Jagga Jasoos song 'Phir Wahi': Ranbir Kapoor, Arijit Singh trigger wave of nostalgia

Up until now the Jagga Jasoos songs that have been released are all innovative, fun-filled tracks that can best be described as joyrides. The film's makers today released a sombre, nostalgic track that underlines the plot of the film — Jagga (Ranbir Kapoor) looking for his father, who may be dead.

Lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya has not created great poetry — maybe the film did not warrant it — but has kept the words simple, in accordance with the theme: a young lad reminiscing about his father as he visits their deserted home.

It is not rare to find individuals who like to keep their emotions in check, carrying their grief within themselves. However, the sombre look on the face is enough to suggest that the person is grieving. Fine actor that he is, Kapoor keeps his emotions in check, with a deadpan expression. He carries an ocean of emotions in his heart, but just a few drops flow through his heavy eyes. Credit to Kapoor for pulling off such a scene with elan.

As we saw in Barfi! (2013), and again in Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2016), few actors feel the voice and soul of Arijit Singh better than Ranbir Kapoor. Lip-synching is fine, but the pain in Singh's voice is reflected beautifully by Kapoor in his acts. The Ae Dil Hai Mushkil title track is a prime example.

As a singer, Arijit Singh is getting better by the year. His voice is almost unrecognisable in the first 29 seconds of the song, before the high notes remind you that it is indeed Arijit Singh. In tune with the different emotions that Jagga experiences in the visuals, Singh changes his tone. Sometimes a singer gets excellent lyrics but may not be able to do justice to the song. Then there are cases where a singer makes a poorly written track come alive by putting his heart and soul into it. 'Phir Wahi' is no great poetry, as we mentioned earlier, but Singh certainly elevates the song with his heartfelt performance. 

Finally, music composer Pritam deserves credit for scoring yet another sombre track that beats through soothing soft rock/pop music. Irony, isn’t it?

A nostalgic theme, touching visuals, Pritam's endearing music and Arijit Singh's heartfelt voice make this Jagga Jasoos track hard to miss. Watch: 

Jagga Jasoos is set to be released on 14 July. You can predict the film's fate at the box office here.