The needless inclusion of a rap segment breaks the rhythm of the song composed by AR Rahman.
Mayur Lookhar
Cricket stadiums in India and around the world reverberated with the 'Sachin Sachin' chant each time Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar walked out to bat. The chant still gives Indian cricket fans goosebumps. One man galvanized the country and became a cricketing legend. The chant reflected his aura. It was inevitable that director James Erskine and composer AR Rehman would tap into this aura for the Tendulkar biographical film, Sachin: A Billion Dreams.
The makers released the Sachin anthem on Tuesday. The mere chant is enough to trigger a nostalgia rush, and even if you were never a Tendulkar fan, you are likely to chant 'Sachin Sachin' after looking at the visuals.
We have seen clips from some classic matches before, but this track has visuals of the great man’s family — wife Anjali and kids Arjun and Sara — at the master’s swansong international game, the Test against the West Indies at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium in 2013. Besides, there are awe-inspiring shots of him treading in a pool and practising on a wet pitch.
You can’t fault the visualization of this track. And Irshad Kamil has penned an inspiring number that truly summarizes Tendulkar’s dreams and the billion prayers and expectations he carried every time he walked out to bat for India.
While Sukhwinder Singh performs as expected, the problem with the anthem is the rap section. It just mars it. Kaly is good at his craft, but somehow a rap section in a track that is supposed to be an anthem seems inappropriate. Moreover, it breaks the rhythm of the song. The blame, though, falls squarely on Rahman.
Nevertheless, watch the track for the nostalgic visuals, Tendulkar's toil, and the goosebumps you get every time you hear The 'Chant. The film is set to be released on 26 May.
