The 90s indipop fan will never forget the teen Shahid Kapoor (whom we didn’t know then, of course, as Shahid Kapoor) in desperate love with a neighbour who cared zilch about him and a puppy who loved him more than he would ever know. Ankhon Mein Tera Hi Sapna by the band Aryans was viral before millennials started hanging the now-tired label on everything. The video is still there on YouTube for those who want to refresh their memories — a scratchy tribute to cringe-worthy innocence.
The lead singer and one of the founding member of Aryans, Sadasivan K M Nambisan aka Sadu, has now resurfaced with what he calls a ‘ghazal-pop’ number — his take on one of Ahmed Faraz’s most popular ghazals, Aankh Se Door’. I had my reservations though — it is hard to be a ghazal purist and make yourself listen to its ‘pop’ version! However, glad to report, I was pleasantly surprised. Sadu manages to keep the mood mellow, never overstepping the boundaries of the form. Faraz’s poetry does the rest. Sample these lines: “Kisi khanjar kisi talwar ko takleef na do; Marnewala to fakat baat se mar jaayega; Waqt ka kya hain guzarta hain guzar jaayega.”
The video though is stuck in the uninspiring 90s and sadly ends up trivialising the whole track. My advice is, listen; don’t watch.
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