The song that took home all musical awards
Music often serves as a form of therapy, and when it comes from a film, it carries an even deeper power, bridging the audience with the characters and their stories, enhancing the emotional flow. "Megh Balika" from the Shihab Shaheen directorial web film "Kacher Manush Dure Thuiya" is one such song that beautifully captures this essence.
The track "Megh Balika" stands out as a true musical gem, beautifully penned by Sadat Hossain, enchantingly composed by Emon Chowdhury, and brought to life through the soulful voices of two remarkable contemporary artistes, Mahtim Shakib and Sanzida Mahmood Nandita. Its impact was further celebrated at this year's Blender's Choice–The Daily Star OTT & Digital Content Awards, where the entire team behind the track was honoured with wins across four categories.
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Sadat Hossain shared, "I have often asked myself—do I really want to write songs? Eventually, I realised, yes, I do. But along with that comes another wish: the emotions with which I write a song must also be reflected through its melody, music, and vocals. Yet, most of the time, I am held back by a sense of hesitation. What if the lyrics—or my emotions—do not receive the proper treatment? As a result, I never really wrote many songs. Even when people encouraged me to, I never showed much interest."
He continued, "But in this regard, Shihab Shaheen managed to convince me. He spent a long time narrating his film's story to me, explaining exactly where a song was needed to express a certain feeling. This engaged me deeply. And when I heard that Emon Chowdhury would be composing, I felt certain that this was something I wanted to write. So, I did.
What followed was countless discussions with Shihab bhai and Emon bhai on the lyrics and the composition, which eventually gave birth to 'Megh Balika'. Emon bhai's composition was so beautiful that the moment I heard it, I felt it had done full justice to the lyrics. The rest, as they say, is history—the song spread from person to person, touching countless hearts.
"The truth is, I don't usually write songs—I write poetry. And when a poem transforms into a song that touches people's hearts, that is the greatest reward a writer can receive. The Daily Star OTT Awards felt like the formal recognition of that reward. With both the jury's decision and the audience's votes, when the song was honoured as the Best Song of the Year, it undoubtedly became a very special achievement."
Emon Chowdhury, the composer behind the song, said, " 'Megh Balika' holds a special place in my heart for several reasons. This marked my first collaboration with Shihab bhai, and on top of that, Sadat bhai is one of my most favourite lyricists and writers—I've always been a huge admirer of his work. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had the chance to set his words to music. It's also quite rare that all the core members of a song—the lyricist, singers, and composer—are recognised at such a prestigious award show."
Mahtim Shakib has been awarded twice, the previous year for "Pakhi Pakhi Mon" from the web film "Unish20" and this year for "Megh Balika". He shared, "For digital recognitions, The Daily Star OTT awards have been sort of the epitome, so receiving an award from such a platform is definitely an amazing feeling to have been awarded this award, and for me, it's twice! Sadly, both times I missed receiving the awards in person on the stage, and it would have been an amazing feeling if I could have. I am cherishing the feeling right now. 'Megh Balika' was a very special song for me. I am very close to Emon da, and when he reached out to me for this track, which is for a project directed by Shihab bhai with an ensemble cast where Pritom and Farin did a commendable job on the screen, everyone's hard work is visible on the screen. When I went to Australia, people praised the project and sat there, listening to my song and hearing the stories, which was an absolute pleasure."
Sanzida Mahmood Nandita has a bittersweet memory of the song. "I was really devastated at that time, because just two weeks before I recorded the track, my father passed away. I also had a feeling that I couldn't do justice to the song – it's such a beautiful piece. But then again, somehow the outcome brought me so much love from the people, and that means a lot." want to express my gratitude for considering my voice for the song. And I'd like to mention that Shihab Shaheen bhai directed the film amazingly!
While all the participants of the songs are doing an amazing job in their careers, this award will surely elevate their pathways in the industry.
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