THIS HUNTER KILLS WITH MELODY!! (HUNTERRR – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Khamosh Shah
♪ Lyrics by: Vijay Maurya, Swanand Kirkire, Khamosh Shah & Azazul Haque
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 10th February 2015
♪ Movie Releases On: 20th March 2015

Hunterrr Album Cover

To hear the full songs of this album on Hungama CLICK HERE

To buy this album on iTunes CLICK HERE

Hunterrr is an upcoming coming-of-age / comedy Bollywood film, directed by Harshavardhan Kulkarni (the writer of “Hasee Toh Phasee”) and produced by Kirti Nakhwa, Rohit Chugani, Ketan Maru, Vikas Bahl, Vikramaditya Motwane & Anurag Kashyap. The film stars Gulshan Devaiah, Radhika Apte and Sai Tamhankar in lead roles. The music of the film, naturally, comes with a lot of expectations, as always from a Phantom production. This time the music has been composed by a newcomer Khamosh Shah, so let’s find out what he has treated us to, here! 🙂

1. Hunterrr 303
Singer ~ Bappi Lahiri, Lyrics by ~ Vijay Maurya

Khamosh Shah kicks off his debut Bollywood soundtrack, with a visit to the 80s era of Bollywood, the era when the disco fever had taken Bollywood music by storm. And who better than Bappi da himself to get the privilege of singing a song of the genre which he is most known for?? You can call it somewhat of the title track of the film, or a nice, enjoyable disco dance number, but whatever you call it, it is guaranteed that you’ll be grooving to the beats of the song! The signature trumpets of the 80s have been put to very good use, and provide a catchy intro to the song. The female backing vocalists, annoying at places, could have been avoided, but I guess the song wouldn’t have resembled the 80s so much, had they not been there. The techno beats, which were a must to make the beats stand out, are brilliant. The composition is also pretty catchy, and I said, you won’t be able to stop yourself from dancing to it! The hookline has some female vocalists who sound a lot like Usha Uthup, and one wonders where she has gone, and also that she would have sounded awesome as a co-singer with Bappi da, who himself can be heard singing in a very care-free, casual attitude, as if he has been relieved of all his tensions. Though he does sound too (I mean TOO) old for this song at parts. 😂 Successful attempt by the debutant, to recreate the disco era of the 80s!! #5StarHotelSong!!

2. Chori Chori
Singers ~ Sona Mohapatra & Arijit Singh, Lyrics by ~ Khamosh Shah

The old-fashioned sound effect of the tape recorder, makes for an interesting open into this sweet, retro-styled love song. Khamosh’s composition follows a very simple yet endearing path, attracting us more and more as it progresses. Arijit sings in a voice, that we rarely get to hear him in, what with him singing mostly intense romantic songs. (I think the last song of his where he sung in this manner was ‘Manwa Laage’ from ‘Happy New Year’.) Sona, with her easily identifiable voice which has that sharpness that instantly grabs your attention, impresses in yet another scintillating performance. In this song she gets a lesser chance to show nuances and complex aalaaps which she does in all other songs, but still excels, and in my opinion, overshadows Arijit, but only so much. Khamosh Shah, yet again brings back the past of Bollywood, with his wonderful arrangements. The numerous rhythmic ways he has played the instruments just stole my heart, especially the maracas (shakers). The backing vocals before the second antara do not fail to impress either! Khamosh also writes the lyrics in a cute, simple and sweet way, making you fall in love with the song even more. The fact that the song doesn’t sound like a mature love song, but more like a love song between two youngsters, says it all. Usually, a four minute love song is enough for me, but in this case, I have to say, that I wouldn’t have minded one more minute or so! 😊 Sona and Arijit come together for the first time, to make a sweet retro-styled number come to life! A simple but cute love duet! #5StarHotelSong!

3. Thaali Hai Khaali (Na Heer Na Hoor)
Singer ~ Nakash Aziz, Lyrics by ~ Azazul Haque

The next on the soundtrack is a fun, peppy number, sung very flamboyantly by the tapori singer of Bollywood (no offense, I just mean that he sings mostly tapori songs…But yes, he sounds awesome in his calm tracks too!) Nakash Aziz! The composition is quite fun, but at parts, it gets boring, making the listener lose interest. The great and quirky arrangements do make up for that, though. The weird interruptions by various instruments here and there throughout the song, really ensure that the listener is paying attention to them, and only them. They make themselves stand out as if demanding more attention from us. For example the techno sounds throughout the song, then the backing vocals that go “Tyaau tyaau tyau” If you closely listen to the lyrics (that is, if the arrangements fail to attract you) you can gather that it is all about food. 😂 This does make it a bit interesting and funny to hear. Coming to the best part of the song, it has to be without any doubt, Nakash’s rocking and energetic rendition of it. I felt that he has sung with all the expression he has inside him, and his voice makes yet another reason to hear this song, even though the composition may not succeed at times. The arrangements and vocals are the highlight of this song! Way to go, Nakash!

