There is no doubt that music is the heart of Indian cinema and will always be an inseparable part of it. What is waiting for us tomorrow doesn’t feel less than a supremely poetic musical event of the year, as Imtiaz Ali is all set to reunite with his mystical partners in crime music maestro AR Rahman and the man who can make the words dance to his thoughts, Irshad Kamil, exactly when their last union was about to turn a decade old (Tamasha). Together, the three have now joined forces to elevate the musical world of Ali’s latest directorial Amar Singh Chamkila elevate to levels where rhythm becomes divine.

The wait for an Imtiaz Ali movie is definitely for the immersive, self-reflective storytelling that will touch our hearts, but also for the music that the man brings with those stories. His albums are not just to give his films an elevation but a world in itself. We have lived with Agar Tum Saath Ho for 9 years now (feel old?). We have travelled a land as far as the Maidaan, jaha hum ek dusre se milenge with Tum Ho. The strength of Ali meeting Rahman on a musical journey with Kamil giving his words to their emotions and rhythm is immense and one that can resurrect a stone heart to beat again.

So now, when they announce their reunion with Amar Singh Chamkila and are all set to introduce us to the first song from the film titled Ishq Mitaye, we thought of giving you a revision on what the trip had done together and where all they have taken us with their music. We already know there is Agar Tum Saath Ho, there is Patakha Guddi, and there is Nadan Parindey. Let’s take a look at some lesser-heard songs as compared to the most popular. So below is a list of 7 gems they have given us, the music lovers, to feed on and travel far in the lands of love and soul.

Also Read: Amar Singh Chamkila OTT release date - Here's when to stream Imtiaz Ali's cinematic tribute to Punjab's rockstar on Netflix

Kun Faya Kun

Movie: Rockstar. 

Streaming On: Jio Cinema and ZEE5.

Okay, don’t come at me saying Kun Faya Kun is not lesser-heard. There can be no list in this world that will talk of Imtiaz Ali, AR Rahman, and Irshad Kamil and not mention Kun Faya Kun in the same breath. A song that connects you to something so divine and otherworldly that everything around it seems like a mystical land where you stand and look at the world passing by. You don’t need to be a spiritual person to love this gem of a number that travels to genres of music as smooth as a bullet but even a hardcore atheist can meet himself/herself in this number.

Chali Kahani

Movie: Tamasha. 

Streaming On: Netflix and ZEE5.

It is an Irshad Kamil victory all the way. Who could have thought that randomness could turn out to be a superpower for a song that talks of love, stories, and the passing of time, but the said stories stay constant? Ali and Rahman created the most fascinating songs of our time, where no two lines have a connection but they combine to make a kahani that stays relevant for years to come. Sung by Sukwinder Singh, there is so much gravitas to Chali Kahani that you will be drawn towards it no matter what.

Kahaan Hoon Main

Movie: Highway. 

Streaming On: NA.

Yes, Patakha Guddi talks about us all who are pure souls far away from worldly desires to be known, but Kahaan Hoon Main also defines the loneliness and vacuum of being in that place and how it succumbs one to never return sometimes. Jonita Gandhi’s vocals give the silence in this song a voice. Rahman lets the majority of it be just like the wind passing by when there’s no other sound around. It is the silence that sings here and you can feel it no matter what.

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Aur Ho

Movie: Rockstar. 

Streaming On: Jio Cinema and ZEE5.

The Rockstar album is an ultimate beast and even the trio themselves cannot beat it. Mohit Chauhan peaked here and there was no going back from being a legendary singer for crooning some of the most precious songs ever. Aur Ho is the heart singing out the dilemma of whether to hold or let go of the one you love. It talks of bebasi (helplessness) and what that might make a lover do. Aur Ho is the calculation of the extent a heartbreak might do to him and the aura Rahman creates with his contemporary music is genius stuff.

Tu Kuja

Movie: Highway. 

Streaming On: NA.

When Sunidhi Chauhan met Rahman in the process of making the album for Highway, they didn’t think of a peppy number but rather a song that talks of a lost person talking to their almighty, one they have faith in. It is almost a Bhajan, a cry for help; there is so much in Tu Kuja to decode, and the high notes Chauhan sings touch the core in you and take you to a place where it all feels good.

The Dichotomy Of Fame

Movie: Rockstar. 

Streaming On: Jio Cinema and ZEE5.

Yes, another Rockstar song, and I am not even apologetic about it. The entire Rockstar album is on one side and the them of 'dichotomy of fame' on another. AR Rahman, who has given Indian cinema some of the most revered themes decided to make the instruments fight each other in this one and the magic it created is phenomenal. He teases this in Tum Ko (female version) where two instruments constantly converse, and dichotomy of fame was the endgame.

Tu Koi Aur Hai

Movie: Tamasha. 

Streaming On: Netflix and ZEE5.

Seven minutes of the trio telling us to look into ourselves and find our calling, to come out of the closet we have locked ourselves in, to be what we are, and to not be what we aren’t. Tu Koi Aur Hai isn’t about reaching the end of the song but staying with it on the journey. Rahman gives enough space to breathe with Kamil’s words and this has to be the song I leave you with today.

I don’t know how Ishq Mitaye sounds right now, but one thing I know is it will be a melody that touches hearts and heals them. Amar Singh Chamkila releases on Netflix on April 12, 2024. Stay tuned to OTTplay for more such content and everything else from the world of streaming and films.

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