Reflective, accessible tunes that flesh out a nuanced tale

Drawing on life's universal age-old lessons, A. R. Rahman and Javed Akhtar bring honest, earnest and emotionally resonant wisdom to their stunning soundtrack. Starring Shah Rukh Khan and Gayatri Joshi, Swades conjures magic with flute backing Udit Narayan’s velvet vocals in lilting ballad, “Yeh Tara Woh Tara”; Sadhana Sargam joins Narayan for the tender “Aahista Aahista”; and Rahman shows off his vocal chops with stunning acrobatics on the moving theme, “Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera”. Poignant themes emerge from unexpected places throughout, including in the meandering closer “Pal Pal Hai Bhaari”.