Revisiting Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s works

Manan Bhardwaj

In an era dominated by remixes of popular '90s ditties, few would have imagined that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Sason Ki Mala would find a place in a commercial venture. For Yaariyan 2 composer Manan Bhardwaj, the track has been instrumental in his musical journey. "While practicing, I had created this [version] 13 years ago. A situation in the film demanded this track, so I shared it with the directors.

Only rarely do I recreate songs, but when I do, I only [do so] for songs with which I have lived. I should have played it for a while, and only then will I recreate it. This is because it is important for me to know the soul of a song so that I can retain it."

In Yaariyan 2, Bhardwaj says there is a song for "every listener". He confesses that it is only occasionally that composers get to work on projects that demand such a wide array of musical pieces. "There is a romantic song, a wedding song, one that you can listen to when you're happy, and another that you can hear when you're sad. It is the duty of a song [maker] to evoke those emotions," he says of the film for which he has crafted seven pieces.

Radhika Rao and Vinay Sapru's directorial venture features Divya Khosla Kumar, Meezan Jafri, and Priya Prakash Varrier, among other actors. It is a remake of the 2014 Malayalam film, Bangalore Days, by Anjali Menon.

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