#SongDecryptionSeries, Kalank Title Track, Arijit Singh

Song: Kalank Title Track
Album: Kalank (2019)
Artist: Arijit Singh
Musician: Pritam
Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya

#SongDecryption #KalankTitleTrack #ArijitSingh

The word ‘kalank’ itself means ‘taint’ or ‘blemish’, but this song intends to show that love is not a ‘stain’, it is ‘kaajal’. (‘Kaajal’ means ‘kohl’, which is applied by Indian women and men to beautify their eyes). I think the only part of the film, Kalank, that has remained with me is its title track. The initial instrumental tune that precedes the vocal helps shape the mood of the song excellently, however, the real magic only begins when Arijit Singh’s voice echoes, bringing you into a trance! Here is my maiden attempt at trying to decrypt the song that has several layers to it.

Kalank revolves around the theme of love, illicit love, to be more specific. Whilst the focus is primarily aimed at Roop (Alia Bhatt) and Zafar’s (Varun Dhawan) characters, I somehow saw nuances of the song overlapping with Satya (Sonakshi Sinha) and Dev’s (Aditya Roy Kapur) love story (which I wish was not so royally ignored). The song is played at a part of the film where Roop and Zafar are slowly getting closer to each other, but their love is a disgrace because Roop is a married woman. Despite that, their increasing attraction and fondness for each other refuses to cease down.

Abhishek Varman ought to be lauded for having shot this song flawlessly, and you, as a viewer, are bound to draw parallels between the lyrics and the accompanying visuals. ‘Tu Barkha meri, main tera Baadal piya’ (You are the rain, and I am the cloud). As the song unfolds, the first verse does certainly draw your attention because the rain and clouds are compared to Roop and Zafar; the former being personified as rain, and the latter as a cloud. As the song continues, you begin to understand that the relationship between Roop and Zafar is like that of Heer and Ranjha (as mentioned in the lyrics), which compels one to believe that perhaps this love story will also end in a tragedy; a love story that the world will try to erase because it is illicit and unlawful, and will be lost in the annals of history.

It is possible that due to my personal bias, I may find Dev and Satya’s pairing more favourable, mostly because their chemistry seems unconventional. However, after Satya’s untimely demise, we find Dev in a fix between his present and past. He is still deeply in love with his deceased wife, Satya, which forbids him from moving on, but he also realises that he has remarried for Satya’s happiness.

The flashback to the stunning visual where Satya looks up at Dev ardently, and he looks back at her affectionately, is a very delicately timed scene. Somehow, just their expressions are sufficient for you to understand the love and fondness they hold for each other, which explains Dev’s conflicts after her death.

If it were down to comparing, Roop and Zafar’s love story is new and playful, and that is especially visible when Roop playfully nudges Zafar while watching a play with “Tum iss tamashay mein shaamil nahin ho?” (“Are you not a part of this drama?”). On the contrary, Satya and Dev’s love story comes across as a passionate and mature one, one that has evolved to show the different shades of adoration.

However, in an attempt to move on, we can see Dev’s gradual liking towards Roop, which strikes out in the line ‘Laayi re humein zindagaani ki kahaani kaise modh pe’, where Dev is shown to be looking over his shoulder at Roop. In a way, the line expresses surprise, because Dev had convinced himself that he could not ever move on, yet he finds himself getting drawn closer to Roop. Sometimes, some things are just beyond our control!

My favourite, and possibly the most memorable part of the entire film, is when Bahaar Begum (Madhuri Dixit) confronts Roop, questioning her about the change in her behaviour, and Roop looks away, in a rather reflective gaze. It is perhaps at this point when all her emotions are probably bursting right out of her mind, but it is only when she steps out of the haveli and she sees Zafar does she realise that she is in love with him.

Pritam, the composer, has built up the final verse of the song in a way which goes to prove how unapologetically brilliant he is! It is here that the ‘main tera, main tera’ line chimes in, with the visual being cut to a scene of Zafar standing on a boat, waiting for his beloved Roop. This parallel once again establishes how deeply rooted Zafar and Roop’s love story truly is.

Often, the contribution of lyricists is undermined and they continue to remain the unsung heroes of our audio industry. However, without a perfectly written song, a singer would have nothing to say or emote. Amitabh Bhattacharya, armed with talent, has not only penned the title track that has to generate interest in and create the first impression of the film, but also the other songs in the soundtrack, breaking the barrier of genre. He too, shines!

The magic this masterpiece exudes solely lies behind the incredible trio: Arijit Singh, Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya. Although music has been commercialized, songs like this do make us rebuild faith in the fact that such people do exist whose love for music is unadulterated. I can accurately guess that music of this kind will consistently hold on its own amidst the changing tastes of people.

Arijit Singh’s voice invokes a deeply found sense of passion, pain and meaning that no other male voice invokes. Somehow, you are able to understand the depth of the song’s meaning solely through his voice and the magical lyrics, of course. He is possibly the only male vocalist among his contemporaries who has real soul and depth to his voice which has made him the most sought after singer in Bollywood today! A man with a charisma that none but he can match, everything about Arijit fascinates me, even his unkempt hair. The honesty in his eyes and the pain in his voice have in them the ‘simple gravity’ of one who is ‘secretly possessed’ by his craft. All credits to Arijit Singh, Pritam and Amitabh Bhattacharya for intricately curating the most beautiful love anthem of the decade!

Taking a bow to indicate my appreciation and pleasure with the song,
Reneeka!