4. Naina
Singer ~ Khamosh Shah, Lyrics by ~ Azazul Haque

Khamosh himself comes behind the mic for the next song, a beautiful, breezy romantic number with just as beautiful lyrics. It starts off softly, slowly picking up pace as it moves forward. The composition is one that you’ll instantly develop a liking towards, and it calls out to you. Khamosh has equipped some great arrangements yet again, mostly having acoustic guitars leading, joined by drums and occasional strings. The harmonica interlude is wonderful, but the part of the song you must not miss at any costs, is the interlude before the second antara, where a beautiful sarangi piece will steal your breath. This track sounds odd in this soundtrack, after those three songs which weren’t really reflective of this era musically, but this song does bring the modern style of music in the album. Khamosh not only composes well, but sings just as well too! His voice suits his composition perfectly! This song would also be lapped up by youngsters, but more so than the Arijit track, because it has more of a contemporary feel to it. But again, it is all depending on the likes of the listener. Lyrics, as I said before, are great. Another great romantic track on the album! The debutant shows off his singing skills too, after displaying his composing and writing skills! #5StarHotelSong!!

5. Bachpan
Singer ~ Amit Trivedi, Lyrics by ~ Swanand Kirkire

Amit Trivedi sings for Khamosh here, and the song he’s been given is a beautiful ode to childhood. Khamosh’s slow-paced tune haunts and at the same time, makes you emotional. His arranegements also help in increasing the emotional factor. Though not many, but whatever they are, they provide the required effect. Amit’s husky voice leads us through the composition, which starts off as nostalgic in the calm, pleasant way, but as it progresses, the way Amit’s voice expressions change, and the way the composition takes various turns, it starts becoming nostalgic in the sad and intense way. Again, the arrangements are mainly led by guitars, in the simplest way possible, but such that it will be the most effective. In the antara, the song reaches its peak, and at that point, you are sure to have goosebumps all over your skin. The orchestral strings supporting the guitars help to make the emotional factor stronger, somehow. Right after the antara, something weird happens. Usually in a song, the mukhda would be repeated, but here, after the antara, the song suddenly switches back to the calm-nostalgic mode, thanks to some soft piano notes. This aspect, I found pretty interesting! Though the song is more than five minutes long, one doesn’t experience any boring moments. Thanks to Swanand Kirkire, who is definitely, undoubtedly the star of this song, everyone is able to relive their cherished childhood, in just the five minutes for which this song plays. Each line brings back some memories. A song which is enough to make you nostalgic, and helps you relive those cherished moments of your childhood! Excellent lyrics by Swanand take the song to a whole new level! #5StarHotelSong!

6. Ye Naa Gade
Singers ~ Anand Shinde & Vaishali Made, Lyrics by ~ Vijay Maurya

A phone conversation between between two people in Marathi opens up this song, on a not-so-interesting level. You’ll have to hear that to get what I’m talking about. But when the actual song starts, it turns out to be an energetic, Marathi folk-ish number, which actually is pretty catchy. Anand Shinde, the father of Marathi singer Adarsh Shinde, renders the song with the correct amount of energy and zest. Vaishali Made, winner of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2009, supports him just as vivaciously, but in a voice that sounded a bit too high-pitched. Since the lyrics are purely in Marathi, it is not difficult to say that this song might just become huge in Maharashtra. In other states, it might not have the same response, and might be dismissed as a Marathi film song too! However, the best thing in the song has to be the dynamic arrangements and catchy composition by Khamosh. He has presented the Marathi flavour perfectly. Just as it is Marathi films, he has infused the same amount of tapori-ness in the song, and also used the proper instruments, beats and everything. If not the vocals or the tune, at least the beats might prove as a reason to hear the song for non-Maharashtrians. The hookline is (as it is supposed to be) the catchiest part of the song. The song ends the way it started, with the phone conversation. I would say, it is worth a try, if you want to get acquainted to the Marathi style of music!

7. Dil Lagaana
Singer ~ Altaf Raja, Lyrics by ~ Khamosh Shah

The last song on the soundtrack probably is the one which has the least to offer, in terms of innovativity. Altaf Raja has been roped in to do the honours with the vocals, and the song has also been composed in a very filmi Qawwali way, but one that sounds like an overdose of the 90s. Everything about the 80s-90s has been brought forward, but in a very dull and stale way. Even the hookline doesn’t have the ability to grasp the listener, which should be a must for a superhit song (and more so if it’s supposed to resemble the 90s!!) Altaf sings in his regular way, but even he fails to save the composition. Khamosh’s lyrics are full of shers and they are quite simple, too. Arrangements are good, and they also bring back the 90s successfully. The small interruptions by Altaf in English just sound cheap, as does his Americanized version of the hookline at the end. Not something to be very proud of. Pretty dull ending to the soundtrack!

Hunterrr sees a very promising debutant do wonders in his first soundtrack itself. The producers have selected great songs as per the movie, with only one song performing below average. Though it is not a type of soundtrack which will find a place on the whole nation’s playlists because of its uniqueness, each song does bring forward a different aspect, and this brings variety into the album. The result I got turned out to be way better than what I was expecting!! All in all, a very successful debut by Khamosh Shah! Surprisingly an enjoyable album!

Final Rating For This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Chori Chori > Bachpan > Naina > Hunterrr 303 > Thaali Hai Khaali > Ye Naa Gade > Dil Lagaana

Which is your favourite song from Hunterrr? Please vote for it below! 🙂