By Joginder Tuteja, November 1, 2004 - 15:57 IST
Aishwarya Rai and Rituparno Ghosh - both of them made celluloid sizzle with intense drama in ' Chokher Bali ' that was quite popular in original Bengali language. Unfortunately the dubbed Hindi version came without a bang and went without a whimper with no one noticing the movie. Two of them come together again in ' Raincoat ', the first Hindi directorial venture of Ghosh that stars Ajay Devgan opposite Rai. Raincoat was much in news during its launch and entire filming but surprisingly the pre-release hoopla is completely missing. Probably the producers Shrikant Mohta and Mahendra Soni are purposely playing it slow to intensify the publicity after the onslaught of biggies like ' Veer Zaara ', ' Swades ', ' Aitraaz ' and ' Naach ' is through. Nevertheless, the songs of ' Raincoat ' are recently on the air and have music by Debojyoti Mishra with lyrics by Ghosh himself.
Majority of the numbers (four) are sung by Shubha Mudgal and that must be good news for all her fans who wanted to hear her sing for a mainstream movie (she has done that for ' Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi ', but the movie has not yet seen the light of the day). Opening track ' Mathura Nagarpati ' is a soothing track about Lord Krishna and is extremely easy to ears. A classical number enlivened by Shubha Mudgal's rendition, it makes for a silent disturbance-free hearing.
Hariharan comes behind the mike in yet another quite'n'soulful track ' Piya Tora Kaisa Abhimaan ' that again has a classical base and would be liked by those looking for deep-rooted Indian heritage music. The same track is elevated even further when Shubha Mudgal does her version that is also supported by Gulzar saab's exquisite poetry.
A track about pain and long separation comes in the shape of ' Raha Dekhe ' and it should well be the theme song of the movie as it is about two estranged lovers. Shubha Mudgal sings the number at high pitch while lyrics by Ghosh are plain and simple, yet effective.
Fourth song by Shubha continues the mood of separation with ' Akele Hum Nadiya Kinare ', which is the best track of the album so far. It has a vintage 70's feel and is again, like the previous numbers, very pleasing to the ears. After hearing this song, one is amazed with Ghosh's versatility of being a good writer in addition to being an accomplished director.
Meena Mishra and group come together in ' Hamari Galiyan Hoke Aana ' and ' Jug Jiye '. While the former is a celebration track (it also comes in a sad version , which is hardly any sad except for the fact that it is a bit slower), it doesn't impress as much as the previous tracks primarily due to very average vocals and a 50's style tune that is extremely doubtful to be accepted in today's time. ' Jug Jiye ' that continues where ' Hamari Galiyan Hoke Aaka ' finishes is literally a follow-up to the latter and is on the same composition base. Even this is not much impressive and takes away the sheen from earlier songs by Shubha Mudgal. One wonders if the album would have been better off without these three tracks.
Composer Debjyoti Mishra impresses with tunes that have consistency of rhythm and melody throughout the tracks and yet are different from each other in terms of feel and presentation. For an average moviegoer, the tracks may not appeal to a good extent due to their non-filmi structuring. But for those who are literate in classical music or follow them with deep interest, ' Raincoat ' is appealing and may have a good shelf life.
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