Feverish whispers, clamourous crows and muted explorations of the unknown infuse the soundtrack of Mom, powered by AR Rahman and lyricist Irshad Kamil. Sridevi’s starring role in the film provides a space for the female musicians to showcase a range of styles and skills.
The album includes hummable, chart-friendly numbers, such as O Sona and Chal Kahin Door. But Rahman’s genius lies in the edgy minimalism of Muafi Mushkil, the audacious arrangements in Raakh Baakhi, and in the dazzling soundscape of Be Nazaara – and in finding the voices that fit them.
As he often does, Rahman exercises composer’s privilege and takes over the vocals in the first track. O Sona is a signature Rahman number – a gentle prelude that gives way to a full-throated clarion call, complete with sweeping violins. Shashaa Tirupati interjects smoothly mid-song and also provides backup vocals. Here is a gifted singer, with a timbre that lends itself as easily to a serenade like this one as to classical-based numbers.
There’s all the manic energy of dance music in Kooke Kawn, but there’s also a hint of things unwelcome, magnified by the sound of crows cawing, a strident rap, and hard percussion bearing down on what sounds like a folk number. Sukhwinder Singh is in his comfort zone – high-pitched, fast paced numbers, mostly Punjabi, are his thing – and he appears to not want to move out of it anytime soon.
An unsettling, staccato beat runs through Raakh Baakhi, the most interesting number in the album – this could also sit easily in a lounge playlist if you ignore the lyrics. The erratic rhythm is punctuated by creaks, gusts, and cries of alarm – or is it pain? – as Jonita Gandhi and Rianjali carry the baleful lyrics into the lower octaves. And Kamil comes up with menacing stuff – fire, storms and shrieks. “Aag tu hai magar dekhe, jalaaye, kisko jalaaye? Cheekh seene main dabi hai jo, bulaaye, kisko bulaaye?”. An unexpected segue into English – Rianjali’s “you can run but you can never hide; even in your sleep you’d better open your eyes” – elevates the drama and is the cue for an accelerated tempo. It’s when it stops that you find your heart is racing.
Freaking Life goes electronic with a pulsating beat and is the sound of youth, restlessness and rebellion. Singers Rianjali, Raja Kumari and Suzanne D’Mello switch seamlessly between Hindi and English, and throwing much of their energies in the word ‘freaking’.
Shashaa Tirupati’s solo Chal Kahin Door reprises the pianos and violins, but adds an optimistic flute interlude. This is a song of affirmation – “kitne din ke baad main apne aap se mili” – and the desire to move on – “ranjish o ruswaaion se, bewajah bechainiyon se”. Tirupati skims effortlessly over the multiple variations in the song and the change of pace and rhythm.
Here’s a nice soul and jazz number, you think as the opening notes of Muafi Mushkil waft in. But don’t sit back yet. Darshana KT stirs up a storm, aided by clipped backup vocals and sparse instrumentation, now soaring, now descending to dwell darkly on “mausam maatam jaisa”, and blending with a sombre piano refrain halfway through the song. The enunciation is precise and deliberate, and the rising, falling notes have one aim: to ensure that no word goes unheard.
Be Nazaara opens with the notes of raag Durga – there’s only an inflection, not enough to reveal the character of the raag. It is joined quickly by an EDM riff that sets the pace for the rest of the song. Sudeep Jaipurwale’s intricate exploration is met midway by a series of synthesized sounds that accentuate the rendition but keep its integrity intact. This is an excellent example of Rahman’s deft framing of a classical melody within a Western harmony – he’s done this before in O Kadhal Kanmani in Naane Varugiraen in raag Darbari Kaanada by Shashaa Tirupati, and in Alaipayuthe.
The male singers in the album may be high-powered, but it’s the women who shine, ably conveying disquiet, defiance and solace, and demonstrating impressive control over the finely calibrated melodies. Full marks to Rahman for amplifying these unique, surprising voices.
