SACHIN-JIGAR’S PYAARA, AFEEMI ALBUM!! (MERI PYAARI BINDU – Music Review)

I would like to start by thanking YRF for releasing the full album early, but giving no such indication by uploading a jukebox or a complete OST on iTunes so that we don’t keep waiting for more! And thanks (this isn’t sarcasm) to Jigar Saraiya for confirming on Twitter, in reply to my question, that it is indeed the full album.

Update — 11th May 2017 — Today YRF released the “full album” on iTunes.

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Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Sachin-Jigar
♪ Lyrics by: Kausar Munir, Priya Saraiya & Rana Mazumder
♪ Music Label: YRF Music
♪ Music Released On: 25th April 2017
♪ Movie Releases On: 12th May 2017

Meri Pyaari Bindu Album Cover

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

To buy this album on iTunes CLICK HERE

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Meri Pyaari Bindu is an upcoming Bollywood rom-com starring Parineeti Chopra and Ayushmann Khurrana in lead roles. The film is directed by Akshay Roy and produced by Maneesh Sharma. The film is about a writer played by Ayushmann, who, after being frustrated at the lack of critical appreciation his novels get, despite him being a successful writer, moves back to his hometown Kolkata to find inspiration to write better literature. Well, he has been writing his new book for three years. It so happens that he is reminded of one of his best friends, and stumbles upon a cassette of their favourite songs’ playlist. It is from here, that he gets Inspiration for his new novel. So, the crux of the film is quite interesting — it seems sweet and simple, and a look at the many “mini-trailers” (or chapters) they’ve released for the film will reveal that it is a bit quirky and very musical too. All in all, it is something I’m waiting for, and I believe everyone is waiting for. So without ruminating any more upon the movie, let us cherish the music till then, as that is the only way to get closer to the movie before the release. The music for the film has been given by a duo whose music I appreciate and adore, and they’ve got a fair share of high ratings on this blog (not to mention a few forgiveable not-so-good ones), and that duo is the dynamic duo Sachin-Jigar. So last year, since they concentrated on Gujarati film music, they could only manage to do one Bollywood film, ‘A Flying Jatt’s, an album which was amazing musically, but lacked repeat value. Of course, this year they are the busiest music directors on the block, with five films including this one. For this music album, they’ve composed six tracks, a perfect number for a musical in Bollywood. Hoping that these men surprise us just as they always do (though it won’t be much of a surprise) I’m diving into this expected-to-be awesome album!

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1. Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin

Singer ~ Parineeti Chopra, Lyrics by ~ Kausar Munir

“Raaste mein tum milo toh,
Haath milaane ruk jaana!
Saath mein koi, ho tumhare,
Door se hi tum muskaana,
Lekin muskaan ho aisi,
Ki jismein ikraar nahi,
Lekin muskaan ho aisi,
Ki jismein ikraar nahi,
Nazron se naa karna tum bayaan,
Woh jisse inkaar nahin!
Maana ke hum yaar nahin!”

– Kausar Munir

The album starts off with a song we have heard about a year ago, in the video where YRF announced the film. Parineeti was talking about how the makers insisted that she should sing the song. And right from that day, when I heard how beautifully she sings, I couldn’t wait for this day, when I would listen to the full song and review it. The song is essentially a ghazal, and Sachin-Jigar have composed it sooooo beautifully, that it reminds you of many 90s songs, or the 90s era in general, with its tune. The poetic words by Kausar Munir (more on them later) have been put to such a charmingly delightful tune by the duo, that it hardly seems like a sad song. The mukhda is so spectacular, it just pulls you into the song, and you won’t emerge out of it until the song is over. It is the antaras, though, that amazed me the most. Again, a spectacular tune, but this one sounds very layered, as if there are deeper meanings to it, which get revealed one by one, each time you replay the song. Also, Parineeti adds different nuances and variation in both antaras, so it almost feels as if both antaras are composed on the same tune, but still different. That brings us to her vocals. Parineeti’s voice has this rawness to it, which I haven’t heard in any of the actress-singers’ voices. (Well, maybe Priyanka Chopra and Shruti Hassan, but not beyond these). Her husky voice suits the ambience of the song so well, that it just transports you to another world. Of course, she is a trained classical singer, but her command over the tune is amazing considering that she must’ve not been in touch with singing for a long time. And an added bonus is that her voice hasn’t been autotuned! That’s brave, and I appreciate it. Not that it sounds bad anyway. Sachin-Jigar’s arrangements are out of this world. They recreate the 90s through the arrangements — that flute loop (Shreeram Sampath) is spell-binding! It has you hooked right from the first time it plays, and then it keeps on amazing you throughout the song. The folksy percussions (Arun Solanki) in the song are mystifying too. And the piano (Rinku Rajput), played so gracefully right when we don’t expect it, in small pieces all over the song, is so sweet! A special appearance by the sarangi (Dilshad Khan) in the second interlude is something you must not miss at any cost. (In other words, hear the full audio, not just the video promo!) Beside all these wonderful nostalgic instruments, the hardworking guitars (Krishna Pradhan) are sidelined, but they give a constant rhythm throughout, and if you listen carefully, they have an important contribution indeed. Now, I have saved the best for the last. And that is Kausar Munir’s lyrics. She gave us a wonderfully written album, “Begum Jaan” just last month. And she’s already at it again! Her words are so heartbreaking, it gives a whole new definition to sad songs. Both the antaras, not to mention the mukhda, have been written wonderfully! And Sachin-Jigar very cleverly knew how to put a tune to those words so that they don’t sound maudlin and melancholic. Splendid work by Sachin-Jigar and Kausar Munir. A sad song with a refreshing feel! My intuition tells me this will go on to be one of my favourite songs of the year, and probably all time.

