Himessed 'em up!

So I am utterly bitterly in love with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. I never liked his uncle Nusrat too much, mainly because just like many English songs, I couldn’t really figure out what he was singing. Someone once commented on my blog that they thought the Afreen afreen song went something like “Uske nana ki taareef mumkin nahin”. Sheesh. But it proves my point. However, Fateh Ali Khan Junior has me completely bowled over. I had not watched Aaja Nachle or heard the album, and it was only by accident that I recently came across this mind-blowing song 'O re piya'. The rest, as they say, is history. Except that this song refuses to be history. For the last few months, it has not only been playing on loop on my ipod, but in my head as well. All the frikkin' time. The obsession grew to an extent where if I found no one me, I'd start singing it ALOUD in the middle of the road or in the bus... which could actually be the reason why there was no one around me. Ahem.

When I realised that this obsession is greater than any of my previous ones I decided to cure myself by swearing off the song and the singer for a while. So I looked for other songs I could obsess over. And I came across Main jahan rahoon from Namaste London. (I know I know it’s also sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, but there’s only so much control I can exercise over my Rahat-ki-chahat.) And I sat down and marvelled at this guy’s talent at modulating his voice and bringing out the depth in the song that perhaps even the lyricist hadn’t intended.

The more I listened to the song, the more I wondered – what the heck is wrong with Himesh Reshammiya? Why doesn’t he stick to composing such beautiful melodies? Why the heck does he insist on singing his own songs? I can understand that a music director may sometimes feel that no one else do justice to his composition. Even Rahman sings many of his songs himself, in spite of the heavy accent. But he picks songs suitable for his voice and doesn’t sing every song in the album. Subhash Ghai appears in each of his movies, no matter how out-of-place he looks sitting in a boat wearing his cowboy hat, but at least he doesn’t insist on playing the lead. These people may surface every now and then to show themselves, but they do know their real place. Why does Himesh then insist on singing and acting and end up annoying us instead of letting us appreciate what he is really good at – composing?

Years ago, Bhagyashree tried a similar stunt and refused to work in movies if her hubby was not hired as the leading man. We saw the outcome of Qaid Mein Hai Bulbul (Sheesh. I actually watched that movie. *hangs head in shame*) and in time, Bhagyashree’s career.

Come to think of it, Aashiq Banaya Aapne was a horrible movie, saved only by the two songs - the very catchy title song and Aap Ki Kashish. Of course, I still wonder why the lyrics could not establish his respect level for the girl in the title song (he switched from Aashiq banaya aapne to tere bin raat katti nahin hai without pausing) but I guess that’s forgiven in an age where lyrics go Kaindi ponn. Anyway, so there was Himesh Reshammiya singing his own compositions, which was I admit were really catchy hence became huge hits and all that.

I had no problems with that part - of Himesh singing a song or two for Emraan Hashmi. It was novel for the audience who had never seen such a combination - a guy who used his lips too much and a guy who used his nose too much.

It was only when he started singing for my regular guys, Akshay Kumar, Abhay Deol, etc. that I sat up and yelled STOP! From what I have heard so far, bad lyrics aside (that would be a whole new post. Love you unconditionally? Oh puh-lease!), the man’s got talent. His songs are catchy (even though he likes to use a ‘formula’) and almost always successful. Of course, most of his songs sound the same, but then even the great Rahman likes to copy himself (*ducks to avoid shoes*). It would be unfair to say that Himesh is besura – music directors probably can’t away with that. He just needs to accept that he’s not singer-material. He either cries or yells, and it achieves quite the opposite effect of what he intended. It takes away all the feeling out of the song and makes it sound like a quarrel between two neighhhhhhbours.

But to be fair to the over-criticised bloke, some of his non-Himessed songs are very melodious.

I came across a number of his songs that would have been masterpieces if he hadn’t exercised his nasal chords, and got someone else to sing it instead. An example would be the song Veeraniyan (Namaste London). It’s a classic example of how talented a music director he is, but I can’t get myself to listen to it as often as I would like to. Even though he sings in tune, he kind of ‘throws’ his words at the listener – sometimes like a dog barking (anyone who has heard him sing the words “Saans jab luun toh” line from the song would know exactly why I described it like that). I really really wish someone like Roop Kumar Rathod had sung it. I thought of Sonu Nigam initially, but I feel no other song about loneliness has the right to dilute the magic Sonu created with Tanhaayee from Dil Chahta Hai. Roop Kumar would probably ghazalofy the song a bit, so a contemporary alternative would be KK. Yehi Hota Pyaar would sound fab in Shaan’s voice. Kailash Kher would have done ample justice to Allah kare. Kitne pyaar karte hain would have sounded divine in Sonu’s voice.

I am totally totally against remixes, but I strongly believe that some of Himesh’s songs really need to be sung properly by other people, rerecorded and re-released. For the sake of the songs themselves. To do justice to them. He is being unfair to his songs by singing them himself.

My advice to Himesh, if he would just pause his oooinnng and aaainggg for once, would be this.

Don’t listen to anyone.

Listen only to yourself.

Maybe then you’ll get what I mean. :P