Music Review | Mohenjo Daro

Music Review | Mohenjo Daro | A. R. Rahman

By Unknown - July 08, 2016

It's been a long time since I last reviewed a music album. It was a dry spell in terms of music releases last month. What did I do all this time? Well, I went back to 2016 B.C. to witness the great civilization of Mohenjo Daro. What did I bring back? Lots of cultural and tribal music by A.R. Rahman to be reviewed.

Alright, without further ado, let's get into it and see if this is a masterpiece beyond time and space (in literal sense).

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Mohenjo Mohenjo
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: A.R. Rahman, Arijit Singh, Bela Shende, Sanah Moidutty

Welcome to the land of dreams - Mohenjo Daro. The sun and the moon have already witnessed it and made it a fun-fair of colors.

This is the title song of the movie as well as the city anthem. It is a tribal song where people are celebrating festive season. Arijit Singh, surprisingly is the lead singer in this unorthodox song. He has proved once again that he is much more than just soulful romantic songs. The extended sur taken by him @3.35 in the song I thought was an unwanted addition. The unknown tribal phrases in between verses made me curious. Well it is unfair but to be honest I was trying to find similarities with Azeem O Shaan Shehenshah (Jodhaa Akbar). Fortunately couldn't find many. :P

Sindhu Ma
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: A.R. Rahman, Sanah Moidutty
Aaaahhh!!! That tribal call in the beginning. Gave me an eargasm. This song has something I would never expect from an A. R. Rahman song and that too the one he is singing in it - autotune. I completely disapprove it. The song is actually a prayer towards Sindhu (also called Indus) river, one the banks of which the civilization had established. A. R. Rahman singing "Tu hai mera ye sansaar saara, Main aur mera pyar saara, Tere hi liye hai" is pure bliss. I can listen to just this portion on loop. I like the fact that traditional hindi words are used in the songs. For example, moun is used instead of the word chup. This is where Javed Akhatar's expertise comes in action.

Sarsariya
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: Shashwat Singh, Shashaa Tirupati
Again, the tribal phrases in the beginning are making me curious as to what do they exactly mean. This song is an 'Ahaa!!' moment after two people realize they've fallen in love. Being a romantic song, the song doesn't let you sway away from the actual mood of the movie of ancient civilization with the kind of beats and instruments used.

Tu Hai
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: A.R. Rahman, Sanah Moidutty
This song is a different take on Sindhu Ma. The male portions in Sindhu Ma was dedicated to the river. They've taken the same portions and used as a romantic duet. I've already confessed my love for A. R. Rahman singing "Tu hai mera ye sansaar saara, Main aur mera pyar saara, Tere hi liye hai" . The last bits where the entire choir erupts into this chorus takes things to a whole different level. However, I'd prefer Sindhu Ma over this song.

Whispers of the Mind
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: Arjun Chandy

Get a good pair of headphones. Lock yourself in a room and close your eyes. This is meditational music. It is as close as a song can get in a Indian commercial movie to binaural beats. The sound of fireflies (jugnu) in the background transports you into a secluded peaceful space.

Whispers of the Heart
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: Arjun Chandy
This is similar to the previous track. In addition, there are female vocals giving it a feminine and domestic feel. This is the female version of the the tribal theme. What they are trying to convey is that men are the people of MIND and women are the people of HEART in the tribe. Check out for the sound of fire in the end of the track. *bring your hands forward for some warmth*

The Shimmer Of Sindhu
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: Keba Jeremiah, Kareem Kamalakar
This is an instrumental version of Tu Hai. What I liked is that string instruments are used instead of piano which is why you can hear clear separation of the beats. I cannot explain enough such instrumental music. Go ahead and give it a listen.

Lakh Lakh Thora
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Singers: Tapas Roy, Pmk Naveen Kumar
Another instrumental version of one of the tracks from the album - Sarsariya, just suppressing the vocals. Being an instrumental track, there is a freedom to use a lot of musical instruments and that is what you get. Somehow I liked the original track though

In an album of eight tracks, only first four are actual songs which if you think makes sense because even though the civilization of Mohenjo Daro had rich culture and folklore, they didn't sing and dance the entire time. Most of the songs in the album will be used as background score. Overall I loved the album. Kudos to Ashutosh Gowariker and A. R. Rahman for picking such a different kind of experimentation in Indian cinema. However, in the end I was left with feeling a bit underwhelmed.

TOP 3 PICKS:
1. Sindhu Ma
2. Mohenjo Daro
3. Whispers of the Mind
HONORABLE MENTION: Tu Hai

That is all I have for this album. I hope you liked this review. If you do then feel free to share it. Let me know you favourite song of the album or if you have any suggestions/feedback - in the comments below. Until then, Ciao...!

Check out my video reviews of music album of Mohenjo Daro on YouTube: