Find a quiet corner in your house, switch off the lights, shut your eyes and just listen to the music of Om Shanti Om. It will take you on a pleasant journey from the disco 70s to the present time. The sweet memories of Shanker Jaikishan, Laxmikant Pyarelal, R.D. Burman will caress you on this tour de Bollywood. The lyrics of Javed Akhtar will warm your heart. It will not be long before you will be hooked, and perhaps in a state of Nirvana. Ladies and Gentlemen, this is just the beginning, a little birdy tell me that the video will be mesmerizing. You won’t be able to decipher whether the music or the visualization is better. People in the know are whispering that the final product is greater than the sum of its parts. I am told that after OSO, Farah Khan will be acknowledged amongst the best “Masalla” movie makers of Bollywood. By design and choice, she is no Satyajit Ray (and does not want to be one), but what she does well is make entertaining movies that are totally “Paisa Wasool”. When the history of Bollywood is written Farah Khan’s name will cast a shadow over the likes of Manmohan Desai.
When I first heard the music of OSO, I was immediately hooked on to Dard-E-Disco. The Middle Eastern beats of Dard-E-Disco pulsate you till you submit to it by allowing your body to gyrate to the rhythm of the song. The thing that hit my mind while listening to Dar-E-Disco is that this song by itself will be more popular than Bachchalan’s “Aag”, “Nisabdh” and “Chaddi Kum Banyan Zyada” combined. I am willing to accept bets. I bet that this song will outsell Big B’s last three movies. This song is one knock out punch.
But don’t fool yourself into believing that Dard-E-Disco is all that OSO has. As hard as it is to believe, Deewangi Deewangi even tops Dard-E-Disco. In a more progressive India (sometime in the future) Deewangi Deewangi may be the campaign song of a candidate (just like “Don’t Stop” was for Bill Clinton). I can see the candidate walking up to the podium while the loudspeakers are going, “All hot girls put your hands up and say, Om Shanti Om. All cool boys come on make some noise and say, Om Shanti Om” I doubt if there is any crowd that cannot be jump started with this song. It is a crowd pleaser and will be very successful at parties.
If Dard-E-Disco and Deewangi Deewangi is all “Dhamal” and “Masti” then Aakhon Mein Teri and Main Agar Kahoon are two simple and sweet songs. Had these two songs not been in OSO’s CD, it would be easy to fool someone and claim that these songs are from the 60s and the 70s. There is no loud instrument, just simple lyrics and melody. Both these songs are the kind that you would want playing in the back ground while you sit with a date on Elbow Beach (in Bermuda) watching the sunset.
I have not heard any recent music so diverse and rich. The four songs stated above are worth the price of ten Cds, leave alone one. Nonetheless it seems that Red Chillies (producers of OSO) were in a very generous mood. The remaining two songs are classics. Dhoom Taana is a song that represents the Laxmikant Pyarelal genre at its best. The traditional Desi big band orchestra comes alive in this song. Long after even OSO is forgotten, the “Dhols” from this song will still be playing in your mind.
Now the best for the last serving. All I can say is that put Jag Soona Soona Lage on the list of things to do before you go to bed today. There cannot be Desi film music without one song that tugs your heart. That heart tugging song in OSO is Jag Soona Soona Lage. Please do yourself a favor, go listen to it (Keep a reliable friend at hand who you can depend on to pass you the tissues).
As stated earlier, now wait for the videos and finally the movie itself. In good faith and without any malice, I want to reach out to all the Bachchanistas who I may have hurt with my writings and say, “Swallow your pride and say, OM SHANTI OM” . Say, Om Shanti Om, baby.
