Voice of youngistaan

I don't know what it is. I can't put a finger on it. But I feel the force. I feel the power. I feel the emotion. In the world of marketing, this would pass as a brilliant campaign. In the world of patriotism, this is a phenomenal campaign. Its ROI may not be tangible but its essence is there for everyone to experience.

In case you’re still wondering, I just saw the newly created and majorly overhauled "Phir Mile Sur..." song released on the Republic Day eve by Amitabh Bachchan. It's been over 2 decades since the original one, which was an instant hit and had quite an impact with its ‘Unity in Diversity’ message. This one is the latest 16 minute run to hit the tube where the glitterati take you across several locales of historical significance within the country with a very special message delivered in an eye-catching and foot-tapping manner. Several known faces from various walks of life, be it super stars, be it musicians, be it sportsmen; all singing the same tune calling upon the nation to unite using extraordinary yet simple poetry.

What I loved about this one was the breathtaking visuals shot with new age techniques, several new variations of the first two lines of the songs and the undertone which subtly points to a new, young India. Like Anushka Shankar's manicured fingers on sitar instead of Ravi Shankar's, like Shreya Ghoshal singing in an open bus while letting the wind blow her hair instead of Lata Mangeshkar in front of a dated microphone in a studio and Shahid Kapur pulling off a rock star act as opposed to a more understated Amitabh-Jitendra-Mithun trio displaying the bonds of brotherhood. The seamless contrast between tabla/santoor/sitar and guitar/fingerboard/piano is striking. And of course I loved the goose bumps it gave me. Some things never change though; like Amitabh's aura, Sallu bhaiya's MIA shirt and Aishwarya's acting (yes she did emote!). All the next door faces in the original version have been replaced by popular ones though making it a tad too Bollywoody but going by how crowded Bollywood has become lately, a lot of them are indeed next door faces. Which also means it feels like a mini movie, going by the length of it but who’s complaining?

Whether you’re chilling or slogging away with no time to breathe or on Prozac or just not in the mood for anything, go watch this. It’ll perk up your spirits. And you won’t feel left out when everyone on Facebook and Twitter is talking about it.