Back in 2007, life was different, in the sense that Bollywood gave us some great films (Bhool Bhulaiyaa, Jab We Met, Dhamaal) and extraordinary music. Among them was a little film that gave us so much to remember – Life In A Metro. A fine film, made in the form of an anthology, it connected the dots perfectly and starred talented actors like Konkona Sen Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Kay Kay Menon, among others.
While Anurag Basu’s film spoke to everyone living in a metro city, its music became immensely popular among the urban class.
Composed by Pritam, the album has singers as diverse as Adnan Sami, KK, James, Soham, Suhail, and Pritam himself. The songs have been a part of our playlists ever since we first heard them. Needless to say, it’s one of the best albums ever. Let’s revisit our favourite songs.
1. In Dino
Sung by Soham Chakraborty and penned by Sayeed Quadri, the song speaks to our hearts without any barriers. It belongs to the genre of Soft Rock, and tells the story of finding love for oneself. Only those who have listened to the song will understand its depth and how it fits into everyone’s lives because we all have the right to love and be loved.
2. Alvida
Some of the best Hindi songs are the ones written about heartbreak and loss. This one, written by Amitabh Verma and sung by KK, conveys the intense feelings of love until someone breaks your heart and leaves you forever. A song about separation, it starts on a soft note and picks up with the word Alvida. Add to it, the visualization – crowded railway stations, rainy streets and enclosed cubicles, and you just can’t stop grooving to it.
3. Baatein Kuch Ankaheee Si
I’d be lying if I say this song doesn’t always give me the same feeling that it did the first time I heard it – a magical feeling of innocent love. The chorus of this song hits different. As I am writing this, it’s raining outside, the song is playing on my phone and my partner is making a hot cup of coffee. Perfect, right? Sung by Adnan Sami and written by Sandeep Srivastava, it’s an absolute favourite song for the millennials.
4. O Meri Jaan
KK does his magic once again with this soft rock ballad that starts in a soothing tone and then gradually steals our hearts with O Meri Jaan. The guitar interlude halfway through the song is its major highlight. Honestly, if I’d been at a concert and this song was being played, I would have gone crazy shouting.
5. Rishtey
The lyrics of the song by Sayeed Quadri are such that one can’t get over them. And the way James has sung it, you need to play it loud to understand each musical note and feel the emotional lyrics. From the crowd of a metro city to the fast pace and loneliness in our hearts, it captures the harshness of modern love and life, like no other song.
6. Kar Salaam
Inspired by Bodo folk music, this final song in the album is a tribute to the courage and determination of the film’s characters. It would be apt to say, it’s a fitting finale to a film that feels like a comprehensive package of sweet stories interspersed with a rock album. It is not possible to sit still as the movie comes to an end with this mindblowing song.
Written by Sayeed Quadri and sung by Suhail, Soham and Pritam, the song focuses on living and enjoying our lives to the fullest.
Back in 2007, Metro was an album never seen or heard before. It was a refreshing and unique approach to music, that the audience loved. Nowhere in the songs, was the genre (Rock) of the album disturbed while conveying the emotions so beautifully and delicately.
And 15 years down the lane, it still does the same – soothes our hearts and helps us express everything we cannot speak.