First Class

Baki Sab First Class Hai

TL;DR : 13.5 / 15

Music: 4.5 / 5

The first sound your ears are greeted with is a triumphant roar from what sounds like a pipe. When I first heard of this, I was startled but then I got hyped. It was the kind of sound that, as the audience can see if they watch the accompanying music video, beckons the main protagonist (Varun Dhawan) to come to the festival and celebrate.

It was this roar that set the precedent for the entire song; the listener braces as they realize that what they’re about to hear will make their heart dance and their minds ecstatic.

Besides the roar, the rest of the song is backboned by a drumming da-ding. I found this to be the only flaw in the actual song, a lack of variety that always leaves me feeling a bit unpleasant. However, it doesn’t go without saying that the backbone complements the dynamic of the song.

The song can be thought of as a series of ocean waves. As time goes on, the wave builds up. Similarly, in First Class the music intensifies as the lyrics get more and more deeper (read the lyrics section for more). At critical moments in the song you can hear the roar in the background, but it’s not as profound as it was in the beginning.

Lyrics: 4/5

I have a couple of favorite lines from this song. For this section, I will just analyze the lines that stood out to me and to other listeners (refer to the YouTube comments of the music video).

To get the flaw out of the way, I didn’t really like the lyrics from the point Kiara Advani (female lead in the video) showed up. It was the same cliché “oh you’re the love of my life” spiel Bollywood is known for (refer to Ghagra for a good example of flirtatious behavior in Bollywood songs). I didn’t like it and I’m pretty sure they just needed to check off the female requirement in this song.

Anyways, here are the couple lines I found riveting:

1. मेरे जीवन की दशा

थोड़ा रस्तों का नशा

थोड़ी मंज़िल की प्यास है

This is the state of my life,
A bit of intoxication here and there,
And a great thirst for the destination

Something to know about me: I consider myself to be an explorer. I experiment and put myself out there a lot because you never know what you might discover. This lyric hits home because it discusses the struggle a lot of teenagers go through.

It’s a battle between having fun, setting up a bright future, and maintaining your endeavors. More often than not we are enamored by the distractions in our journeys. We become deceived by lust and greed sometimes that it throws us off our track.

The only ones who survive the intoxications are those with the greatest thirst, the strongest desire to reach their destination. It’s a powerful line.

2. बाक़ी सब First Class है

Everything else is first class.

There’s not much to read into here. The lyric is what it is. People get stressed out with their responsibilities to the point where their minds are plagued by negative thoughts. They start to overlook the positivity in their life, the things that are still going well. Varun does a great job in reminding everyone that everything’s, well, A-OK.

3. मेरी मुस्कान लिए कभी आती है सुबह

कभी शामें उदास है

Using my smile, sometimes mornings arrive
And sometimes evenings become sad

This lyric holds a more sentimental weight. When I listen to this lyric, I think back to all of the people that I meet everyday. It’s hard to tell what’s going on in someone’s life, so the best you can do is show as much kindness as you can. Who knows, maybe you just made their day.

Actions speak louder than words, as the saying goes. Even if I’m having a bad day, I still put on a smile. I would never want an evening to be sad.

Video: 5/5

There’s a lot going on: Firecrackers, lights, it reminds me of the temple during Durga Puja. Varun does a great job with the choreography and the signature dance move is forever in my mind.

Everything’s so synchronized too, especially when everyone starts saying “Baki sab First Class hai”. Varun’s expressions were amazing, and it‘s always a great experience to watch the music video.

Final Thoughts:

What I’ve learned from this song is that everything is fine (stolen from The Good Place). I try to play this song after a long day, when I get off of my train at my neighborhood station. The view of the sunset behind the Manhattan skyline is breathtaking and it’s then that Varun’s words reach its ultimate value: Baki sab First Class Hai