MUMBAI: The talented Neha Bhasin, currently the talk of the town for her acoustic version of 'Jag Ghoomeya' from 'Sultan' is set to release yet another Punjabi folk song – 'Madhaniya'.
The song holds a very special place in Punjabi culture and it is also very close to the 'Kuch Khas Hai' singer. In fact, when Bhasin began working on Punjabi folk songs last year, ‘Madhaniya’ was at the top of her mind, but it took a while to translate into reality.
In the past, Bhasin has sung some beautiful folk songs like 'Bajre Da Sita', 'Lathe Di Chadar' and 'Akh Kashri' and she plans to continue doing the same in the future. The ‘Dhunki’ singer is of the opinion that the younger generation should take folk music forward. But, then she does not see anyone in the current generation taking the art form forward thus, she has taken the onus.
“I have grown up listening to these songs and they are very close to me,” said the singer.
She added, "The song 'Madhaniya' is sung by the family while bidding farewell to the daughter after the marriage ceremony. It's a very emotional moment for most Indian families because the girl leaves her father's home to live with her husband and his family. Back in the day with no communication tool it was a very big step for both the girl and her family.”
Bhasin is single but says she connects with this song, for she left her home and a carefree life 14 years ago. “I moved out of my parents place to pursue a career in music. It was an emotional moment for me for I was getting married to music,” she explained.
The VIVA star and her team have recreated this folk song to an acoustic version using guitars, violin, chirango, tumbi and mandolin with the help of music director Sameer Udddin.
The video of this song too is a creative one. Prayrit, the music video director, envisioned a traditional but modern video to bring the audio to life. "We wanted to feature real brides captured at their most emotional and vulnerable moment. Hence, we ran a contest on my fan page on Facebook asking brides to send in their wedding footage. We chose a lot of footage to use in our final music video. Therefore, the video intercuts with me singing like a sutradhaar taking the audience through the beauty of wedding ceremonies and their emotions," revealed Bhasin.
The singer added, “This video represents beauty of Indian culture in a mysterious and emotional way. All cultures will relate to the song. Our Indian families are so lovingly bonded and this video brings that out in a very organic way.”
The look and feel of the video is said to be very retro, regal and classic.
Moreover, the singers will be seen sporting a sari designed by Pria Chabria. The sari is a hand woven silk weaved over six months in Khimkwaab silk.
The song will release under music label 5 AM on 14 June 2016.
Here are some of 'Nasha Nasha' singer’s folk renditions.