Film-maker Chakradhar Sahu (left) with singer Udit Narayan at a Mumbai studio after recording songs for the forthcoming Oriya film of Kebe Tame Naahan Kebe Mun Naahin. Telegraph Picture

Bhubaneswar, Oct. 4: Songs from Chakradhar Sahu’s yet-to-be shot venture Kebe Tame Naahan Kebe Mun Naahin can transport you to the era when film songs touched the soul.

The lyrics of Sata rutu gala mote chhuin, Re mita mo gita, Jhilmil parite chandiniru jharise, Pagala pabana neija mote udaei have soulful quality like the songs of yesteryear.

The song Baki achhi aukichhi rati takes to you back to the era of Prashanta Nanda when some of the most melodious tunes used to be composed.

Veteran singers of India’s music industry, Udit Narayan, Shaan, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Shail Hada have lent their voice to the songs.

“Udit Narayan and Shaan are big names in Bollywood. Iyer has worked with music director A.R. Rehman and has sung for the film Dil Se. Hada started his career with Saawariya,’’ said Sahu, whose last production Tumaku Paruni ta Bhuli did well at the box office.

Sahu, who took his time to record the songs in the studios of Mumbai, is confident that Oriyas would love the tracks.

“The songs are emotional and would touch every heart,”believes Sahu.

“We have taken special care to keep Oriya sensibilities in mind. The title song has been rendered in both happy and melancholic versions,” he said.

The songs are written bylyricists Mohit Chakraborty, Arun Mantry, Nirmal Nayak, Jatindra Pradhan and Sujit Parija.

Well-known sound engineer Biswadeep Chatterjee, who has done films such as Devdas, Hum Dil Dechuke Sanam, the Munna Bhai series and 3 Idiots, has done the sound mixing.

Lyricist Jatindra Pradhan said: “Although a number of Oriya films are being made today, the music is hardly impressive. People still remember the tunes of Balakrushna Das, Bhubaneswar Mishra, Akshaya Mohanty and Shantanu Mohapatra. Film-mak ers — Prasant Nanda, Nitai Palit and Babulal Doshi — also gave a lot of importance to music but now the songs have lost their charm.”

Film producer Sahu said: “Any new experiment is initially resisted by the people. But one must break the stereotype. In my last film Tumaku paruni ta bhuli I had tried to break the cliché and gave fresh composition to the people, which was appreciated. When I discussed with my composer about the music of the film, I made it clear that I am going to experiment yet again,” said Sahu.

“So I had hired the best talents with the help of my friends at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) Pune. With this film I want to contemporise our traditional tunes without compromi sing on their lyrical quality in any manner,” said the filmmaker.

Ratnesh Bhagat, who was trained at London’s Philharmonic Orchestra, recorded the songs.

This is also the first time pop songs are being introduced to the Oriya film industry in a new way.

Shooting for the film will begin in November and it will be ready for release next year.

Film-maker Gadadhar Puty, who is known for his film Pooja Pain Phoolatie, said: “Chakradhar blends different kinds of experiments in the film-making process with ease. Directors of the new genre should follow in his footsteps to give film-making a new meaning.’’