Subhash Ghai is one of those few directors in these times who has a rare grasp on music, a quality quite akin to that held by the original showman of Hindi cinema, Raj Kapoor. Little wonder then that with the passing away of that legend, the title has rightly passed on to Ghai. The fate of his films at the box office notwithstanding, Ghai's creation have always been imbued with melody, be it a Karz, a Taal, or even a Kisna.
Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the music of his latest offering Black & White, has the ability to touch and stir one's soul. The music of this film has been composed by Sukhwinder Singh, who has also lent his voice to most of the songs in the album as well. A rather underrated music director and an under-utilised singer, it is indeed very heartening to hear more of Sukhwinder than we are wont to. Sukhwinder the music director too seems to be coming into his own—there was Halla Bol recently and he did full justice to the film and its theme. He does a similarly remarkable job with Black & White which definitely provides him with a wider platform in which to showcase his talent. The lyrics by Ibraheem Ashk, are simple without being stark, and lend themselves wonderfully to the Sukwinder's music.
The album has ten numbers, five original, two remixes and three songs have two versions each. The number which truly walks away with the honours is the opening number of the album, 'Main Chala'. It has both a male and female version sung by Sukhwinder and Shreya Ghoshal. Both versions are delightful to hear, and it is indeed difficult to choose between them. But without taking any credit away from Shreya, one feels that Sukhwinder's seasoned voice scores over the former's dulcet tones. The lyrics of the song have a sense of wonder and talk of embarking on a journey. There is lot of hope and love in the song and it has been sung with a lot of love by Sukhwinder too. The music has a strong classical base to it and it is here that he scores over Shreya. Without losing the emotion, the mood and the simplicity of the song, he manages to work in classical harkats and delivers them with the clarity that they deserve. Shreya's version of the song, 'Main Chali', also conveys the sense of quiet wonder. She has one of most melodious voices going around and she imbues this song with the same lightness of feeling that it asks for.
'Peer Manav,' the second song of this album is a duet rendered by Sukhwinder and Shraddha Pandit. This seems to be the 'traditional' song and has over folksy overtones. But there is refreshing sound to this number, which is brought out by the youthful voice of Pandit. The song has a celebratory tone to it and Pandit's young voice fits in very well.
The next number which is sung by Sadhana Sargam and Sukhwinder, 'Jogi Aaya,' is very catchy. Both singer reveal their mastery over the classical form in the song, in the manner in which the sargams are delivered in the number. Both singers are excellent in this number and provide a perfect foil to each other. In fact, the highlight of this album is the strong strain of Hindustani music which runs through it. The classical has been beautifully woven into the con temporary framework.
'Haq Allah' appears twice in the album, the first time it is sung by both Sukhwinder & Hans Raj Hans and the second instance sees Sukhwinder going solo. This is the ubiquitous Sufi number in the album and with both singers being masters of that form of music, it is a pleasure to hear this number. The overture of this song is truly wonderful. Sukhwinder's solo bit has a lot pace and rhythm to it and therefore sounds more catchy than the first one. Fast-paced sargams taken by Sukhwinder and the overt use of percussions adds to the flavour of the music.
The patriotic number comes in two versions. 'Yeh Hindustan Hai' is sung by both Udit Narayan and Jagjit Singh. The song has very touching and poignant lyrics and it is the kind of song which is likely to bring a lump to one's throat. This hold very true for Jagjit Singh's slower and philosophic rendition particularly. The haunting quality of Jagjit's voice lingers on long after the song is over.. In contrast, Udit's version, backed by a chorus, has a sunnier quality to it.
The two remixes are, in contrast, not a patch on the originals. Having said that, Pandit and Sukhwinder's 'Peer Manava' works best. It is an interesting remix which manages to capture the exuberant quality of the original quite well. But Sadhana and Sukhwinder's Jogi Aaya is quite mediocre.
Black & White is truly an album to cherish and savour. The highlight of this film's music is the freshness of its sound. A lot of it has to do with Sukhwinder, whose approach is not commercial but musical. If that were not so, he would never have dared to compose music which uses classical Indian music so liberally. It is to his credit that he has a director like Ghai who believes and understands music backing him up in Black & White. Besides the songs, what is most remarkable about this album is the great care that the composer has taken to compose the overtures to his songs. All in all, Black & White is an album which has some of most melodious music heard in quite a while.
