'Maay Bhavani', the second song from Ajay Devgn's Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020), celebrates the Shimga festival, an extended celebration of Holi, in all its splendour. The song takes in the traditions of the people from the Konkan.
The song centres on the characters of Tanhaji Malusare, his wife Savitribai, and their young son. The characters are played by real-life couple Ajay Devgn and Kajol who play husband and wife once again after Toonpur Ka Superrhero (2010). There is a bit of fun in the beginning of the number as Tanhaji disguises himself as an old man and surprises his wife.
The Ajay-Atul composition is heady and builds up the tempo with the percussion at different points of the track. There is a brief melodic interlude as the family climbs the temple steps to seek blessings. The lyrics by Swanand Kirkire take into account the situation that the characters find themselves in and the title directly pays tribute to the goddess Parvati.
The devotional duet has been sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Shreya Ghoshal. While Ghoshal's voice is an adequate fit for Kajol, Sukhwinder Singh's voice initially does match Devgn exactly. But as the song progresses, the singers and the picturization come into their own as the celebratory tone grows.
The song picturization includes traditional elements of the festival, which include the burning of the Holi bonfire and carrying the idols in a palanquin.
Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, directed by Om Raut, is due to be released on 10 January 2020. Watch the song below and let us know if you are keen to watch the film.