Ever since the 90s , Lucky Ali has been a dominant force in Hindi-language indiepop , with his songs still being adored by post-millennial listeners . A video from his Instagram , featuring a growing Ali singing a reprise of his classic hit O Sanam has brought him back to the popular imagination . Hence , it makes sense to revisit some of the albums that cemented his music legacy .
The aforementioned O Sanam belonged to his debut album Sunoh , which was followed by another popular record Sifar ( most notable for the track Dekha Hai Aise Bhi ).
And then , in 2001 , came Aks …
The word ‘ aks ’ literally translates to a ‘ reflection ’ and the album indeed allowed Lucky Ali to reflect on a lot on his quintessential thoughts on love and life . It ’ s a Herculean task to argue which of his early albums was his magnum opus but Aks delivered some great hits like Tere Mere Saath , Tu Kaun Hai , and Kitni Haseen Zindagi . Most of the tracks are simplistic and escapist in their song , riddled with poetic lyrics that find the singersongwriter at his inquisitive best . Every song bears wordings that find him musing or wondering about all the nice things that he seems to explore in the journey of his life .
So , in Tere Mere Saath , Ali asks his lover why they can ’ t sleep when the whole world closes its curtains at night . It seemed like he feels a certain connection and wants to act upon it , even though he still questions the true nature of his love . Tu Kaun Hai is a question in its title itself . The song is filled with nature-driven metaphors as he mysteriously ponders on an enchanting figure of his dreams . Such open-ended songs are aplenty all through the album , driven by Ali ’ s husky voice that bears a perceptual hint of melancholia ( even if his songs might be positive ). Guitars are heavily featured in most of the tracks . Having seen him perform many stripped-down acoustic versions of his own song , it ’ s no wonder that many of his fans record acoustic covers of his classics till date .
One of the fresh elements that Lucky Ali brought to the nascent indie scene in his time were his music videos , which mostly documented his visually vibrant and wholesome journeys , be it in America or the Great Pyramids of Giza . Similarly , Aks ’ Tere Mere Saath stars the artist as a fugitive who finds a fellow lover who ’ s on the run . He chances upon her in some sort of local fiesta as director Mahesh Mathai ’ s cameras explore the lively nature of neighbourhoods in Havana . Kitni Haseen Zindagi similarly had an iconic video that features Ali in his drifter avatar , calmly humming his tune while riding a bike under a lazy evening sky . His videos have been aestheticallypleasing and even if they incorporated foreign locations , the exotic nature was never flaunted to a flashy extent . Aks only bears testimony to this .
Tu Kaun Hai was featured as a promotional single for the Naseeruddin Shah and Zeenat Amanstarrer Bhopal Express , a drama that revolved around the Bhopal Gas
Tragedy . Tere Mere Saath continues to be a crowd favorite and was last used in an ad for a Mahindra SUV . So , in the end , Aks lived up to its title . It was truly a ‘ reflection ’ of Lucky Ali ’ s finest years as a musician .
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