Film: Swami

Director: Ganesh Acharya

Music: Nitin Arora and Sony Chandy

Lyrics: Sameer

Rating: 4/5

Ganesh Acharya has been in the industry for over ten years; has choreographed songs for films like Rang De Basanti, Golmaal, Aitraaz and Khakee amongst others. However with Swami, it is for the first time he will be seen holding the director’s baton. While a majority of the tracks are instrumental, a few songs that have vocals have been rendered by Hariharan and Chitra.

The album begins with an instrumental track called Shubarambh, which is also the theme track for the film. This two minute track is soothing and the flute, veena and various percussion instruments create what is clearly a poignant and thoroughly enchanting track.

Swami, which is the second track in the album, begins with the sound of a flute that soon flows into Chitra reciting the ‘venkatesa subrabhatam’, and soon enough the music begins to build up, followed by Hariharan and Chitra crooning the rest of the track. This piece sounds like a devotional number and the singers in harmony render the second soothing of the album.

Without a moment to waste, Chitra and Hariharan begin singing Naa tin Dhinna. As the title suggests, all they do is recite those words, yet they do it melodiously and in a manner never heard before. The children in the chorus sound incredible in the last ten odd seconds of the track. This is the ideal track to be playing while jumping into puddles during the rain.

Mumbai Jaayenge is a dreamy number and forty seconds into the track you end up hearing a faint voice of Manoj Bajpai rendering a few dialogues. This track is calming but that’s about it, the instrumental magic that seemed continuous is broken with this track.

Gullak, yet another instrumental number, is extremely elemental. You are left enjoying the slow rise in the music interrupted by the music of the flute. This one lasts just the right amount of time to have you take notice without getting on your nerves.

Aa ri ra ru sounds as though it has been lifted from the movie to be placed in the album. With Juhi Chawla rendering lines followed by Chitra saying ar ri ra ru, this one is worth a skip. There are so many elements cutting into each other in this track that nothing stands alone long enough to be heard.

Kursi a.k.a the chair for the one minute and 18 seconds it lasts, is brilliant. However, even before you begin enjoying the track, it has ended, so you find yourself playing the track again to enjoy it further (lucky, they invented the repeat button!).

‘De jab duaayen woh parmaatma tab aatma se miley aatma…’ it’s simply these words that make you want to listen to ‘De jab duaayen’ rendered by Hariharan and Chitra. Their haunting voices make this track even more soulful. This one is pure wow!

Talaash, the next track, however, fails to hypnotise. This one, though easy on the ear, does not enchant and has you wanting to hear more. It is the softness with which it is treated that has you straining at certain points, to hear the track.

Hariharan and Chitra singing Aankhhon ki, sets the tears flowing. The strain and power in their voices has you leave everything you are doing, just so that you can listen to them. The lyrics are beautifully penned. Bravo, encore.

Taa Ra Ri Ra, ideally meant to convey the notion of innocence, does so in the two and half minutes it traverses. The children’s chorus additionally aids in creating the lively yet innocent essence the song is meant to convey. However, this track does not resonate in your head, even moments after having heard it.

Vyakul, like Talaash, needs you to turn up the volume in order to hear it. The track is extremely soft. Following Vyakul is Radhe. Though it begins with Hariharan singing the word Radhe.., there is an exploration in his voice, almost as though in search of something. This is backed by an instrumental score that further adds essence to the track. This one should be heard with the volume turned up, allowing the music to echo through the room.

Dhyaan, the final track in entire album, has Chitra render the ‘Venkatesa suprabhatam’ yet again. However, this time round, it is followed by the music of the Mridangam and Veena. This track is yet another poignant song in the album.

The soundtrack of Swami is not the usual deafening music. The songs are soft and soothingly melodious, there’s nothing like playing this album on your Hi Fi system while you lie back in your armchair sipping a cup of freshly brewed coffee. The music of Swami is strongly recommended.