Rating: 5/5

 

2. Haareya

Singer ~ Arijit Singh, Lyrics by ~ Priya Saraiya

“Khuli aankhon se dekha woh, haseen khwaab hai tu,
Dil mein jo utar jaaye woh, pyaari baat hai tu,
Tere naam ka nasha, nasha, hai zubaan pe chhaa gaya,
Iss bekhudi mein doobne se main khud ko na rok sakeya!”

– Priya Saraiya

While we had a wonderful old-world-charm in the first song, Sachin-Jigar bring in their favourite, a nice modern touch, to the next song. The composition is odd! And I say that in the best way possible! It has this offbeat touch to it, a tune that is mostly associated with rock songs these days. But no, Sachin-Jigar, the experimentalists that they are, use it for a romantic song! And it works, and succeeds with distinction. The mukhda starts, and you start to get interested in what will come next. When a song compels you to listen to it further because of that reason, it has to be interesting! And then the hookline starts. So low-key, so modestly, so inconspicuously and oh-so-subtly! Unlike the hooklines in which the tempo, instrumentation and vocals go higher in pitch, loudness and whatnot, this one is exactly the opposite. It gets subtle and quiet after a huge and suspenseful buildup to it. It takes a genius to pull that off successfully, and therefore Sachin-Jigar must be geniuses! They could very well have added some rock elements in that hookline, but they refrained from doing so. And it just increased the appeal of the song manifold! Yes, a composition that suits the rock genre, has nothing but a simple (but very infectious, mind you) guitar riff in the arrangements. And I must mention Indrajit Chetia here, for his AMAAAAZZZZING guitar work throughout the song! Ayushmann’s Arijit’s (you’ll see why I did that) vocals are so impressive! The man brings in such a convincing imitation of Ayushmann’s voice, like the way he pronounces each word while singing and the slight nasal twang, that one would initially be confused whether Arijit has sung the song or Ayushmann. He gives his own voice a complete makeover and modifies it just to suit Ayushmann, and how crazy is that? I’ve not seen this happen in quite a while. These days, either a singer’s voice suits an actor by default, or it doesn’t. But a singer tweak his voice for an actor? That’s so 90s! And so amazing! In the antara, he does that amazing transition between the low octave and high octave, so effortlessly, that he does perfect justice to Sachin-Jigar’s composition, which I doubt anyone else could’ve pulled off. Guest lyricist Priya Saraiya writes in a mix of Punjabi and Hindi, and presents yet another amazing piece from her side. A lovestruck man’s emotions are depicted clearly by her writing. A nice experimentation, where a composition tailor-made for rock, is given an acoustic and unplugged type of arrangement. Of course, special mention to Arijit!

Rating: 5/5

 

3. Ye Jawaani Teri

Singers ~ Nakash Aziz & Jonita Gandhi, Lyrics by ~ Kausar Munir

“Yeh jawaani teri, yeh jawaani meri,
Yeh jawaani teri, yeh jawaani meri,
Yeh jawaani teri, yeh jawaani meri,
J – j – jeene nahi deti!”

