There was a time, a long long ago, in the era of cassettes, when one had no idea about whether the entire soundtrack of the movie would be good. One just bought it on the first day of release, sometimes relying on the music director/s, or snippets heard as ‘forthcoming attractions’ from the previous soundtrack released by the same company, if it was T-Series, TIPS, HMV etc, or by begging the shopkeeper to open that cellophane wrapper and play the tape for a while. And thus, in those days, one would sometimes receive serendipitous delight and be transported by the music. Closed eyes, smile on the lips, and body slowly rocking, lost in the world of some ethereal track. These days, even if you don’t go searching for tracks, they find you, either on FM or through the algorithm of some feed that is supposed to have gleaned your preferences.
I saw Secret Superstar recently, by chance as I was channel flipping. Missed the first few minutes but was still liking what I saw. That was until the Nachdi Phira song and scene played out. For that, I just loved the movie. Maybe it was because of that wonderful song which I was hearing for the first time. Maybe it was Aamir’s superb performance as he moved to the song’s rhythm in a way markedly different from the character he was thus far in the movie. Or maybe it was his emotional narration of what he had started out as, his love for melody, having to adapt based on audience preferences, and how he had relived his first moments of composing thanks to the rendition of this song.
There is indeed something beautiful about giving life to something that’s cherished and yet has been dormant inside for long. A feeling of doing what one is meant to do. It is wonderful to watch, makes one nostalgic about what could have been. Oh yes, that is possible. 🙂