Actress Katrina Kaif's character in Aanand L Rai's Zero just got a little more interesting. The latest song from the film, 'Heer Badnaam', sheds light on the nature of the unique friendship that develops between Kaif's Babita Kumari and Shah Rukh Khan's dwarfish Bauua.
Sung by Romy, and composed by Tanishk Bagchi, 1.30-minute song is a wonderful call to rebellion by a woman with millions at her beck and call.
Incidentally, director Rai tweeted the song link on his social media with the couplet by the late poet Majaz Lakhnawi
'Tere mathe pe ye aanchal bahut hi khoob hai lekin
tu is aanchal se ek parcham bana leti to achcha tha'
The visuals of the song form a narrative to the character of Kaif's Babita Kumari. A superstar, she suffers from the same judgement and prying eyes that several public figures go through in India. The visuals also offer a peek into the insecure loneliness of the actress who has to maintain the facade of the star in front of her fans, while going through heartbreak, and suffering alone.
In addition to Salman Khan, the film will see Abhay Deol making a surprise appearance as the love interest of Kaif who breaks her heart. This is where Khan's Bauua — the cheerful, brash dwarf becomes the friend that Kaif's character never had. His non-judgmental nature brings him into her inner circle.
However, the ending visuals of the song capture the rift between the two, leading to Bauua being thrown out on the streets again.
The song has a wonderful folksy touch that riffs off the famous Punjabi song, 'Daru Badnaam' by Kamal Kahlon and Param Singh. Except, this version by Tanishk Bagchi is hyped up with the EDM heavy percussion. In doing so, Bagchi moves away from the alcohol-themed Punjabi party song into one that focusses on heartbreak and love, while keeping the popular tune in place.
The song's lyrics by Kumaar focus on the nature of 'Heer', the heroine of the legendary romance, and her mistreatment by the world. The pace and rhythm of the song certainly have enough to get the feet pumping.
Zero will be released on 21 December.