When director Ram Kamal Mukherjee searched for a fresh voice for his film Season’s Greetings, producer Aritra Das introduced him to Kolkata-based classical singer Sayani Palit. Since the film was a tribute to Rituparno Ghosh, Ram Kamal kept the Maithili song Sajani Sajani Radhikalo from Tagore’s ballet Bhanusingher Padabali.
Speaking about her association with the film, Sayani says, “I share a close relationship with Ram Kamal da’s entire family, especially his wife, Sarbani di, who is also a great singer and a lovely soul. I performed at the launch of his biography Beyond The Dreamgirl on Hema ji (Malini) in Kolkata. When he spoke about Season’s Greetings, I was thrilled to be a part of the movie for more reasons than one. Firstly, this movie is a tribute to Rituparno Ghosh, an acclaimed director.
I have been working with Debojyoti Mishra for years and sing many songs from Ritu da’s films in Debu da’s concerts. I was always in awe of Ritu da’s unique music pattern and choice of songs in his movies. I was also in talks for playback in his last film, Satyanweshi, which, unfortunately, passed away, and Sujoy Ghosh finished the last schedule. Hence, I feel an indirect connection with him and regret not having a chance to work with him. So when I got to be a part of a movie that is a tribute to him, I was extremely happy.”
Director Ram Kamal will launch all three tracks from Season’s Greetings on May 9th, marking the 159th Birth Anniversary of our national poet Rabindranath Tagore. The music has been rearranged in a contemporary soundscape by Shailendra Kumar, the film’s co-producer. “Sayani reminds me of Lata Mangeshkar ji’s voice in her early days. She would take the right murky and execute the lines with passion. She is such a gifted voice; I am sure Sajani Sajani will give her that recognition,” says music director Shailendra Kumar. Incidentally, Sayani got her first break with Shankar Ehsaan Loy in Katti Batti with Ove Janiya, but the film tanked, so the song still needs to be remembered.
Sayani says, “My song is a medley of two popular Tagore songs, ‘Sajani Sajani’ and ‘Sokhi Shabana ka hare bole.’
Rabindrasangeet has been used in many films before, and I feel good that it is being used in such a commercial off-beat movie. The audience would connect with this song since the feel perfectly blends traditional and contemporary music. This song is like a lifeline and has been used throughout the film, so it is a very special feeling for me.”
Sayani’s musical journey began at the age of four, under the guidance of Pandit Ajoy Chakraborty and his wife, Chandana Chakraborty. She continued to study music for 20 years. Later, as a scholar at the ITC Sangeet Research Academy, Sayani received further training from Padma Bhushan Girija Devi. She earned a first-class Bachelor’s and Master’s in Classical Music from Calcutta University and is a regular performing artist on All India Radio. Sayani is pursuing a Ph.D. in the “Influence of Thumri in Film Music.”.
Since she is visually challenged, having any visual reference to the mood palate of any song might be challenging. So how does she prepare herself before recordings? “I see through my soul that has better clarity than eyes. Music should be felt. Unfortunately, we all like to see music these days. But sur, taal, Sargam, laye, murky, bandish, alaap, everything is about the inner soul. Sajani Sajani will make you fall in love, even if you are unaware of the language.
That’s the magic of good music, that you don’t need to see,” sums up Sayani like a nightingale! Season’s Greetings is streaming on Zee5 Premium, featuring Celina Jaitly Haag and Lillette Dubey in the lead, with Azhar Khan and transgender actor Shree Ghatak as important supporting cast. The film also features Tagore’s Gahana Kusuma, rendered by Kumar Sanu’s son Jaan Kumar Sanu and Sarbani Mukherjee. The film opened at Cardiff International Film Festival in the UK and fetched many national and international awards.
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