– Kausar Munir

Well, we had two romantic songs, one mature and the other slightly more youthful. Be prepared to go even further down memory lane, as we go back to the main characters’ college days and are treated to an amazing retro treat from Sachin-Jigar’s music bank. So basically this is the fun song of the album where the two protagonists are in college, having fun, without a worry. And Sachin-Jigar’s track reflects the same attitude in it. The composition sounds odd at first, but once you realize what it is, you’ll be like “Ohhhhhhh”, and then realize the cleverness of the music directors. The hookline is what the song relies on to propel it, and very aptly, it has been composed to the tune of the iconic Shammi Kapoor guitar riff. After you realize that, the padding, like the mukhda and antara, start sounding amazing thanks to you having discovered the theme of the song. Particularly the line that Jonita sings before the hookline arrives, with that nasal touch, has an amazing tune! The arrangements stick to the retro theme very well, and the guitars (Shomu Seal) steal the show, aptly supported by amazing trumpets (Kishore Sodha), saxophone (Shyamraj) and drums (Debashish Banerjee). It all gives that required retro feel that the song needed. In places, it reminded me of ‘Let’s Talk About Love’ (Baaghi), another good song of the same genre, but one which was suppressed by mediocre vocals and composition. The vocals too, suit the song well, though I thought Nakash could’ve been substituted by Vishal Dadlani and the song would’ve gone miles higher. Jonita sounds very different from what we have heard from her in the Rahman and Pritam camps. She does that aforementioned retro-nasal thing superbly, and ditches her thin and sweet voice to bring in a tinge of naughtiness and youthfulness for this one. Kausar Munir’s lyrics here are purely situational, and I can’t really praise them or the opposite. A fun youthful number, that might take some time to grow.

Rating: 4/5

 

4. Iss Tarah

Singers ~ Clinton Cerejo & Dominique Cerejo, Lyrics by ~ Kausar Munir

“Tu ret si haathon se, aisi phisal jaati hai,
Mujhe rokna nahi aata, tujhe theherna nahi aata,
Tu sarphiri hawaaon mein, phirki si kyun phiri jaaye,
Mujhe baandhna nahi aata, tujhe thaamna nahi aata!”

– Kausar Munir

Another retro-themed number joins the album, this time a disco song, composed in a trademark Michael Jackson way. Sachin-Jigar take their experimentalism further ahead with this one, and produce a crackling dance song. The composition in the beginning is so less, it almost sounds as if the singer is reciting the lines like a little child recites a poem in front of the class. However, that’s what increases the appeal of the song. And then when the line by Dominique comes in, you are dazzled by its brightness. Brightness as in, Sachin-Jigar’s smart use of the disco elements to make the composition beautiful. And then comes the hard-hitting hookline, which is one of the best I’ve heard in a while, and also something very similar to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s composition style, a trio who I believe established this style of music in Bollywood. The arrangements are entrancing, especially the trumpet (Kishore Sodha) that plays in the hookline, and steals the limelight right away. The disco-themed digital beats are amazing, and set up a groovy beat even before the tune of the song starts. The guitars (Paresh Kamath) are great too, as are Sachin-Jigar’s clever additions of finger-snaps and the trademark disco sounds. The hookline’s arrangements are out of this world. The vocals too, are mind blowing. Clinton Cerejo, after his successful stint as a music director in Bollywood last year (in three movies) returns to the mic, and nails the song. But the one who steals the spotlight is his better half, Dominique, in her very short portion, that repeats just twice in the entire song, but leaves a lasting impression, and makes you love her voice so much! And that part, as mentioned above, has been composed just as well! Kausar’s lyrics are full of contrast, and it is very interesting to listen to. A successful disco-based retro number, which I can’t wait to watch in the movie! 

Rating: 5/5

 

5. Khol De Baahein

Singer ~ Monali Thakur, Hindi Lyrics by ~  Kausar Munir, Bengali Lyrics by ~ Rana Mazumder

“Barse jo saawan, toh daudke tu aana,
Khud ko tu bheegna sikha de,
Barse jo saawan, toh lautke tu aana,
Khud ko tu bheegna sikha de…”

