Miseries of Heart

Why do all songs have to end? Not only literally, but also in terms of what they have to say. Some of the rare ones prefer not to conclude though, particularly when it concerns the matters of heart. They achieve and retain a difficult balance with ambiguity and uncertainty that characterizes any great work of art till the end.

'Dil to bachcha hai jee' is one such song. I am currently drooling and tripping over this 'Ishqiya' ditty. Very overtly, it has the feel and melody of a classic 50's Raj Kapoor melody, mixed with a melancholic Western acoustic strain. It starts off innocuously enough on a low flute-like (is it flute?) sound, to which slow strumming of Guitar is added steadily in the background. Then, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan lends his melodious voice to articulate the confusion and angst of an old man falling in love. Falling irresistibly in love, experiencing feelings which he thought were long dead.

The lyrics are playful and profound, in the fluid, conversational style of Gulzar, who, by the way, is in top form here. In spite of a superlative composition by Vishal and excellent singing by Rahat, slightly reminiscent of Rafi, this really is a Gulzar song.

Consider this gem which I fear will get killed in translation:
'kisko pata tha pehlu mein rakha dil aisa paaji bhi hoga
hum to hamesha samjhte they koi hum jaisa haaji hee hoga'

I was not taken in much by Kaminey's soundtrack, which seemed a little disappointing to me, apart from a couple of tracks, after Maqbool and Omkara. But this is a true gem. In as much as it is about a malady that neither gets cured by the passage of time, nor controlled by the bounds of religion or propriety, it sears the heart as much as it gives extreme pleasure.