CHENNAI: These were not merely songs that lit up the mood. Sometimes, they unfolded murder mysteries, unravelled the most complicated philosophy of life and most often, they conveyed the blissful state of love. ‘Retro Club Hits’ by Chennai-based music group Satrangi on Sunday presented a number of breezy melodies from three decades of Bollywood music.
The evening began with the evergreen Aayiye Meharbaan (Howrah Bridge) that had an ethereal Madhubala serenading dreamily into people’s hearts at a Kolkatta club, rendered by Mumbai-based singer Priyanka Mitra. Satrangi’s founder and singer Pramod Nair continued the flow of melodies with Dil deke dekho, the title song of the film that introduced actor Asha Parekh. The teasing Baar baar dekho (China Town), a persuading Dil ki girah (Raat Aur Din) and inspiring Tadbeer se bigdi (Baazi) followed the playlist, moving between a range of moods — happy, sad and pensive.
The evening saw some rare songs like Jaata kahaan (CID) and Haay haay yeh nigahein (Paying Guest) among popular melodies like Mera naam (Howrah Bridge), Piya tu (Caravan), Aaja aaja and Oh haseena zulfon (Teesri Manzil), Mungda (Inkaar) and Aao twist Karen (Bhoot Bangla).
The highlight of the evening was the impeccable orchestra that complemented the versatile singers Priyanka and Nair who deftly alternated between the voices. Also, one could observe the transformation in Bollywood music through the retro club numbers. From O P Nayyar’s rhythmic approach to Shankar-Jaikishen’s soft music and R D Burman’s heavy orchestra numbers, Retro Club Hits was a testimony to the revolutionary music that gripped the industry for years to come.