'Songs Of Paradise' movie review: Soni Razdan and Saba Azad's telling of the Melody Queen of Kashmir is imperfect but important

Cast: Saba Azad, Zain Khan Durrani, Soni Razdan, Taaruk Raina, Sheeba Chaddha, Shishir Sharma, Armaan Khera

Director: Danish Renzu

Language: Hindi

Paradise is described as a place where things are perfect. Songs are described therapeutic, words and melodies that have the power to heal. And yet, a new movie that’s titled Songs of Paradise begins with a sense of imperfection and awkwardness as a singer struggles but ultimately succeeds in signing for an enchanted crowd. The frame is bathed in black and white to allow us to go back in time and experience the era of yore, when songs gave both memories and meaning. This young singer is essayed by actor Saba Azad.

What Songs of Paradise gets right is the casting of Soni Razdan, and director Danish Renzu and the actress herself add the right blend of innocence and haughtiness to her character. The film is about Raj Begum, the first melody queen of Kashmir. Not much is known about her in this chaotic world of noise today. A young man researching on Kashmiri music wants to have an interview with her, she dismisses the request promptly. But to take the story forward, she may have to say yes eventually.

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There’s a Zubeidaa-esque emotion lingering on the film, about the lesser known journey of a woman who achieved and lost everything on her own terms, and how music was her life. It’s not surprising that the man who wants to know about her journey is named Rumi. The younger version of Razdan is essayed by Saba Azad and not a de-aged Soni Razdan, which happens with most of the A-listers in today’s times, that are struggling to accept the inevitability of aging. And Azad, despite the broken accent, blends nicely with the earnestness of an important chapter in history.

And just like Bandish Bandits, the soundtrack plays a critical role here. And so does the writing. The hushed whispers that nearly evaporated from the art of storytelling make a much-needed comeback. There’s something alluring about the Urdu language that makes conversations more enchanting. But I wish the story continued a little longer. That may not exactly be a pat on the back. It all ends in 106 minutes. We needed a more meticulous insight into the unpredictable world of Begum.

Her life was no different from any other woman of yesterday or today or even tomorrow. She had daring dreams, conflicting parents, an unexpected marital alliance. But the tone of the film is so much soaked in saccharine simplicity that even the chaos in her life makes you gently smile. The makers craft an affable world around Begum and the people she meets are spotless to the core. There’s no villain in a story that screams terrible and toxic people. The backdrop is Kashmir but this is the most quant you may have seen a state bursting with alarming unpredictability.

But given how the Hindi film landscape is now obsessed with hyperactive masala cinema and screech in the name of effect, Songs of Paradise feels like the right attempt to deflate all the noise and let music do the talking. How far the story of Raj Begum will travel is a question for tomorrow, at least someone attempted to tell it today.

Rating: 3 (out of 5 stars)

Songs of Paradise is now streaming on Prime Video