A fan of classical music, or even Coke Studio for that matter, has surely stumbled upon the song Chhap tilak, written by Amir Khusrau. The different renditions of the song have kept it alive all these centuries. Here is another rendition of the song by brothers Amaan and Ayaan Ali Bangash and singer Amrita Kak. Released on June 21, this version combines the sounds of a sarod and Amrita’s classically trained voice. Shot in the picturesque Amer Fort (Jaipur), the music video does not fail to catch the essence of the song. A candid chat with the three artistes.
How did the three of you conceive this version of the song?
Ayaan: The three of us have known one another for many years and there’s an equation in the family. There’s a famous saying, “There’s a time and place for everything.” That is literally what happened here because we have been meeting for so many years and, of course, I followed Amrita’s musical journey, which has been so wonderful because she is trained in classical music. I always felt that there would be this thread of us doing something together.
What made you choose Chhap tilak as the lucky song?
Ayaan: I am glad we chose Chhap tilak because it is legendary in its magnitude. We didn’t think about how many versions it has had in the past. We approached it as a new song.
Amrita: This collaboration was on the cards because every time we met, we would discuss it. It just so happened that it is now that Amaan and Ayaan thought Chhap tilak would be a great idea. I have learned so much from the two of them.
Was it tough to do a version given the different renditions that are already out there?
Amaan: When you compose a song it’s really not that difficult because as musicians and composers the tunes do come to you easily. But when you think about doing a song like Chhap tilak, you are entering a very serious zone in terms of comparisons because this song has been there for many years and the song has been sung by stalwarts like Begum Abida Parveen, Farida Khanumji and many others. Songs like this have an advantage because you connect with the audience very quickly. We just thought we would give our bit and not worry about the commercial aspects.
Ayaan: When it comes to the musicality of the song, there were many levels of spirituality. It was written by Hazrat Amir Khusrau and his texts have been written under the guidance of his guru, Nizamuddin Auliya. That is the colour of India, the colour of our land, we respect our gurus, our parents. The guru has the spiritual power to take you from darkness to light.
In the introduction to the song it says, “It is rare when raw abandon of a new voice and the modern resonance of tradition become a musical message unified with spirit of the words.” Could you tell us how this resonates with your version?
Ayaan: The reason why my brother and Amrita could come together was that we could connect on a personal level. And when you collectively do something the idea is to decorate the bouquet of flowers together and it should collectively look beautiful. The sarod and with Amrita being classically trained, it becomes very organic.
What is it that the three of you like about one another’s music?
Amrita: I look up to their art and respect it. Working together was an absolute pleasure.
Ayaan: When Amrita sings she is very involved in the music and is taken over by it. She’s had such diverse songs from the past, from Just chill to so many more that she literally chills (laughs). She is not bound to a certain kind of texture, she is versatile.
Could you tell us where the video was shot?
Amaan: This was shot in Jaipur at Amer Fort. We took special permission and shot it there.
Amrita: Amer is such a beautiful place and we had something like this in mind to begin with. We wanted the vibe to go with the emotion of the song. The place complimented the track and the way it has been shot by the team.... They understood the track well, the feeling behind it and they’ve done full justice to it.
Ayaan: There was a very kind group of people around us keeping us hydrated and making us look good even in the heat.
What’s next?
Amaan: It has been an eye-opener; people like this sort of treatment with the sarod and Amrita’s voice. ‘Ye purane zamane ki awaz hai,’ as we call it. We want to stick to numbers that have been sung by the masters. We haven’t selected the songs yet.