– Kausar Munir

After a sad song, a romantic song and two dance numbers, it is romantic time again, and this time we get a rather unconventional romantic song. The composition is so beautiful and cute, and it reeks of the Bengali culture with its tune. It has this lilting, lulling tune that just doesn’t let you get bored. Yes, it does take some time to fully grow on you, but when it does, it does so very fulfillingly, and you end up loving the song unconditionally. The mukhda in Bengali, starts off the song wonderfully, while the hookline in Hindi is cute and harmonious. There’s a beautiful short stanza in Bengali after that (“kokhono kokhono…“) which just sounds so endearing. And the antara too, keeps you listening. All in all, Sachin-Jigar’s composition is a winner. The arrangements are no less. On the most part, it is a soothing guitar-led instrumentation (Guitars by Krishna Pradhan), and though the guitars aren’t hard-hitting they are just as amazing as the guitars in ‘Haareya’. The piano notes at the end of the song are beautiful as the conclusion of the song. Monali is the perfect choice as the singer; she goes back and forth between high and low notes effortlessly, and pronounces the Bengali words immaculately. She sounds very cute as always in this lulling romantic song. Kausar’s Hindi lyrics are great, but when I asked one of my friends for a translation of the Bengali lyrics, I got to know that Rana’s Bengali lyrics are just as endearing. Modest and simple, but very strong in terms of composition and arrangements and especially vocals!

Rating: 4.5/5

 

6. Afeemi

Singers ~ Sanah Moidutty & Jigar Saraiya, Lyrics by ~ Kausar Munir

“Dhaani si, dhaani si, sharbati paani si,
Dheere se dheere se, teri chaahat chadhti hai,
Thodi naadaani si, thodi shaitaani si,
Dheeme se dheeme se, teri aadat badhti hai,
Tu hai toh mere roobaroo, par kya karoon,
Yakeen hi nahi aata,
Shaam se subah karoon, dekha karoon,
Raha bhi nahi jaata!
Afeemi, afeemi, afeemi hai yeh pyaar,
Afeemi hai tera mera pyaar!”

– Kausar Munir

A very simple and humble song brings up the rear of the album. This song is a very sweet and beautiful romantic song, composed in a very trademark Sachin-Jigar way, keeping things sweet and simple. The composition starts off so effervescently, with that sprightly mukhda. And the hookline is a typical Bollywood romantic song hookline, nevertheless, it hooks you right away. The antara has been composed beautifully as well, one line strictly sounding very similar to a line from ‘Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’ itself, but that’s alright. Also, the hookline sounds like the line “Pooche jo koi, toh tera naam doon“, from Sachin-Jigar’s own ‘Tera Naam Doon’ (Entertainment). Overall though, the song is addictive! Such a simple romantic song, which was also great in its composition, was long-needed in Bollywood. The arrangements follow conventional arrangements, in that it contains everything you would expect in a contemporary romantic song — guitars (Kalyan Baruah), piano (Rinku Rajput), drums (Lindsay D’mello). But the flute by Hamtu is unexpectedly amazing, as are the strings that pitch in occasionally. I personally loved the way the hookline is arranged, on that simple guitar riff, and I love those small rattle-like instrument additions that sound so lovely! Vocals are perfect, with Sanah Moidutty finally getting a song where she is allowed to sing more than or equal to her male co-singer (who in this case happens to be Jigar himself) which she couldn’t do in her previous two songs, ‘Moto Ghotalo’ (Gori Tere Pyaar Mein) and ‘Tu Hai’ (Mohenjo Daro). Her voice is a nice and sweet voice with the vocal quality of someone who has the potential to make it big in Bollywood, where such voices are lapped up by music directors. Jigar himself accompanies her fantastically, and I believe the duo has programmed his voice less than they normally do, and that adds to the natural touch in the song. Kausar’s lyrics are fascinating, and it also marks the first time (probably; I’m not a database) that someone has compared love to opium (‘afeem’ = opium), after comparing it to stuff like alcohol, and hookah bars. A very ‘Afeemi’ (addictive) song!

Rating: 4.5/5

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Meri Pyaari Bindu turns out to be just as great and musically rich as I expected it to be. Sachin-Jigar, after a hiatus in which they scored for one Bollywood film ‘A Flying Jatt’, which sadly didn’t have the potential to stay with us for long, they give us yet another taste of their awesomeness, after they had given us two of my favourite albums of theirs, ‘Happy Ending’ in 2014, and ‘Badlapur’ in 2015. Another feather in their cap, ‘Meri Pyaari Bindu’ might just be one of their best performances!

 

Total Points Scored by This Album: 5 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 4.5 + 4.5 = 28

Album Percentage: 93.34% {Surpassing ‘Poorna’ at 92.5%, that makes it this year’s best album so far!!}

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: From start to finish in the same order.

 

Which is your favourite song from Meri Pyaari Bindu? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