasthi swasthi sumuhoortham
(On this auspicious moment, may you be happy,)
Sumangali bhava manavaatti
(May the bride forever be happily wedded.)
Shyamaraathrithan aramanayil
(Girl, you are as far away as the stars,)
Marinilkkayo thaarakame
(away from the darkness of the night.)
Pularimanjile kathiroliyaal
(Girl, you are as far away as the sun’s rays…)
Akale nilkkayo penmaname
(…that cannot touch the early morning mist.)
Chanju nillkumaa chillayil nee
(Are you the Cuckoo perched on a branch…)
Chinjilambiyo poonkuyile
(that bends over the banks of a river?)
Mannchiraathile malaroliye thediyethiyo poonthennel
(Are you the soft breeze that caresses the flower?)

Aaromale…
(My beloved…)

Kadaline karayodiniyum paadan snehamundo
(Is there enough love for the sea to serenade to the shore?)
Mezhukuthirikalaayi urukaan iniyum pranayam manassilundo
(Do you still have love in your heart to melt like a candle?)
Aaromale…
(My beloved…)

(There’s also a beautifully typset, PDF version of these lyrics, made by Prateek Rungta.)

I don’t know about you, but Aaromale sounds even better now that I understand the words. I guess it was inevitable, considering Rahman himself suggested including a Malayali number in the soundtrack and recommended the renowned lyricist, Kaithapram.

Aaromale — The Female Version

I love how Shreya Ghoshal can go all carnatic on a single word: Aaromale. A woman’s touch, you might say, compared to the blues-rock version by Alphonse Joseph that’s been all the rage this year.

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You can download this preview or treat yourself to four minutes of ambience along with it (featuring an extended prelude and a new orchestral climax with violins and the Erhu.) If this still isn’t enough, you should listen to the entire background score from the film, Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya.

The Composer’s Notes: Raavan

Complex and multilayered — that was my first impression of Raavan’s soundtrack. It’s a different direction for Rahman and it needed explaining, particularly when the film is more than a month from screening. In a candid interview, A.R. Rahman walked us through his thinking behind each track:

Beera Beera

Beera is a song that describes the lead character played by Abhishek Bachchan. When we set out to compose this song, we didn’t want to make the song or the character seem dark. We wanted Beera to be liked by everyone. He is someone who has a point of view, it may be wrong according to some sections of the society but when you see the film you will realize his justification for the same. The song is like a celebration of his character.

Behne De

Karthik sang this song as a scratch. At that point in time, we didn’t know if we were going to retain it but everyone seemed to like the version and we did retain it. We also added some background vocals by Mohammed Irfan to give a different edge to the song. It’s not your usual typical song.

Ranjha Ranjha

Ranjha Ranjha is an idea that I had done earlier but gave it a skip. It’s poetry of Baba Bulleshah. Though the song that you hear in the album (sung by Rekha Bhardwaj, Javed Ali and Anuradha Sriram) doesn’t feature in the movie, we have created another version of the song that is sung by Ila Arun and Richa Sharma which would be featured in the film. This version has been shot beautifully and works better for the film.

Thok De Khilli

Thok De Khilli of course has Sukhwinder at his energetic best. He is simply a powerhouse of energy and talent. However, in this song he didn’t get a chance to improvise a lot as he had to fit his vocals to match the form of the song. In spite of that he has done a fabulous job.

Kata Kata

Kata Kata is a very typical Mani Ratnam style song. In every film of his you have this folk celebration kind of song like you had ‘Chalka Chalka Re’ in Saathiya or for that matter ‘Rukmani Rukmani’ in Roja. However, this time we have given it a different feel and it was really an enjoyable process composing this track.

Khilli Re

Khilli Re has been sung by Reena Bhardwaj who earlier sang ‘Yeh Rishta’ from Meenaxi. She has got a beautiful voice which suited the song perfectly. She is a very talented singer who certainly deserves more opportunities in the future.

Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re

It hurts knowing that the best song of Raavan isn’t in the soundtrack. A day after the music hit the stores, A. R. Rahman took to the stage with Gulzar at the film’s music launch function and surprised us all with a live rendition of an as-yet unreleased track, titled ‘Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re’:

Rahman later explained how this song came to be:

The song was a very last minute addition. I saw the movie and felt like adding a song to a particular situation in the film. The lyrics of the song were ready for a while, however I had yet to compose the tune. Meanwhile, we had already planned our music release for the 24th of April, so we didn’t want to delay or postpone that because of one song. The song may be later added to the album; however it will feature in the film.

I dearly hope this track will get released. As it stands, the soundtrack has life, but it lacks soul without ‘Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re’.

Lyrics and English Translation

My friend, Prateek Rungta, helped translate the lyrics for me because my Hindi is weak.

Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re (Go on, fly away)
Aye Ud Jaa Re (Go, fly away)
Rut Beet Gayi (The season has passed.)

Ab Is Shareer Ke Sire Khol De (Now open up (the ends of) this body)
Aur Goongi Aatma Ko Bol De (and ask (or speak to ) that deaf soul)
Wo Aasma Khula Hai Kyon? (Why is the sky open?)
Kyon Zameen Dang Hai? (Why is the earth so dull?)

Tune Toh Kaha Tha Ye (It was you who told me…)
Dono Ek Rang Hai (That they’re both of the same colour.)

Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re (Go on, fly away)
Aye Ud Jaa Re (Go, fly away)
Rut Beet Gayi (The season has passed.)