Kabhi Kabhie

Album Review

Kabhi Kabhi confirms the commencement of the third wave in Indian cinema, a decade long escalation of elite artistry including Ghazals and poetry and everything that defines the polished, parallel movement in Indian cinema. Kabhi Kabhi was a milestone of sorts — it saw the comeback of Khayyam as the epitome of prosaic ingenuity and Sahir Ludhianvi as the poet who, along with Kaifi Azmi, grew to be among the greatest urdu poets in mainstream Indian cinema. Kabhi Kabhi as a whole falls short of being a perfect album, except for the title song "Kabhi Kabhi Mere Dil Mein Khayaal Aata Hai," that defined romance and loss for a complete generation of Indian youth. Considering Khayyam's later work, Umrao Jaan, which defined the third wave at its very peak, Kabhi Kabhi isn't the greatest of albums, but for its title track the album scores among the landmark music scores in Indian cinema. Moreover, with the exception for the title song and "Main Pal Do Pal Ka Shayar," much of this album reflects the commercialism prevalent during the concluding phase of the second wave. With Kabhi Kabhi, Khayyam defined the music of the third phase — low beat melodies ripped of earlier orchestral ornamentation and dipped in intense poetry. And the awards say it all: — 1977 Filmfare award for Best Music Director, Best Lyricist, and Best Male Playback Singer: (Mukesh).