Music Album Details ♪ Music by: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy ♪ Lyrics by: Gulzar ♪ Music Label: Sony Music ♪ Music Released On: 3rd July 2018 ♪ Movie Releases On: 13th July 2018
Soorma is an upcoming Bollywood sports biopic starring Diljit Dosanjh, Taapsee Pannu and Angad Bedi in lead roles. The film is directed by Shaad Ali and produced by Sony Pictures Networks Productions, Chitrangada Singh and Deepak Singh. The film doesn’t look like anything Shaad Ali has tried before, being an out and out biopic of professional Indian field hockey player and ex-captain, Sandeep ‘Flicker’ Singh. As always, Shaad Ali has roped in Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for the music. Not only have they delievered some of their best soundtracks with Ali, but they’ve also opened their account in 2018 with ‘Raazi’, my favourite album of the year. So it goes without saying, that I’m rooting for the songs of this album to turn out extraordinary!
The album could well be considered to have two theme songs, but the one which stands out instantly is the Soorma Anthem, starting with an amazing flute, accompanied by a wonderful guitar loop, the tune of which becomes the tune of the first line of the song. The composition is quite low-pitched but Shankar Mahadevan’s range is so wide, he covers the low and high notes equally well. The composition by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy is an instantly distinguishable Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composition, with numerous twists and turns and a 90s dharm that doesn’t seem tedious or drab at all. The high portions in the antara are beautiful, and meanwhile, the trio decorates the song with amazing arrangements like percussions which somehow suit the hockey theme so well, because it sounds like the sound you would get when two hockey sticks are tapped to one another. The Punjabi percussions and the strings have been orchestrated masterfully as well, and the backing chorus is one of the main highlights of the song; they’ve been used just as well as they’d been used in ‘Raazi’s ‘Ae Watan’, especially the way they sing ‘Sooormaa’ alongside the main man. What can one say about Gulzar saab’s lyrics? The inspirational value of the lyrics is so high, that it doesn’t feel pretentious, or dramatised even for one moment.
The second song that can be called a theme song for the album is Flicker Singh, which takes a more pronounced Shaad Ali-SEL route, in its composition and arrangements and overall sound. The Punjabi percussions are enjoyable, especially because the dhol resonates so wonderfully, and the trio uses the usual rock guitars, which is like a tradition for them in Shaad Ali soundtracks. The song takes you to the ‘Jhoom Barabar Jhoom’ title song, in the ‘Ding ding ding’ part that is euqivalent to ‘Jhoom jhoom Jhoom’ from the latter song. About two minutes into the song, it takes a folksy turn with nice dholaks and manjeeras, and the composition by the trio is so strong there, you instantly fall in love with it. Whenever Daler Mehndi comes with his portions, it brings the song to a new level altogether! Once again after ‘Mirzya’, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy make the most out of him, in an ensemble track again, like the title track of Mirzya! Each and every singer actually has done his part very well, and has left no scope for complaints in that department. Daler Mehndi, Hemant Brijwasi, Shehnaz and Sahil Akhtar, along with Shankar and Ehsaan, render this song perfectly. The second antara has another splendid portion full of aalaaps that takes your breath away.
The same set of singers, minus Daler Mehndi, return in Pardesiya, a sad song that is one of the most heavenly numbers I’ve heard since a long time, in Bollywood. I believe Hemant Brijwasi leads this one [EDIT: Ehsaan Noorani has confirmed on Twitter that Shehnaz Akhtar is the lead singer]. The song starts off slowly, but it serves as a setup for the listeners, and then you get sucked up into a beautiful Sufi sad song, with majestic tablas and sarangi taking over, and Shankar Mahadevan’s amazing sargam winning your heart. The composition is heart rending, and instantly has you feeling for the character, even though we don’t know what exactly has happened at the point this song will play in the film! Midway into the song, it changes into a magnificent bhajan with the beautiful manjeeras and tablas playing the Bhajan theka. The lyrics by Gulzar are just as heart-rending, and it makes the listening experience all the more inmersive and personal.
