KADAMBARI SRIVASTAVA
Taal; to put it literally, means beats. These can be taken in any
sense, whether those heartbeats that tap to the tune of destiny,
or those of music, the various permutations and combinations
of set notes which open endless possibilities. But then there
are those few which can capture that beat right from the centre
of the heart, only to curate it into something so powerful
that it reverberates through time. A.R. Rahman is one such
magic composer. And one of the most beautiful Bollywood
compositions that he gave to us in the past two decades was
in the movie Taal — the 1999 blockbuster starring Aishwarya
Rai and Akshay Khanna. The movie was a love story spun
amidst the backdrop of music, of two lovers breaking apart
and coming together by the musical stroke of fate. Music, here,
played the protagonist, the narrator, and who better than
Rahman to do justice to such a scenario?
But, did you know that while most of the movie titles of the
time were more or similar — long and ambiguous with the
same old words roped in — it was Taal wherein the movie’s
name was inspired by the music curated for it, in sync with
love’s pain, loss, and ultimate finding.
Yes. Upon the release of the movie’s soundtrack to widespread
acclaim, director Subhash Ghai revealed the same. “I credit the
name of the movie to composer A.R.Rahman. This movie is a
romance and I could have called it any thing – Dil, Pyaar, Hum
Bhaag Gaye, but it was SB's presence in the movie that gave
me the confidence to call it Taal. Taal means music and music
means Taal. The whole credit goes to A.R.Rahman and Anand
Bakshi. SB kept me awake many nights, but after listening to
the songs, I felt it was worth all the trouble,” Ghai said.
Time has been kind to the movie and its soundtrack. In the
times of social media when tides can turn any day in favour
of something or against it, Taal has been rocking the boat
steadily, like a cool stream amidst high tides. Even if Ghai
wouldn’t have revealed it, it was an apt title to the movie. After
all, it’s music which plays the role of narrator, mediator, a
character in its own capacity. Each note, each song has been
spun together so lovingly that it is in stark contrast to the lazy
compositions of today that hardly experiment and mostly rely
on the popularity of the old which are recreated to suit the
forced narratives. The credit of Taal’s success goes as much to
the music as to the other aspects, more so, if one dares say. So
it is not surprising that it is named after the very beat which
created it.
Taal was the story of two star-crossed lovers, who met as
music wafted through the beauty of nature, and fell in love
as the tunes formed a song of its own. As class difference
created a valley between them as misunderstanding crept
in, it was eventually which cleared those and brought them
together too. Music is not only the backdrop of the movie, but
is omnipresent throughout the narrative, its presence felt in
the highs and lows and in the pleasant plateaus of the plot. The
music of Taal was as essential to it as the screenplay itself, and
just when one thought Rahman couldn’t do it better, he went
ahead and outdid himself. The music of Taal will remain in
the hearts forever, as the fusion of genres and instruments will
come alive with the immortal words of Anand Bakshi, and the
story of love will live.
Nostalgic Notes
Taal - A Musical Marvel Beyond Years...
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