An old reliable reimagined

This track is a nostalgia rush for the 90s' indipop fan.

The 90s indipop fan will never forget the teen Shahid Kapoor (whom we didn’t know then, of course, as Shahid Kapoor) in desperate love with a neighbour who cared zilch about him and a puppy who loved him more than he would ever know. Ankhon Mein Tera Hi Sapna by the band Aryans was viral before millennials started hanging the now-tired label on everything. The video is still there on YouTube for those who want to refresh their memories — a scratchy tribute to cringe-worthy innocence.

The lead singer and one of the founding member of Aryans, Sadasivan K M Nambisan aka Sadu, has now resurfaced with what he calls a ‘ghazal-pop’ number — his take on one of Ahmed Faraz’s most popular ghazals, Aankh Se Door’. I had my reservations though — it is hard to be a ghazal purist and make yourself listen to its ‘pop’ version! However, glad to report, I was pleasantly surprised. Sadu manages to keep the mood mellow, never overstepping the boundaries of the form. Faraz’s poetry does the rest. Sample these lines: “Kisi khanjar kisi talwar ko takleef na do; Marnewala to fakat baat se mar jaayega; Waqt ka kya hain guzarta hain guzar jaayega.”

The video though is stuck in the uninspiring 90s and sadly ends up trivialising the whole track. My advice is, listen; don’t watch.

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