Highway || imtiaz ali || randeep hooda

[Sunil_M88]

I absolutely love the free flowing nature of the song. Just like “Phir Se Udd Chala”, the song doesn’t seem to have a structure. The song oozes with creativity which is the reason I’ve lost count on how many times I seen the trailer. The beat itself is probably made on an 808 drum kit and Rahman Ji used to live off these sounds back in the nineties. As well as the obvious club sound, there are elements of techno, indie rock, middle-eastern and of course the unforgettable Sufi Punjabi vibe delivered by the Nooran Sisters of Tung Tung fame. Rahman Ji tweeted about them at same time Tung Tung aired on Sneha Khanwalkar’s MTV sound trippin mid last year so everybody could have at least expected them to collaborate but I was totally ecstatic when I heard them in the trailer.

Rahman Ji’s voice is so soft in the song and contrasts with the hard nature of the beat somewhat similar to the title song of Dil Se but I’m an equal fan of Rahman Ji the composer as well as the singer and believe his high notes will always remain his pièce de résistance. Coming back to the Nooran Sisters, they are only in their only early twenties and I can proudly say that India officially has an answer to Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen and all the other unquestionable veterans of Qawwali from Pakistan. I just hope that some run of the mill Music Director doesn’t start to rinse them with quantity over quality and in that respect I truly miss Krishna Beura who I really wanted to collaborate with Rahman Ji but oh well!

Irshad Kamil is definitely the best match for Rahman Ji. I remember saying that the lyrics of Rockstar were giving high competition to its music e.g. “Kun Faaya Kun”. I don’t think the Punjabi lyrics are traditional, they are original but similar to the writings of Baba Bulleh Shah Ji’s poetry.
I can’t wait for the whole song and I can’t deny that I’m biased and defensive for the song as it truly delivers the fragrance of my motherland’s, Punjab’s soil. I’m even happier as this is Rahman Ji’s third film related to my mum’s home town, Firozpur.

Time to aboard the Highway

Happy Listening!
Sunil Malhotra