It's been a long time since a song had me hooked to my earphones like this one. The culprit is 'O meri Laila' from the movie 'Laila Majnu' that released last month. Yes, I know - it has CHEESY written all over it.
I remember seeing glimpses of the movie's trailer and dismissing it as an imminent flop. After going crazy about the song, when I checked out the movie reviews today, I saw good ratings and overall positive comments from critics. With a cast of newcomers and the title giving away an unpopular theme, I guess it passed by unnoticed by the masses.
Anyway, this post is mostly for me to remember what goes on in my mind when I fall insanely in love with a song. This used to happen quite often in school and college, but music doesn't affect me as much nowadays. The first reason is that I always have to listen to the kind of songs my son likes, which consist of nursery rhymes and Hindi dance numbers. Believe me, I know all the lyrics to "Wheels on the bus" and "Tan tana tan tan tan tara"!
The second reason is that there isn't enough good Bollywood music nowadays. I am all for appreciating classics in any language, but contemporary Bollywood music has always been irreplaceable in my world. In an unexplainable way, it defined something in the very core of my personality, which brings me to the third reason - I'm a different person today. Age taught me to be more practical, and I guess one of the ways to achieve it was not to lose myself in the realm that music takes me to. I don't have the time for it and honestly, it isn't of much help. I'd prefer staying grounded in reality.
But then, what can I say? Once in a blue moon comes a song that takes the romantic in me to my happy place, even gives me a glimpse of who I used to be. And I'd like to cherish this song for doing exactly that.
'O meri Laila' starts on a subtle note, with a single instrument playing an earthy, folksy tune (probably Kashmiri, as that's the backdrop of the movie). There's something about these kind of tunes that makes me feel a connection, maybe because they take me back to my roots (The music director is from my home state!). The actual song begins after a few seconds, with more instruments catching up. The melody moves from delicate to strong in phases and does so in a lovely manner. The lyrics support the music in every sense. In the mellow parts, there are beautiful phrases like "Bhooli athanni si bachpan ke kurte mein se mil tu" (Translation - "Let me find you like I found that forgotten penny in the shirt I wore as a child"). Then, there's an open declaration of love with clichéd lines when the song reaches the chorus - "O meri Laila, khwab tu hai pehla" (Translation - "Dear Laila, you're my most precious dream"). To me, the flow of the music and lyrics depicts the ups and downs of a love that is just beginning to blossom. It shows how exciting and adventurous new love can be, and how diferent the trials and tribulations associated with it are, as compared to love that has been fulfilled and accepted by society. This kind of love is tranquil, and yet brings about a kind of rush. It is about two people with hopes and dreams, who believe that fighting against all odds to be together is the triumph of their love.
Atif Aslam has done justice to the song. I generally find his singing to be lacking in the levels of perfection that many other professional singers are capable of; but in this song, his voice is flawless, with ounces of emotion mixed into every note he takes. It is real and straight from the heart, which gives life to the song. Jyotica Tangri does a good job too, but doesn't have as many lines. Atif totally owns it.
A song like this doesn't come to my life often. For me, it is the perfect concoction of melody, words, and voice enveloped in the thing that matters the most to me, the thing I keep forgetting about - love.
