Desi Songs Enter World Club, 'Roja' Secures Spot in 'Top 10 Best Soundtracks', Shattering International Records

Desi songs have made their entry into the World Music Club. Especially the soundtrack of Mani Ratnam's film 'Roja', which has been seriously appreciated globally and 'Roja' has secured its place in the list of the '10 Best Soundtracks' in the world.

Some films in the history of Indian cinema do not age with time but become even better. Released in 1992, Mani Ratnam's film 'Roja' falls into this category. Even after more than three decades, this film feels as relevant today as it was at the time of its release.

Desi Songs Make an Entry into the World Club

If we talk about the story of 'Roja', it revolves around a woman (Madhoo) from a small village in Tamil Nadu, whose world is shattered when her husband (Arvind Swami) is kidnapped by terrorists during an intelligence operation in Jammu and Kashmir. The film is a tale of a wife's struggle to bring her husband back, her unwavering love, and hope. Mani Ratnam struck a balance between politics and emotions in this film, allowing the audience to connect directly with it. Not only this, Mani Ratnam's 'Roja' laid the foundation for his famous political trilogy, followed by films like 'Bombay' (1995) and 'Dil Se..' (1998). These three films showed how the growing tension in the country directly impacted the personal relationships of common people.

The mention of the film 'Roja' would be incomplete without A.R. Rahman. The 'music maestro' known worldwide today was born from this film. At that time, Mani Ratnam took a risk by giving an opportunity to a new boy (Rahman) instead of his old associate Ilaiyaraaja, but Rahman's magical voice proved Mani Ratnam's decision to be absolutely correct. Songs from the film like 'Chhoti Si Asha' (Chinna Chinna Aasai), 'Bharat Humko Jaan Se Pyara Hai', and 'Yeh Haseen Wadiyan' are still favourite additions to people's playlists. The beautiful scenes of 'Yeh Haseen Wadiyan' even made Kashmir the first choice for honeymoon couples.

Included in the List of World's '10 Best Soundtracks'

The film 'Roja' was appreciated not only in India but also internationally. Furthermore, in 2005, TIME magazine included its soundtrack in the list of the world's '10 Best Soundtracks'. This film was the first step in the career of A.R. Rahman, who won the National Film Award for music and later won 2 Oscars for 'Slumdog Millionaire'. The film won several national and Filmfare awards, including the 'Nargis Dutt Award' for Best Feature Film on National Integration.

The biggest secret to the success of this film is its simplicity and reality, and Madhoo's character shows how an ordinary person stands firm amidst larger systems and conflicts. Even today, when we watch 'Roja', we feel the same intensity of music, patriotism, and love as we did in 1992.