Drenched in Melody: Sun ri Sakhi

Rahman's music has a unique effect on me. His compositions are like a piece of art or should i say it's like a sculpture of the likes of Leonardo da Vinci , Michael Angelo and etc. It makes me search for every minute detail that the genius crafts on his musical landscape. Rahman's musical score everytime leaves an indelible impression on me.
Before going any further I would like to dedicate this review to 2 wonderful persons: my bhabhiji and my dearest buddy Ramya.
The year was 1994 when a film titled Hum se Hain Muqabla (dubbed from Kadhalan in Tamil) was released. Directed by Shankar this flick starred Prabhu Deva, Nagma and Girish Karnad. If I have to describe the music of this film in one word I would say that it is simply futuristic. The kind of sound, fusion, western elements, hip hop beats were never heard before. Amidst all these elements there was this song which is so soothing, extremely mellifluous and an awesome experience to say the least.
Sung by Hariharan Sun ri Sakhi can also be described as futuristically melodious. The kind of rhythm and melody used by Rahman was never heard before. It did set a benchmark for other romantic songs to be followed till date.
The song starts with a beautiful piece of flute played by none other than Naveen. Nobody would have ever come to know about his exemplary talent of playing the flute but for Rahman who ensures to give credit to all his musicians. The flute piece has been played with different sound range and it reaches a crescendo from 0:11 to 0:15. It is an amazing experience to just listen to this starting piece. If you have thought it was enough there was more to come. The flute then makes way for a beautiful chorus. Wow. I have never heard a chorus as beautiful and as melodious as this one. Listen to this awesome piece starting from 0:23 to 0:47. This chorus can be further divided in 2 parts. The initial part from 0:23 to 0:37 builds the tempo of the song. But the part to follow from 0:37 to 0:47 was deftly handled by Rahman. It was as if the chorus was about to make way for Hariharan to initiate his rendition.
Hariharan with his silken voice starts singing this number. The song is a mix of classical due to Hari's rendition but again contemporary due to Rahman's unique treatment and arrangements. Listen to the 1st interlude beginning from 1:33. I have always maintained Rahman's handling of bass guitar is simply special. Notice carefully the light bass guitar playing in the background while a single violin takes centrestage. With minimal background music the violin makes the song unique. The violin piece can be compared to the flow of a river. Smooth, exotic and extremely elegant. Rahman goes for the kill by sprinkling a tinge of the chorus we have heard in the beginning of the song. The transition is smooth and continuous which makes the listening of this song even more enchanting. Hariharan begins the antara with his trademark style. He treads the classical path while singing this part. The introduction of tabla and mridangam just enhances the classical feel. Rahman keeps the song contemporary as well due to the unique treatment with the accompanying bass guitar and violin in the interlude. Listen to Hariharan singing from 2:32 to 2:47. It bears testimony of the fact the amount of talent he possesses. He can change his scale of singing effortlessly without any tinge of break. He builds a crescendo and then flawlessly moves into the mukhada. His collaboration with Rahman has always been magical from "Tu hi Re" in Bombay to "Ae Hairathey" in Guru. I always believe Rahman and Hari makes 1+1= 11 rather than 2.
With all the innovation that Rahman does in a track he is extremely aware of the pulse of the audience. The USP of this song is the chorus and he has used it in right doses in the entire number. The background vocals comprising the chorus needs a special mention as they maintained the pace of the track and made it exuberant. Listen from 2:54 to 3:05 to get the beauty of the chorus. The bass guitar is still accompanying the chorus which makes the sound so special. Rahman never ceases to surprise. With bass guitar he also introduces piano from 3:05 with the chorus. Is that enough of your creativity Mr. Rahman? The answer is a resounding "No". Naveen starts the flute from 3:11 which simply keeps the chaos in order. The flute piece is just mindblowing. Naveen must have been given full independence by Rahman to explore the world of melody. His interludes are also so minutely detailed. The bass guitar as if competes with the flute and proves to be a perfect partner in rhythm. The review would be incomplete if there is no special mention of Kabuli whose bass guitar simply keeps the song peppy. Imagine I am using words like peppy in a romantic melodious song. It is because of the fusion that Rahman does keeping the song clasically rooted but presenting in a contemporary fashion.
Lyrics by P.K. Mishra is totally unique and just heightens the strong undercurrent of a person falling in love. Considering that the song is originally a Tamil one he does a stupendous job in conveying the expressions of the song. It is quite a tough task of writing lyrics for a dubbed song. Just a sample of his poetic brilliance :

"kaise tujhe izhaar karooN main haalat is dil ki
tan mein man mein is dhaDkan mein ho rahi halchal si
dekhe binaa tujhe lagti hai ik yug si ek ghaDi
sab nazren jo dekh rahi mere dil mein dahshat si
ye svarg hai yaa nark hai mujhko hosh nahin
meri zindagi aur maut hai ab haath mein tere hi.."

Rahman just sets new standards everytime he composes a soundtrack. The songs in this movie were a landmark and the rest as they all say is "history".
N.B. Unnikrishnan won the national award for best playback singer for the original version of this song.

Do I now need to say more? Enjoy and keep listening.