Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay’s ‘Vande Mataram’ has long been like a second anthem for many Indians. Bankim Chandra had written his poem in 1870. The song or the slogan has since been used in films times without number.
The most popular film version of the song probably is the one sung by the great Lata Mangeshkar for Anand Math (1952), which was based on Bankim Chandra’s novel of the same name.
Maestro AR Rahman created a popular version of his own of ‘Vande Mataram’ in the 1990s.
Now director Robbie Grewal has incorporated ‘Vande Mataram’ in his spy thriller Romeo Akbar Walter, starring John Abraham.
The song is essentially divided into two parts. The first is an original composition while the composer-lyricist takes verses from the original in the second.
The opening is mellow and reflective, but then the antara takes a militaristic turn with ‘Sarfaroshi ko chalen hain baand ke kafan / Dushmanon ko karne unki mitti mei dafan‘. The inspiring interjection by singer Ekta Kapoor rejuvenates the track and the song ends with verses from the original.
Sonu Nigam is fairly competent here. The different voices chanting ‘Vande Mataram’ trigger a sense of patriotic fervour. With the country still facing tough times with its volatile neighbour, a ‘Vande Mataram’ is, perhaps, needed to remind us that India needs to stand together and not indulge in acts of oppression against its own.
As we saw in John Abraham’s previous film Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran (2018), the songs were created more for promotional purposes and simply played over visuals from the trailers. We see a similar thing with Romeo Akbar Walter. All the same, Ahmed’s ‘Vande Mataram’ is inspirational.
Watch the new ‘Vande Mataram’ song below.
Romeo Akbar Walter is set to be released on 5 April. Let us know if you are feeling inspired to watch this film in the theatres.