Music Review - Shirdi Sai Baba

Movie: Shirdi Sai Baba (2012)

Director: K. Raghavendra Rao

Music: MM Keeravani

Nagarjuna Akkineni Known as greeku veeerudu, loverboy, dream boy, Manmadhudu, hearthrob of ladies has surprised every one when he portrayed a devotional character in form of Annamayya. He not only surprised, but was convincingly successful in playing the role. Then he continued his devotional characters with Sri Ramadasu. Then he proved that wasn't a fluke he did continue his successful freak with the devotional characters.

He teamed up with K Raghavendra Rao who again was a out and out commercial director. When Raghabendra Raotook up these projects, everyone for sure know he would have mixed commercial elements and he did. But the stories of these great saints were so intense that whatever commercial elements he added to the movie didnt deviate the subject much. It would be a real test in this movie for him as Shirdi Sai Baba's life has basically has no room for commercial elements. So it will be a litmus test for K Raghavendra Rao. Shiridi Sai Baba always used to test his devotees in two ways, one sending them to  Radhakrishna Mai and other is the Dakshina.

Coming to Music department, MM Keeravani was successful with Annamayya but was not so successful with Sri Ramadasu, the reason was that Anammayya's music was popular with Telugu people, his music was more in lines of whatever was available by then and he got good support by SPB and Chitra. The rest of singers weren't a hurdle for the success. On the flip side, Bhakta Ramadasu's story, literature and songs were not much available as Annamayya and the available songs were performed by Sri Mangalampalli Balamurali Krishna. Keeravani not only could match those songs, he chose his own style there by lost in the path. The songs couldn't reach people as there were many issues. 

Songs on Shiridi Sai Baba will be a tough test in the music sense as not many devotional songs on Shiridi Sai Baba in Telugu are available. People who ever are devotees have been singing Baba's Haarathi and the devotion they had is thru singing the Haarathi and attending the 4 Haarathi's available every day in the Temple. Not much Telugu Literature is available and most of them have not been hearing any devotional songs on Baba. So in this backdrop, creating an album is tough task for any one. Also for writing songs on Baba the only information available is thru Satcharitra, which is available for every one. In such scenario writing the lyrics also is tough. Baba songs have always been in Marathi. So the style of songs the devotees got used to is Maharastrian style of praising BABA including saying " Raajaadi Raaja Yogi Raaja Sri Sachidananda Sadguru Sainath Maharaj Ki Jai". 

However there was a movie album Shiridi Sai Baba Mahatyam  that was composed by Ilayaraja and sung by KJ Yesudas which reached people well. Few songs like "మా పాపాలు", "సాయి శరణం" " నువ్వు లేక అనాధలం", these songs not only moved people, but could make people cry with devotion. Lets see whether this movie has similar songs.

The album has total 13 songs, has around 18 singers. Not sure whats the fancy of having more singers in an album. Keeravani and Sunitha grabbed bigger pie in the music album. Lets review the whole album. 

The play list looks like the following.

1. Sada Nimbha : M.M. Keeravani

2.Saranu Saranu : Madhu bala Krishna , Sunitha

3.Okkade Devudu : Akkineni Nagarjuna , Shankar Mahadevan

4.Ne Padamula : M.M. Keeravani

5.Amara rama : Shweta Pandit

6.Manava Seve: Deepu , Aditi Paul

7.Ramanavami : Hariharan , Malavika

8.Sai Ante Thalli : SP Balu , Sunitha

9.Datta Treyuni : Sonunigam , Teeshanigam , M.M. Keeravani

10.Ekkadayya Sai : Sunitha

11.Sai Padam : M.M. Keeravani

12.Ne Padamula : M.M. Keeravani

13.Vasthunna Baba : SP Balu , M.M. Keeravani , Saikumar , Revanth , Rahul Sipligunj, A Chaitra

14. Aarathi : Sunitha

Lyrics: As said before there isn't much literature available in Telugu and the information is already known to devotees. Telling the stories in different format or any other imaginative manner is not possible as it is almost real time story.  The lyrics of this album hasn't been complicated, imaginative, literature is not very poetical. Not much fancy words, things are kept very simple except one of couple of songs.( Sai Paadam)

Singers:  A big let down for such a devotional album. Except SPB, every other singer had issues. Madhu Bala krishnan was little exceptional. Sunitha had performed very badly with over emotional singing, ( Can we say over action singing which is her trade mark?). She not only was over expressive, didn't sound well too. Her singing sounded artificial/pretending she is immersed in devotion. Keeravani why he had to sing so many songs not sure. He had pronunciation issues. He should have let professional singers sing the songs, who have the devotional feeling. Vastunna Baba song had singers say few words, didn't sound right, they were too artificial. Sonu Nigam, Aditi Paul and other singers in the list has the usual typical issues of mis-pronunciation. Singers are the asset for any devotional. None of these singers seems to have experience in singing devotional songs. Shankar Mahadevan's venture was not that great into devotional albums. He had his own issues. Sonu Nigam though a great singer, couldn't be effective in Telugu. Other female singers just did what they were told to do within their limited capabilities had done their job.

Music Composition:  Keeravani seems like he lost his magic in making this album. He couldn't make this album neither commercial nor a devotional. He missed the flavor of devotional for sure. He has become monotonous in his music making using similar tunes again. He sometimes works hard and prepares well  for few movies, but missed that hard work for this movie for sure.  His tunes didn't bring the devotional feeling, this issue could be tagged to the singers who failed to bring in the element.  Few songs appeal the listeners just heard as songs, Few songs are normal songs without a tag of devotion. The songs just are there. 

Shiridi Sai Baba Life story is like an open book to all the devotees. But HIS life is deep like ocean to understand HIM. The more they dive deep, they get more each time they learn about Sai Baba. It might read the book, an experience or a story. Hope they will find something new in this movie too.