"Mayya" is a popular Hindi song from the 2007

2007 in film

This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...

 Hindi film Guru. It was composed by A. R. Rahman

A. R. Rahman

Allah Rakha Rahman is an Indian composer, singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and philanthropist. Described as the world's most prominent and prolific film composer by Time, his works are notable for integrating eastern classical music with electronic music sounds, world music genres and...

, performed by Maryem Toller

Maryem Tollar

Maryem Tollar , is a Toronto based singer who primarily sings Arabic songs. She played with her own band called Mernie!.Born in Cairo, Maryem went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with her parents when she was 1 in 1969...

, Chinmayee, Keerthi Sagathia and written by Gulzar. Apart from the film's soundtrack

Guru (soundtrack)

Guru is the soundtrack to the 2007 film, Guru directed by Mani Ratnam. The soundtrack was released in 18 November 2006. Gurus music is composed by A. R. Rahman with lyrics provided by Gulzar.-Overview:...

, it also appeared in the compilation album, A. R. Rahman – A World of Music

A. R. Rahman – A World of Music

A. R. Rahman – A World of Music is a compilation album of score and songs composed by Film score composer A. R. Rahman. It was released on March 25, 2009 on Sony Music. It includes excerpts from soundtracks spanning 1992–2007 that changed the face of Indian film music. A. R....

released in 2009.

Development

Rahman personally trained Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian singer Maryem Tollar

Maryem Tollar

Maryem Tollar , is a Toronto based singer who primarily sings Arabic songs. She played with her own band called Mernie!.Born in Cairo, Maryem went to Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada with her parents when she was 1 in 1969...

 to sing "Mayya", a song which Rahman wrote while on Hajj

Hajj

The Hajj is the pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is one of the largest pilgrimages in the world, and is the fifth pillar of Islam, a religious duty that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by every able-bodied Muslim who can afford to do so...

 in Makkah. After he heard a man near a river who was continually repeating "maya maya maya" (water in Arabic), he told Gulzar to incorporate the word into the tune he had created while touring in Toronto

Toronto

Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. Mayya was the first song recorded for the film.

Reception

The song received excellent critical reviews, most of them hailing the international appeal of the song. A review on Planetbollywood said, "Mayya is an internationally intoxicating number. Credit must be given to Maryem Toller who brings her vocally rooted renditions to play with Rahman’s Egyptian influenced composition that is everything but controlled! Chinmayee picks up where she had left off earlier, oozing into the piece seamlessly. Keerthi’s invigorating vocal interludes match the power of the composition itself. Gulzar’s words are somewhat along the ‘Beedi’ lines, filled with passion and power. This is a prime example of how good a pan-global sound can make you feel!" The song, along with its entire soundtrack album has proved a success, staying at the number one spot thirteen weeks after its release.

Music video

The video was filmed as a seductive item dance by Mallika Sherawat

Mallika Sherawat

Mallika Sherawat is a former Indian model, now working as an actress in mainly Bollywood films. Known for her bold onscreen attitude, Sherawat has been frequently featured in the media as a sex symbol...

. This was after a long time that Mallika did such an exotic dance performance in a music video.

Cover version

The track Mayya was sampled by Serbian artist Jelena Karleuša

Jelena Karleuša

Jelena Karleuša Tošić , professionally known under her maiden name Jelena Karleuša and initials JK, is a Serbian pop singer, fashion designer and former columnist. She rose to fame with her debut turbo-folk album Ogledalce , and has since been a popular Serbian female singer...

 in her 2008 album JK Revolution

JK Revolution

Revolution is the latest album by Jelena Karleuša, released on February 7, 2008 after 3 years hiatus, by City Records, fully arranged and produced by Atelje Trag from June–December 2007. The first single is "Tihi Ubica", which is the most expensive videoclip released by any artist in the Balkans...

. The track "Mala" and its Teatro Mix were credited to Rahman.