I haven’t watched the second episode of The Dewarists yet. But I did listen to the song, entitled ‘Kya Khayaal Hai’, which features Pakistani cousins Zeb and Haniya collaborating with composer Shantanu Moitra and singer/lyricist Swarnand Kirkire. I had heard Z&H’s songs on Coke Studio, and that was it. I find Shantanu Moitra’s film work pleasant pop-floss, his tunes are perfectly serviceable (except when he’s plagiarizing, which he does not, most of the time) and Swanand Kirkire’s work has also been fairly middling, not really songs that I would really pay much attention to or want to listen to over and over.

Everything about the song drips with familiarity. The melody meanders around a 7/4 beat. Moitra and Kirkire had used this in ‘Baawra Mann’, one of their most famous compositions from Hazaaron Khwahishen Aisi, as did Zeb & Haniya in their famous Dari song ‘Paimona Bitte’. I remember the beat from Rahman’s ‘Sona Nahin Na Sahi’ (One Two Ka Four), and parts of this song’s melody are echoed in ‘Kya Khayal’. (Listen to 1:26 of KKH) Also, the choice of Dari lyrics to open this track – was it really necessary? Swanand’s earthy singing detracts from the velvety female voices; frankly, he does not have the vocal chops to carry his end of things. Still, there are quite a few things I like – the stripped-down arrangement works in its favor, the use of claps to punctuate Swanand’s singing, the brilliant harmony by the two ladies in Haniya’s portion of the song. While not as flighty and sonically astounding as the first Dewarists’ song ‘Minds Without Fear’ was, this track is charming. Predictable, but charming.

The song did make me go check out Zeb and Haniya’s 2008 album Chup!, and I have to admit that it is the trumpet-playing of Swedish Jazz virtuoso Hildegunn Øiseth that got my attention, and which is responsible for the smoky feeling on some of the tracks of this feel-good pop album – ‘Kabhi Na Kabhi’, for example. Dang Swedes, I tell you, slowly taking over the world one album at a time.