These days, the Holi song in Hindi cinema is seen rarely. The upcoming release, Mere Pyare Prime Minister, brings back the sights and sounds of the colourful festival and mixes it with an old-school sound of the 1950s.
Taking a cue from V Shantaram’s Navrang (1959), composers Shankar-Ehsan-Loy take the joyous setting from the film and bring it to 2019 for Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra’s film.
Gulzar’s lyrics blend with those of Bharat Vyas for the classic song ‘Arre Jaa Re Hatt Natkhat’ composed by C Ramchandra.
Mehra and the camera capture the chaos of the revelry of the moment, moving in and out of the action in one long take. Asha Bhosle’s vocals from 1959 mix in nicely with those of Shankar Mahadevan, Divya Kumar, Rekha Bhardwaj, Shrinidhi Ghatate and Neela Mulhekar.
The song neatly pays tribute to the 1959 hit number and the background of C Ramchandra’s rhythm is present throughout this modern version.
‘Bajaa Bajaa Dhol Bajaa Re’ may not be an instant Holi request, but it contains the mood and flow essential to the festival.
Mere Pyare Prime Minister, directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, is due to be released on 15 March.
Watch the new song and the one from Navrang below: