Power of ‘Brahmastra’ steals the thunder with its lyrical Kesariya

Mumbai: Connoisseurs of music and listeners both marvel how a mere seven notes combine to create infinite songs of beauty. A fresh list of compositions created over the past year proved that wonder yet again. The Mirchi Music Awards 2023 ceremony rewarded the best musical talent at Hotel Taj Santacruz on Friday. This was the 15th edition of the awards that have come to occupy pride of place on the country’s music landscape. ‘Brahmastra: Part One – Shiva’ vanquished all its opponents to emerge the winner of five top awards. Its ‘Kesariya’ received Song of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year for Arijit Singh, as well as Song Producer – Programming & Arranging, Song Engineer – Recording & Mixing and Background Music Score.Aamir Khan starrer ‘Laal Singh Chaddha’ ran the full musical marathon to win Album of the Year. Ever in firm control of her talent, Shreya Ghoshal won Female Vocalist of the Year for ‘Jab Saiyaan’ (Gangubai Kathiawadi). Filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali wore a new feather in his cap as he won Music Composer of the Year for the same song. And Amitabh Bhattacharya was declared Lyricist of the Year thanks to his evocative stanzas in ‘Tur Kalleyan’ (Laal Singh Chaddha).Veteran music arranger and composer Kishore Sharma, Pyarelalji’s brother, was felicitated with the Jury Award for Outstanding Musician.Both senior mentors and young winners arrived in strength to present and receive awards. There was Pritam, Bhoomi Trivedi, Raghav Sachar, Ila Arun, Shilpa Rao, Sajid Khan, Ramesh Sippy and Anup Jalota, among others.The soiree was hosted by Mirchi RJ Prerna whose spontaneous interactions enlivened the proceedings.Live performances by singing sensation Shalmali Kholgade and energetic composer-singer Shashwat Singh drew much applause. Kholgade sang Balam Pichkari while Shashwat Singh involved the audience with his hit tracks Kesariya, Show Me The Thumka and Haan Main Galat.Yatish Mehrishi, CEO of ENIL (Mirchi), said, “The Mirchi Music Awards play a momentous role in celebrating India’s exceptional musical talent, unifying the diverse music community, and supporting artists nationwide. We are committed to upholding this tradition every year, celebrating the diverse musical richness of our country.”A cluster of new talented artistes arrived to collect various awards. Sireesha Bhagavatula sang a tuneful rendition of ‘Ghodey pe Sawar’ which won her Best Upcoming Vocalist (Female). Hardik Bhardwaj won hearts with his humble acceptance speech for Best Upcoming Vocalist (Male) for ‘Meri Sazaa’ (Vadh).The grand jury included directors Ramesh Sippy and Ashutosh Gowariker, singers Sadhana Sargam, Kavita Krishnamurthy, Alka Yagnik, Ila Arun, Talat Aziz, Sapna Mukherjee and Madhushree, composers Lalit Pandit, Louiz Banks, Sajid and Raju Singh, lyricists like Kausar Munir, Varun Grover and Kumaar, choreographer Ahmed Khan and musician Vijay Dayal.