Review

Hindi songs made in Chennai

Harris Jeyaraj is the latest southern success to be imported into Hindi. Rehna Hai Tere Mere Dil, a remake of Minnale, features five remade tunes and two original ones

Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein
HMV
Rs 45

Southern successes in music composing have a very strong chance of being imported into Hindi. Of such imports, Rahman has been most stupendously successful commercial presence in Hindi. Before him, Ilaiyaraja went to Mumbai and composed for a couple of films like Sadma, mostly remakes of Tamil films. He didn't stay on long, either because he wasn't comfortable in the milieu or the Hindi audiences did not take to his style of music. M M Keeravani, who has been doing Telugu and Kannada films, called himself M M Kreem and scored music for some Hindi remakes of Telugu films. His biggest hit song was Tu hi re, made for the Nagarjuna starrer Criminal. It's Harris Jeyaraj's turn to do a Hindi film, very soon after the release of his debut Tamil film Minnale.

Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein  comes from Vashu Bhagnani, who produced Tera Jadoo Chal Gaya, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Biwi No 1. Remade from the Tamil film Minnale, this romance is about two men in love with the same girl.

Madhavan deceives Diya into believing that he is her intended husband from America. He later realises that the real fiance is his rival from college. Madhuri Dixit played a similar "bad girl" in Pukar, where Anil Kapoor is framed for a crime he never committed, thanks to something she does out of lover's jealousy.

Of seven songs, five tunes are taken from Minnale and for the other two, Haris Jeyaraj comes up with new tunes.

Bombay Jayashri sounds at home in Hindi, and listening to Zara zara was rediscovering the magic of Vaseegara -- it comes across as an undiminished hit. The swooning flute and Jayashri's fluid tonality are all there, and the level of intensity that this love song achieves is high and consistent. (For those who also listen to classical music: Music Today has just released an album of Shyama Sastry compositions. Simply called Shyama, it contains seven compositions sung by Jayashri, including the lovely Devi brova samayamide in raga Chintamani. The tape is priced at Rs 75).

Venmati in Tamil becomes Kay Kay's Such keh rahan hoon. A slow number, it takes its liveliness from the santoor notes which play through-out. The heartbroken man swears to get over his foolish unrequited love. Lyrics are by Sameer, who has neatly worked on the essence of the Tamil hits.

Oh mama mama is sung by Sonu Nigam. The thavil is in place, and it's not replaced by the dholak to please the Hindi audience. The composer has retained the original tracks and just redone the voice on these numbers.

The title track Rehna hai tere dil mein , sung by Sonu Nigam and Kavita Krishnamurthy, uses the shehnai/nadaswaram with style in short spurts. Harris Jeyaraj has been using this combination in all his films, like a signature. Sonu manages to achieve a focused intensity of expression, somewhat like Sukhwinder Singh. The flute plays some forgettable lines. The drumming, otherwise Western, features the mrudangam as a highlight.

Bolo bolo is from the Tamil Theeye azhagiya theeye. Dil ko by Roop Kumar Rathod is a tuneful ballad full of acoustic guitar chords and some electric guitar phrases and a twelve-stringed guitar phrase or two. The interludes are guitar-rich and brief. The second interlude sees some violins and unusual chromatic notations for the chorus. The tune is suspiciously like a Hollywood number called This is my song. I have heard an interpretation by Paul Mauriat.

S Suchitra Lata


Published on 18 October 2001