Misplaced Pages

Kabira is an Indian song from the 2013 Hindi film, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Composed by Pritam Chakraborty, the song is sung by Rekha Bhardwaj and Tochi Raina, with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. The track focuses on actors Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Kalki Koechlin. An encore version of the same song was released as part of the film soundtrack, which was rendered by Arijit Singh and Harshdeep Kaur.

Background

The song is composed by Pritam. The song is a soothing melody with a Sufi touch to it, in a mix of rustic and western tunes. The song is shot at several locations from Rajasthan, and cinematography for the video is done by V. Manikandan. It is produced by Arijit Singh who also rendered the encore version of the same song. Singh produced another track from the film, titled "Balam Pichkari" which is sung by Vishal Dadlani and Shalmali Kholgade. Regarding his association in the song as a music producer, Singh stated; "It was a lean phase. That time helped me in becoming a better musician". In an interview with NDTV, Deepika Padukone picked the song as one of her favourite songs from the film and said it is the only song she "constantly heard on loop".

The music video of the encore version of the song is primarily focused on the wedding preparations of Kalki Koechlin, while the music video of the original version mainly focuses on the relationship of Padukone and Ranbir Kapoor, along with the wedding ceremony of Koechlin with Kunaal Roy Kapur and Kapoor's dream to wander and discover the world. The released promotional music video features Kapoor through snippets from the song "Ilahi". The encore version of the song has a more Punjabi touch to it and has been accompanied with many Hindustani musical instruments like dhol, tabla, sitar, shehnai being used to create the desired effect. In the version, the female lyrics are completely changed and relates to a girl's marriage where her family describes their state of mind as she is leaving the home and moving to her sasural or her in law's house .

Release and response

The song was released digitally as a part of the soundtrack of film on 29 April 2013. The music video of the song was officially released on 4 May 2013, through the YouTube channel of T-Series. It was the last original song released from the film.

The song was ranked at position 3, in the list of "Best Songs of 2013" published by Bollywood Spice on 25 December 2013. In an interview with Hindustan Times actor Arshad Warsi chose the song as "one song that describes his current state of mind". Harshdeep Kaur picked the song as one of the Sufi songs she loves the most, while lyricist Swanand Kirkire picked the lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya in the song as one of his most favourites.

Critical reception

Bollywood Hungama's Rajiv Vijayakar wrote: "Tochi Raina gives it his all and the end guitar in relentless mode is simply fabulous. Rekha Bhardwaj is in customary comfort zone in a mix of raags and rock". Writing for Koimoi, Mohar Basu praising the song as "mesmerizingly beautiful", felt "Bhardwaj's voice glistens brilliantly with Tochi Raina's".

Reviewers from IBNLive praising the vocals by Raina and its "liberating music" stated: "It's a kind of song that grows on you. Not a very long number, it keeps the essence of the song intact". Sankhayan Ghosh of The Indian Express reacted very positively to the song; "The singers' robust, folksy voices, backed by a comforting guitar arpeggio, make this one of the better songs of the album".

Encore version

Writing for Koimoi, Mohar Basu thought the version "works as well as its original" and stated: "Kabira’s subtle essence and Harshdeep’s indomitable voice overpowers the melody of the track". Similar sentiments were echoed by Sankhayan Ghosh of The Indian Express. Reviewers from IBNLive felt the version is better than the original and further elaborated: "Set in the backdrop of a wedding, it is blissfully rhythmic and beautiful.". However, Bollywood Hungama's Rajiv Vijayakar found Singh's rendition in the song "mechanical" and concluded that the version "does not impress as much".

Live performance

Arijit Singh performed the song live in a duet with Harshdeep Kaur on 28 September 2013, at "Dubai Music Week's Bollywood Night" concert. It was also one of the songs Singh performed during his concert at "Xpressions" which was organised by Xavier Institute of Management in Bhubaneswar and held on 10 November 2013. Singh also performed the song in a live concert held at Radisson Blu Water Garden Hotel at Dhaka on 4 April 2014.

