Film Hogaya Dimaagh ka Dahi (HDKD) is a comedy drama. There are a few comedy films that are remember for their good musical scores; HDKD falls in that category. However, there people who long to see and assess a film songs in isolation of the film they are part of. It is an erroneous way of seeing or looking at the songs. If a film is complete, its songs should be the part of the film otherwise they would look like an filler. As for the music of HDKD, its songs are integral part of the film. If the director of the film is to be believed (and there is no reason to doubt her), the songs are situational and integral part of the storyline. The film contains four songs. And all songs belong to different genres.
If I say that the qawwali Maula Mere Maula is the best number in the film, one might blame me of being subjective. Yet, I would not only place this soulful qawwali at the top among the film songs, but also included it among the best that come up in recent times, as this qawwali has all the ingredients to be remembered for long times. The lyrics and the miraculous voice of Kailash Kher blend so nicely with each other and give an effect that transcends a listener into another world. Another unique feature of the qawwali is a female voice. Fauzia Arshi, the Director and Music composer of the film, has become first female singer to be part of a Sufi qawwali, and her rendering of Iqbal’s and Khusro’s couplets blends nicely with that of Kailash Kher.
If on the hand the qawwali touches your soul and transcends you in another world, the song Sono to zara gaur se touches your heart and accompanies you with your beloved into a beautiful place where you would like to be alone with your beloved. This is a melodious song. Film critics have already categorized the songs as the first melodious song of the decade. Melodious songs are increasingly becoming extinct from our cinema. This effort of Fauzia is laudable for reviving a cherished genre of films songs.
Mika Singh of course is at his exuberant best in the song Baap Hona Paap hai. Mika is quintessential as far as the music for young blood is concerned. With this film Mika adds another feather in his cap by become first frontline singer to be part of a film in animated caricature avatar. Beat and tone of the songs are nicely blended. Director of the film Fauzia Arshi has an advantage in that being the music composer of the film she best understand the requirement of the situation and the mood of the film. She was well aware of the type of music that suits the script and overall background of the film. So she put the title track Dimagh ka dahi which has the flavor that young cine-goers like most, again the beat music. Kunal Ganjawala