22: Song of the Day: Raat Dhalne Lagi

Song: Raat Dhalne Lagi

Composer: Ustad Zakir Hussain

Lyrics: Javed Akhtar

Singer: Kavita Krishnamurthy

Movie: Saaz

Ustad Zakir Hussain has just composed for a handful of movies but Saaz is probably his best work yet. This song is sheer bliss, the tune, the orchestration, the singing…..everything is almost perfect. Listening to this song will make you imagine that you are walking in a moonlit night and enjoying the whole spectacle. One of the highlights of the song is the use of Sarod, a rarely used instrument in contemporary film music. The song begins with a slow Sarangi piece and launches into the mesmerizing tune. This is a song, which you will like in the very first listen itself. No other singer could have justice to this tune, other than the super-talented Kavita Krishnamurthy. The icing on the cake are the wonderful lyrics by another Ustad, Javed Akhtar Saab, a poet par excellence. This is a prime example of a perfect song where everything merges into one wholesome experience!

https://gaana.com/song/raat-dhalne-lagi

 

Saaz: Unique Music by Ustad Zakir Hussain

Saaz was a film OST which released around 1995.  It had music by multiple composers like Ustad Zakir Hussain, Raj Kamal and Vanraj Bhatia.  Ustad had composed 3 tracks for this movie and all 3 had a stamp of class written all over them. The other tracks were good too but these 3 were outstanding! The tracks composed by Ustad were:

1. Kya Tumne Hai-Sung by Kavitha Subramaniam-It starts with beautiful hummings, finger sounds (thats Zakir for you!) with tabla bols and taals.  Besides having a merry tune, the song has great rock guitar pieces and use of multiple voice layerings for Kavithaji’s voice.
2. Raat Dhalne Lagi-Sung by Kavitha Subramaniam-This song is what I call a vintage song because Ustad uses so many Indian sounds/instruments making it a must-listen.  Sarod is rarely heard in film music and this song has awesome Sarod interludes adding to the melody.
3. Phir Bhor Bhaee-Sung by Devki Pandit-Another very melodious number based on Raag Bageshri characterized by soothing sitar interludes. Again very PURE Indian music.

I wish Ustad had composed for more Hindi movies, though he has composed for a few movies like Mr & Mrs. Iyer. I think Saaz is Ustad’s best film music album. I searched for this album in many music shops for almost 5 years but in vain. Recently, I found it on the net and had no option but to download it.