Singh performed the song as his final performance in his series of "Arijit Singh Live in Concert – Tum Hi Ho" at the City Amphitheatre, Qurum on 19 October 2014. Apart from the Omen concert, he also used the song as his ending act during the concert he held in the parking lot of Inorbit Mall in Malad, on 19 December 2014 and the concert at Emaar Boulder Hills in the city on 27 December 2014. Apart from the vocalists of the song, it was performed by Deepika Padukone in her act from 20th Annual Life OK Screen Awards, along with "Titli", "Nagada Sang Dhol" and "Ang Lagade".

Track formats

• Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

1. "Kabira" – 3:44
2. "Kabira (Encore)" – 4:29

Awards and nominations

References

1. "Kabira Song Video – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani – Feat. Ranbir, Deepika". Koimoi. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
2. "Melodious track from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani". Hindustan Times. 4 May 2013. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
3. "Watch: Kabira Video Song Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani to Warm you Heart". Washington Bangla Radio. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 25 July 2014. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
4. "On-screen lovers Ranbir and Deepika get heartbroken in the song 'Kabira'". Zee News. 5 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
5. "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani song Kabira: Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone are completely heartbroken". BollywoodLife. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
6. ^ Aditi Pant (24 May 2013). "I slept through auditions: Arijit Singh". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 27 January 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
7. Puja Talwar (14 February 2014). "Deepika Padukone on Ranbir, Salman and Big B". NDTV. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
8. Stacey Yount (4 May 2013). "The lovely Kabira from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani". Bollywood Spice. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
9. "'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' new stills: Check out Ranbir Kapoor's new bearded look". IBNLive. 5 May 2013. Archived from the original on 8 May 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
10. Rafat (15 May 2013). "Music Review : Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani". Glamsham. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
11. Planet Bollywood (15 May 2013). "Did "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" live up to the hype?". Mitesh Saraf. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
12. ^ "Kabira – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". iTunes. 29 April 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
13. "Kabira – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani – Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone". T-Series. YouTube. 4 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
14. "Warm-up your heart with "Kabira": 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani'". IndiaGlitz. 8 May 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
15. Stacey Yount (25 December 2013). "REFLECTIONS 2013: Best Songs of 2013". Bollywood Spice. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
16. Veenu Singh (9 March 2014). "I'm not at all like Circuit, says actor Arshad Warsi". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
17. V Lakshmi (14 November 2014). "Harshdeep Kaur: My voice is in perfect shape in the evenings". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
18. Rapti Bhaumick (19 December 2014). "Meet the Debutant Actor". Ahmedabad Mirror. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
19. ^ Rajiv Vijayakar (27 May 2013). "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013) – Music Review". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 2 May 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
20. ^ Mohar Basu (1 May 2013). "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Music Review". Koimoi. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
21. ^ "Music Review: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani is excellent, youthful and crazy". IBNLive. 30 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
22. ^ "Music Review: Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani". The Indian Express. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
23. Ujala Ali Khan (29 September 2013). "Singing stars: Dubai Music Week's Bollywood Night". The National. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
24. Bhubaneswar (11 November 2013). "Soulful Arijit keeps audience spellbound at 'Xpressions'". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 12 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
25. Zahangir Alom (4 April 2014). "Arijit rocks Dhaka". The Daily Star. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
26. Tanya Dash (19 October 2014). "Arijit Singh has Muscat singing to his tunes". Times of Oman. Archived from the original on 4 January 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
27. "Arijit Singh has Muscat singing to his tunes". Radio and Music. 19 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
28. "Concert chaos for singer Arijit Singh". Deccan Chronicle. 21 December 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
29. "Arijit Singh strums the right chords at Inorbit parking lot". The Indian Express. 5 February 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
30. "59th Filmfare Awards: Complete list of nominees 2014". The Times of India. 15 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
31. "9th Renault Star Guild Awards releases list of nominees". India Today. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
32. "GiMA Awards, Ranveer Singh shows his quirky side as host". India Today. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2015.
33. Aparna Mudi (6 February 2014). "Zee Cine Awards 2014: Complete list of nominations". Zee News. Retrieved 28 January 2015.

• Songs in Hindi
• Songs written for Hindi-language films
• Arijit Singh songs
• Rekha Bhardwaj songs
• 2013 songs
• Songs with music by Pritam Chakraborty
• Songs with lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya