Song: Ghanan Ghanan
Singer: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Shaan
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar
Cast: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh and others
Music: AR Rahman
Film: Lagaan
Our song of the day is ‘Ghanan Ghanan’ from Lagaan, the opening track of the all-time-favourite album. It sets the tone for the rest of the film as rain clouds begin to gather and the village celebrates. The song is a treat to listeners, set to lyrics by Javed Akhtar and sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and others. It uses a range of instruments and the music is considered to be one of AR Rahman’s best till date.
This was also one of the most difficult songs from the album to shoot. It reportedly actually rained during the first screening of this song in the village near Bhuj in Gujarat where the film is set. There was a power-cut in the theatre packed with the cast, crew and audience, but generators were brought in and the screening went on.