Dhanak (Rainbow) is a small film with a big heart. It tells the story of 10 year-old Pari (Hetal Gadda), who has promised her eight year-old blind brother Chotu (Krrish Chhabria) the gift of eyesight before he turns nine. The siblings travel across Rajasthan in search of the actor Shah Rukh Khan, who has endorsed an eye donation drive and might be able to help the kids. Dhanak was premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2015, where it won the Crystal Bear Grand Prix for the Best Children’s Film. After touring the international festival circuit, Nagesh Kukunoor’s movie will be released on June 17.
The music has been composed by Tapas Relia and the lyrics are by Manoj Yadav and Mir Ali Husain. “Jeene Se Bhi Zyada Jeeyein” is sung by Shivamm Pathak. The song mixes its inspirational lyrics about living to the fullest with the sarangi and the violin, which merge to create a calypso sound. “Chal Chalein” puts its singers (Papon, Vibha Saraf and Shivamm Pathak) in the background and the bagpipes, horns, keyboard, drums and shakers at the centrestage. Their voices are drowned out in this confused experiment.
“Dum-A-Dum” is a wonderful collaboration over the traditional spiritual song “O Lal Meri”. Chet Dixon begins the track by singing in English about giving love a chance. He nudges his co-singer, Devu Khan Manganiyar, to follow the lyrics. Manganiyar tries but cannot pronounce the English words. Instead, he grasps the concatenation of the words and sings the traditional song to suit the metre of the English lyrics, thus creating a unique blend of Indian and Western harmonies.
Mir Ali Husain has written the title track “Dhanak”, which is sung by Monali Thakur. The flute and the sarangi infuse the lullaby with a perfect mix of sweet and soothing sounds. Jasu Khan Manganiyar sings “Mehandi”, in which the khartal and the sarangi find a rhythm in reggae music. An instrumental track “The Theme of Dhanak” soars like a symphony, displaying its colours in vibrant sounds. Dhanak’s music makes its big heart beat.