#70 Zinda
Movie : Lootera (2013)
The 00s were such a great decade for Bollywood music - the amount of talent and variety on display was feeding us everyday. Many flop movies but never a flop music album. And in this amazing decade, it was fitting that Amit Trivedi made his mark towards the end of 00s decade. Dev D is a cult hit but it is not my favourite album of his. It was Ishaqzaade until Lootera came along in 2013.
Lootera in my opinion is peak Amit Trivedi - the entire album is ethereal. The lyrics by the very talented Amitabh Bhattacharya. This duo was dominating my playlist since 2009 - Iktara, Udaan, Lootera, Shandaar, Queen, Ekk Main Aur Ekk Tu.
For some reason, Lootera isn’t talked about as much as it should be. I hardly rated Sonakshi Sinha before this movie, but this movie changed my view about her. Her underrated performance in this one - the acting awards rightly deserved. Ranveer Singh is the one actor whose theatrics off screen I can completely ignore, because he never disappoints me in his roles on screen . Is he amongst the best actors of his generation? Without a doubt. Contrary to his offline flamboyant and eccentric personality - this role required a controlled and subtle performance, and he delivered.
Lootera album is full of gems and I will include all of them in future posts on this Substack.
Today though is about Zinda - my ultimate favourite number in the album and across all Amit Trivedi compositions, marginally ahead of Iktara.
The lyrics of this song - raw, cathartic and pierce right through your heart. A song about loneliness, about the futility of life, about survival. I have lost count of how many times I have gone on a solo drive listening to this song playing full volume in my car’s stereo. It is my husband’s favourite song too and one that is on top of our car’s playlist.
Amit Trivedi and Amitabh Bhattacharya peaked with this number.
This line stays with you the most after the song is over and you keep pondering over it. The meaning of life and death summed up beautifully in these lines.
कब्र पर मेरे सर उठा के खड़ी हो ज़िन्दगी ऐसे मरना है मुझे
I wish to die such that my life stands in honour at my grave.