Producer:Sahara One Motion Pictures
Director:Shyam Benegal
Cast:Sachin Khedekar, Rajit Kapur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Alan Thomson, Nicholas Chagrin, Udo Schenk
Music:A.R.Rehman, Javed Akhtar
Singers: A.R.Rehman,Vijay Prakash,Nachiketa Chakraborty, Sonu Nigam, Anuradha Shriram, Rafi, Rakeeb Shaukar Ali, Sapna Mukherjee, Satyanarayan Mishra  

Renowned film-maker Shyam Benegal presents his bio-epic film based on the life of Subhas Chandra Bose. The film depicts actual historical events related to the life of the freedom fighter. Shyam Benegal has roped in actors like  Sachin Khedekar, Rajit Kapur, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Alan Thomson, Nicholas Chagrin and Udo Schenk for the film. The film is produced by Sahara One Motion Pictures. For a grand and sensitive movie as such, the music should be well built and replicate the theme. For this purpose A.R.Rehman and Javed Akhtar has been accredited the responsibility of the composition. There are 7 songs and 13 theme scores that comprise the soundtrack.

A resounding and verbatim inspiring patriotic track is ‘Aazadi’ sung by A.R.Rehman himself. The theme is on the desire of freedom from the captive of the Britishers. The chorus and the composition make it an effectual track.

The legendary track ‘Kadam Kadam Badae Jaa’ once again springs back to life in this film. The song is based on the chorus of Vijay Prakash and the Mumbai Film Choir.

The Bengali track ‘Ekla Chalo Re’ composed by Rabindranath Tagore also forms a part of the soundtrack. The song is based on a Bengali-Hindi crooning by Nachiketa Chakraborty and Sonu Nigam. The renditions leave you breathless and the composition is just mind-blowing along with the lyrics of Javed Akhtar.

Another chorus song showcasing the involvement of the freedom fighter and his associates is ‘Hum Dilli Jayenge’. The song adds to the fervor and enriches the flow of the music so far. It has the punch and the zeal that gives a true reflection of the episodes that had taken place.

A soft and soulful track is ‘Desh Ki Mitti’ with wonderful rendition by Sonu Nigam and Anuradha Shriram. Rich in melody and words the song unfolds patriotic zeal from the hero himself.

Another such enlivening track is ‘Zikr’ by A.R.Rehman, Rafi, Rakeeb and Shaukar Ali that hints at the musical cadence and insight of the composer. This is a great work of art by him.

Another Hindi-Bengali track is ‘Ghoomparani’ by Sapna Mukherjee and Satyanarayan Mishra. It’s a touching lullaby and a very pleasant track.

As mentioned earlier, the soundtrack has 13 theme tracks. A conventional and rhythmic track is ‘Durga Puja’ which glimpses at the zeal of the festival. The other theme tracks include ‘Netaji Theme’, ‘Afghanistan Theme’, and ‘Emilie Theme’ appearing in two parts, ‘War Theme’, an instrumental of ‘Kadam Kadam’ and ‘Desh Ki Mitti’, ‘U Beat Theme’ and an orchestra based National anthem ‘Jana Gana Mana’. The theme tracks are exquisite, holding their due importance and appearing rich in melody.

A.R.Rehman deserves another applaud for doing something, so refreshing, so original and so superb. To compose music for such films with historical relevance is a mammoth task and his efforts spark through. The music squeals quality and superiority. The audio may not have many takers, but on this account the appreciability of such kinds of music doesn’t diminish!