Salim Suleiman’s Ja ja re

Vishal Dadlani’s vocals shine in this beautiful composition from Bhoomi 2021, which landed the Merchant Brothers’ on the billboards of New York’s Time Square. The song, described as “a traditional classical bandish by Sadarang that conveys the emotions of a newly married couple”, has Dadlani’s contemporary notes enhance the traditional ones of folk singer Sattar Khan Langa. Composer Salim Merchant tells mid-day of the 300-year-old bandish, “I have heard a classical version of the bandish, and was keen to revisit it using a combination of folk and rock. The way the original has been composed by Sadarang is such that it is suited for a newly wed couple. The woman sings [the hook line] for her husband, fearing that her mother-in-law and sister-in-law may see them, as he attempts to romance her. [We added a new element] to it with Vishal’s sections, where he sings from the man’s perspective, encouraging his wife to come closer to him, without fearing about the women.” It hence became evident to him that two singers would be needed to appropriately justify this version. “There is a jugal-bandi between Sattar and Vishal. Vishal has a powerful voice, and I wanted their vocals to showcase the coming together of these two worlds.”

Raashi Sood’s Sorry sorry