Feb 7, 2009

Masakali...


I feel liberated when I hear this song. It should be the anthem for the women of India.

Ae masakali masakali
Ud matakali matakali

Ae masakali masakali
Ud matakali matakali

Ae masakali masa masakali
Ud matakali matakali

Masakali masakali
Ud matakali matakali

Zara pankh jhatak
Gayi dhool atak
Aur lachak machak ke
Door bhatak

Ud dagar dagar kasbe kooche nukkad basti mein

Titli si ud adaa se mud
Kar le poori dil ki tamanna
Hawa se jud adaa se ud
Phurr phurr phurr
Tu hai heera panna re

Masakali masakali
Ud matakali matakali

Masakali masa masa kali
Hey matak

Ghar tera saloni
Badal ki colony
Dikhla de thenga
In sabko jo udna naa jaanein

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmaani manmaani manmaani
Badhiyo na mudiyo
Kar naadaani

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmaani manmaani manmaani
Badhiyo na mudiyo
Kar naadaani

Gaa taan le muskaan le
Kahe sa na na na na na hawa

Bas thaan le tu jaan le
Kahe sa na na na na na na hawa

Ae masakali masakali
Ud matakali matakali

Ae masakali masakali
Ud matak matak

Tujhe kya gum tera rishta
Gagan ki baansuri se hai
Pawan ki guftagu se hai
Suraj ki roshni se hai

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmaani manmaani manmaani
Badhiyo na mudiyo
Kar naadaani

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmaani manmaani manmaani
Badhiyo na mudiyo
Kar naadaani

Gaa taan le muskaan le
Kahe sa na na na na na hawa

Bas thaan le tu jaan le
Kahe sa na na na na na na hawa

Masakali masakali
Ud matak matak matakali

Masakali masa masakali
Matak matak

Once again, I fail to find words to thank Mr. Rahman for another priceless gem. I can only bow my head in reverence for this great yet humble artist. My humble gratitude to Prasoon Joshi, the lyricist and Mohit Chauhan, the singer.

'Masakali' is the name of Sonam's pet dove in the movie, and means 'freedom'. I think the dove and Sonam (at least in this song) are synonymous to each other. Sonam represents a girl perfectly - a mix of innocence, beauty, naughtiness, freshness, irreverence and freedom.

23 comments:

Usha Pisharody said...

Ok.. now I understand why my son made my sit down and listen to this song.. I have to tell him that this is my anthem too... Loved the lyrics.. makes me want to go matak too :)
Thanks for sharing it :)

1conoclast said...

Hey!

I'm bad at understanding poetry, but I can appreciate Mohit Chauhan's voice instantly!!!

He deserves to be the new Kishore!!

Surbhi said...

Usha:
My pleasure! And its a visual treat too. Sonam embodies the perfect girl - a mix of innocence, beauty, naughtiness, freshness, irreverence and freedom.

Anonymous said...

:) Yeah,nice song indeed..I haven't understood a few words,will listen again and ctach up...

Surbhi said...

1conoclast:
Whoa! Am I honoured! Thanks for coming over. I'm a great fan of your blog and Yaamyn's.
I agree with you and think Mohit is one of the most under-rated singers in the nation. As are Naresh Iyer and Mahalakshmi Iyer, both finds of Rahman sahab. Mohit has this raw yet ethereal voice that drips sincerity.

Surbhi said...

Nimi:
:)

Bud-Wiser said...

Surbhi, I love this song, and I am listening to it right now. Music is awesome, and so is Mohit.

Yes, definitely qualifies to be women anthem, and I can dedicate it to many gals and win hearts.;-), thx for the lyrics, that might help yoo. :)

But I still don't know what is "masakali" or what is "matakali"??..Kindly enlighten me..:)

Indian Home Maker said...

I love your description, a mix of innocence, beauty, naughtiness, freshness, irreverence and freedom.

Best of all, irreverence and freedom :)

And nice song.

Anonymous said...

I have hummed it so many times already. Yay! to ARR and ROM and of course Mohit Chauhan.

Masakali symbolizes Udaan. Girl who wants to be set free of barriers. So here's to freedom.

Surbhi said...

Chikki:
That's so sweet! "Masakali" is the name of the pigeon in the movie and means freedom. "Matakali" means the matka and jhatka of a girl. :)
Hope you dedicate it to all the women who're special to you. Cheers!

Surbhi said...

IHM:
:) Dedicate it to your girl! And yourself too!

Surbhi said...

Solilo:
To freedom, indeed!

