Kajra Re

Kajra Re (Hindi: कजरारे, English: Kohl-like dark(Eyes)[1]) is a song composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, written by Gulzar and sung by the playback singers Alisha Chinoy, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali. It is from the 2005 film Bunty Aur Babli, starring Abhishek Bachchan, Rani Mukerji and Amitabh Bachchan. The female lead is a courtesan trying to express her desires to attract the male, or her client.[2] It features Amitabh and Abhishek at a nightclub and Aishwarya Rai, making a special appearance in the film, sings for Amitabh, who joins her with Abhishek in the singing and dancing.

"Kajra Re"
Aishwarya Rai along with Abhishek Bachchan and Amitabh Bachchan appeared in Kajra Re song
Song by Alisha Chinoy, Shankar Mahadevan and Javed Ali
from the album Bunty Aur Babli soundtrack
Released2005
GenreGhazal, Qawwali filmi
Length8:04 (soundtrack album)
7:50 (music video)
Label
Composer(s)Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Lyricist(s)Gulzar
Producer(s)Aditya Chopra
Yash Chopra
Audio sample
Kajra Re
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Production and development

Kajra Re is inspired from a folk song from the Braj region, in which the celebrated dark eyes are Lord Krishna's. The words "Tujhse milna purani dilli mein" have been rendered by Amitabh Bachchan. It was a very famous "item number" from the movie Bunty Aur Babli. Uncommon to other "item songs" the music was influenced by the genre of kajari.[2] The trio have used sitar to make it sound more Indian. Amitabh Bachchan, after initially hearing the song, demanded a few changes, but the director, Shaad Ali, and producer, Aditya Chopra, convinced him against them.[3] The song was composed in half a day. Alisha was chosen for the female vocals since her anglicized accent was meant to provide an essentially different intonation.[4]

Reception and impact

The melody of this song was used as the main method to promote the film and the soundtrack.[2] The song became extremely popular among the masses[5] and was hugely successful on Indian music charts.[6] The Hindustan Times described it as "the reinvention of the qawwali by Shankar-Ehsaan-Roy and Gulzar" and called it "the item number of the decade."[7] Kajra Re featured on top in Rediffs 2005's list of top 5 songs.[4] It also won the poll conducted by Planet Bollywood as the song of the year with a whopping 44%.[8]

It was voted as the song of the year by three radio stations, including Lotus FM, a station popular among the Indian diaspora in South Africa.[9] The song was also featured in Caminho das Indias, a marathon soap opera that ran on Brazil's popular Rede Globo.[10] The track was featured in Hindustan Times' Songs of the Century, which deemed it to be the "undisputed item song of the decade."[11]

Music video

Before the song sequence, Amitabh, who plays a police inspector in the movie, relates his story of unrequited love in the city of Delhi to Abhishek, which is later alluded to in the song. Aishwarya's character, a bar girl, sympathizes with Amitabh's character and plays courtesan. The dance, choreographed by Vaibhavi Merchant, features Aishwarya in a brocade choli and dipped ghagra, sans make-up and kohl, and some lip gloss.[12]

Awards

Alisha Chinai won the 2005 Filmfare Best Female Playback Award and the 2005 Bollywood Movie Award - Best Playback Singer Female for the song, while Gulzar collected the best lyricist award in almost all major award functions including the IIFA and Filmfare Awards, for the song.

Vaibhavi Merchant won the following awards:

Trivia
  • The music video is 7:50 seconds long; the album version, available on the movie soundtrack, lasts 8 minutes 4 seconds. There are two official remixes to this song: "Special Movie Remix" which is 5 minutes and 33 seconds and "Aqeel Tribal Mix" which is 5 minutes 49 seconds. The remixes sound very similar.
  • A portion of "Kajrare" is featured in Dor with Gul Panag, Ayesha Takia, and Shreyas Talpade dancing along in the desert.
  • A parody of this song is featured in the movie Chennai Express.

References
  1. Lyrics to "Kajrare" from bollywhat.com
  2. Beaster-Jones, Jayson (9 October 2014). Bollywood Sounds: The Cosmopolitan Mediations of Hindi Film Songs. Oxford University Press. pp. 2–4. ISBN 0199993483. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  3. ""I have to compliment Himesh. If we have 2 hits a year, he has 20" - Ehsaan". Bollywoodhungama.com. 24 March 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  4. "rediff.com: 2005's Top 5". Specials.rediff.com. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  5. "HindustanTimes-Print". Hindustantimes.com. 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 22 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  6. "Second coming - The Times of India". Timesofindia.indiatimes.com. 28 June 2005. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  7. "From Melody to Dev D". Hindustan Times. 31 December 2009. Archived from the original on 4 December 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  8. "People's Choice Awards 2005". Planet Bollywood. 20 August 1996. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  9. "'Kajra Re' voted song of the year in South Africa - bollywood news". glamsham.com. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  10. "An Indian in Brazil". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 17 July 2010.
  11. "Songs of the Century". Hindustan Times. 20 August 2012. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012. undisputed item song of the decade.
  12. "An item number without makeup!". Bollywoodhungama.com. 6 September 2005. Archived from the original on 16 January 2009. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
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