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In the mood for Mood Banaleya, with Amruta Fadnavis

Her instant intro on Instagram reads, “Banker, Singer, Social Worker, Unadulterated Free Spirit! What you have many can have...but what you are no one can be! Stay Unique!” Click on www.amrutafadnavis.in, and you can discover her biography, in her own words. “Amruta Fadnavis is a trained classical singer, a social activist and a banker. She is married to Deputy Chief Minister (and former Chief Minister) of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, and was the youngest first lady in the history of Maharashtra. Currently, she is holding the post of Vice President -Transaction Banking, with a bank. Amruta Fadnavis was born, as Amruta Ranade on 9th April,1979, in Nagpur.” That means she has seen 42 summers already. Watch her Punjabi music video, Mood Banaleya, and you will agree that her performance belies her age. And surely, bankers (who have very boring jobs, according to Amruta) don’t gyrate to Punjabi lyrics. Or do they? And how!

Her bachelorette anthem, Mood Banaleya, is produced by Bhushan Kumar, presented by T-Series, and has her both singing and dancing, with a range of statutory costume changes. Director Adil Shaikh has a minor narrative built around the song, placing it in an engagement party, followed by the wedding. Featuring the singer herself playing the bride’s friend, the song also stars the beautiful Mehak Ghai and charming Avinash Mishra, who portray the bride and the groom. Music is the work of the twin duo, Meet Bros (Harmeet and Gurmeet), the lyrics of this fun and lively song are penned by Kumaar. The song was launched in Mumbai today, at the T Series premises, in Andheri. Present on the occasion were Amruta Fadnavis, Meet Bros, director Adil Shaikh and actress Mehak Ghai.

Speaking on the occasion, Amruta Fadnavis said, "I’m extremely glad to release my first song of this year and who better than T-Series to collaborate with? As soon as they came-up with this idea and narrated it to me, I said yes. I have had a long and amazing journey with T-Series, and I’m happy to continue that with this song. The song, Mood Banaleya, has such a positive and cheerful vibe to it that shooting for it was nothing less than a real bachelorette party. Mehak and Avinash were a treat to work with and totally matched the energy that was required for the song. I’m thrilled to receive audiences’ response to this song." Asked by this writer who were the singers she listens to, she named Arijit Singh and Shreya Ghoshal, among others. A fellow journalist asked her whether it is true that her husband remembers the lyrics of hundreds of old songs, and she confirmed the fact, adding that while he remembered the lyrics, she remembered the tunes. Amruta would not tire of thanking the whole team, time and again.

The music composers of the song, Meet Bros., said, "This is a very lively song that will surely make you groove on it beats. Amruta Fadnavis' voice adds the energy and charm that the song needs. It won't be an understatement to say that she has done complete justice to the song. She worked so hard on her diction that we couldn’t believe she does not know Punjabi." A Sikh (Sardarji) journalist present in the gathering confirmed that Amruta’s pronunciation was flawless. In reply to a question, Meet Bros. said, “Punjabi songs are the flavour at any wedding because there is such bounce in the language. If you study the phonetics of Punjabi, you will find that it has gusto and pep, which makes it popular with persons of any linguistic background. Just as English is spoken in most parts of the world, because it is simple and easy to converse in, so also Punjabi is the language of bounce and dance.” Meet Bros. also complimented Adil Shaikh on his ability to weave in a narrative in such a short time, without breaking the flow of the dance routine.

Mehak Ghai, Meet Bro 1, Amruta Fadnavis, Meet Bro 2, Adil Shaikh

The lyricist of the song, Kumaar, who was not present at the release, was quoted as saying, "Amruta Fadnavis and the Meet Bros. have done a flawless job with Mood Banaleya. The cheerful and fun lyrics have been very well complemented with Amruta’s voice."

Adil Shaikh, who is the director of this vivacious track, averred "Mood Banaleya is an upbeat party track, so this music video had to be lively as well. Amruta Fadnavis, Mehak Ghai and Avinash Mishra, all three of them have given a power-packed performance throughout the music video, which has turned out to be a visual treat. When asked by this writer about the outdoor location where the song was partly picturised, he smiled, “Guess! One hint is that the entire video has been shot in Mumbai.”

Mehak Ghai who plays the bride-to-be in this music video says, "We had a lot of fun while filming the music video for Mood Banaleya. The set was like a dream Bachelorette party. Shooting with Amruta Ma'am and Avinash Mishra has been an unforgettable experience."

Avinash Mishra who also features in the music video said, "Shooting with Amruta Ma'am and Mehak Ghai was truly a fun and positive experience. All of us had a great time while filming the music video for Mood Banaleya."

On watching the music video, three things were noticeable: by prevalent standards of skin show, this was a respectable video. Secondly, Amruta’s role was not too well-defined. Most of her moves were aimed at the camera, and she did not relate much to the other members of the cast. And lastly, one must marvel at the energy she radiated and the moves she executed, in spite of not being on the lean side.

Watch Mood Banaleya on https://youtu.be/70AlgQ4VeZI