Monika said...

that is currently playing on my list in repeat:)

Surbhi said...

Monika:
:)
It is the alarm on my cellphone. It feels so good to wake up to Mohit singing Masakali. Drives away the Monday morning blues, too.

1conoclast said...

Surbhi,

Thanks for the kind words. :-)

Mohit Chauhan was a singer in his own right before Rehman gave him a new lease of life. (Like Burman gave Kishore!)

Remember Dooba Dooba & Boondein?

Surbhi said...

1conoclast:
Absolutely, which is why I feel he is so under-rated. "Dooba Dooba" and "Boondein" were cult songs, at least during my growing years. They still have that haunting quality.

1conoclast said...

He's got a great voice.

I don't think he's underrated. I think he's underutilised. Rehman (who we all love even more now!) is showcasing his talent to a wider audience now.

Always remember... mass acknowledgement doesn't mean anything. The masses are generally bereft of knowledge or good taste. So just because people didn't know about Mohit Chauhan earlier, didn't mean he wasn't great!
Even Ghalib wasn't a mass poet. His poetry wasn't even understood by the masses! But he is universally acknowledged as the greatest.

Rehman's discovery was Sukhvinder Singh I think. Unless he was popular on the Punjabi circuit before I knew of him.

And Udit now sings only for Rehman apparently. Rehman gets Udit's best work out of him. Udit too deserves to be recognised as head & shoulders above his colleagues of his time, but the way!

Other modern singers I like:
Sunidhi Chauhan
Shreya Ghosal
Sonu Nigam
Shaan

Nice chat this. :-)

Surbhi said...

1conoclast:
You are right. I meant the same thing - it was merely a wrong choice of words.
Hey, I never said he's great coz the masses like or don't like him! What I meant was that I feel he's not got the recognition he deserves. But you are right, the masses are usually bereft of refined tastes (which is why asinine movies - OSO, Singh is King, Welcome - and insane music always work).
My favourites:
Shaan (versatile, fresh, spunky)
Sonu Nigam (best male voice)
Udit Narayan (doesn't sing now)
Shreya Ghoshal (best female voice)
Sunidhi Chauhan (most versatile)
Sukhwinder (esp. Jai Ho)
Abhijeet (hardly sings now)
Naresh Iyer (great male find)
Mahalakshmi Ier (great female find)
Rahman Sir himself (Khwaja Mere Khwaja is a priceless gem)
Latest new find is Toshi of Mahi (Raaz 2) fame - he sounds amazing!
Whew!!!

the mad momma said...

got here via IHM.. and love this song too!!

http://themadmomma.wordpress.com

Surbhi said...

Mad Momma:
Hallelujah! Finally we have you here! Finally! Muchas gracias!
How're Brat and Beanie? Lotsa love to both and an extra tight hug to Beanie, coz I love her so.
Sure we all love this song. And I so hope Beanie starts personifying the mataks and jhataks of this song (if she hasn't started already) soon enough. Then you'll have our own Masakali at home.
Keep dropping in. And how're the pink panties coming along?

1conoclast said...

Surbhi,

I differ a little with you on one small technicality.

I like Sonu immensely. He is a very accomplished singer. He is versatile & very capable.
But his is not the best male voice. It doesn't even have enough bass to be very male. That title should belong either to Udit or Mohit.

You get my point? So Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Kailash Kher etc. are very accomplished singers but dont' necessarily have great male voices.

Great male voices are Rafi, Kishore, Udit, Mohit, Jim Reeves, Don Williams etc.

Surbhi said...

1conoclast:
LOL... You're a tough one, eh? I agree with you that Sonu may not have the best male voice, just like the other stalwarts ou mentioned.
Likewise, the legendary Begum Akhtar, Shamshad Begum, Runa Laila, Salma Agha etc. too did not have perfect voices, but epitomised perfection personified in the art of singing.
Just that I wrote about Sonu in the throes of love. Trust me, it had more to do with the heart than with the head. LOL... I agree, though, it is not a typical 'male' voice (baritone) like that of Kishore da. What's more, Sonu has no formal training in classical music. However, that's the magic there for all of us. Just listen to his "Classicall Mild".
More than his voice, I think the credit must also go to the kind of songs he's sung - mostly pure unadulterated mush. Probably the choice of songs and the voice are a lethal combination. So hapless young women like me are taken - hook, line and sinker.
Hope you get my point this time. :P
Look forward to another POV. I'm just loving this debate.

Anonymous said...

mesmericed....