Good Man Di Laaltain becomes the second Gulzar song using that phrase in the second year, last year’s song being ‘Bloody Hell’s (Rangoon). Another coincidence is that Sunidhi is signing this song too. She gets two lines in the second verse, but as always, does well. The song belongs to the leading man Sukhwinder Singh, who never fails to spread his infectious energy all over every song he sings. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s composition is good, but grows with time and didn’t hook me instantly. But one thing I can say for sure is that, the composition isn’t bad at all! For a celebratory number, the trio has produced a functional song, and it works in its intent, especially the tangibly Indian hookline. Any true Indian will nod his head on the ‘Good man diiiii…’ line. The percussion again stands out, but the trio add some digital beats, which sound all the more quirky — kind of like ‘Iski Uski’ (2 States). Gulzar’s lyrics are fun, as required.
The song that defines the album for me, which released first and features on the album first, though, I will talk about now, at the end. Ishq Di Baajiyaan is the quintessential Punjabi romantic number, in which I could find nothing wrong! It’s very rare for a song to be so perfect, and this song has made that achievement, in my eyes. From the starting introductory Sufi-ish chorus chants by Diljit and Shankar Mahadevan, to the moving and intense composition, to the fresh Punjabi arrangements adorned with amazing violins and mandolin, to the head-nod-inducing dholak percussion which plays throughout the song, to Diljit’s impeccable rendition especially in the antara, the composition of which harks back to Vishal Bhardwaj’s work in the 90s, this song has had me hooked since it released. Gulzar’s lyrics are so, so, so beautiful, I can’t help but wonder how he still comes up with such lyrics even after having written so much — clearly artistic ideas never get exhausted when you have the talent. 🙂
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in their first album of 2018 presented a soundtrack that went well with the movie, and showcased their talent at creating a Kashmiri sound. Now for their second film of the year, they reunite with a director they’ve worked with quite often, a director they know in and out, and for whom they’ve given some of their best soundtracks, and I can only say, their ‘tagde sur’ (strong melodies) will always stay immortal!
Total Points Scored by This Album: 9 + 8.5 + 9.5 + 7.5 + 10 = 44.5
Album Percentage: 89%
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: Ishq Di Baajiyaan > Pardesiya > Soorma Anthem > Flicker Singh > Good Man Di Laaltain
Which is your favourite song from Soorma? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂
The music review for “Tiger Zinda Hai” will be posted separately.
♦ Fukrey Returns, But Ram Sampath Doesn’t! – FUKREY RETURNS Music Review
♪ Music by: Prem-Hardeep, Jasleen Kaur Royal, Sumeet Bellary, Shaarib-Toshi, IshQ Bector, Shree D, Gulraj Singh & Laxmikant-Pyarelal ♪ Lyrics by: Kumaar, Late Anand Bakshi, Aditya Sharma, Satya Khare, Raftaar, Rohit Sharma, Arsalaan Akhoon, Shree D, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba & Vipul Vig ♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company ♪ Music Released On: 16th November 2017 ♪ Movie Released On: 8th December 2017
So Fukrey has returned. Sadly, the man behind “Fukrey”s enjoyable music, Ram Sampath has not returned, and after his underwhelming stint in ‘Raees’, he doesn’t get a chance to bounce back with a franchise that was initially his. Anywho, let’s judge on what we have been given.
Prem-Hardeep, the original composers of ‘Kala Chashma’ before Badshah remade it in ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, get a chance now, to ruin somebody else’s song. Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s ‘O Meri Mehbooba’ (Dharam Veer) gets ‘remade’ into Mehbooba, a banal club song which starts and ends with the Fukras being rejected by a random girl in the club, who happens to be singing in Neha Kakkar’s voice. Yasser Desai gets one line that repeats over and over again, and it is frankly the best line of the song. Raftaar’s rap is too stereotypical. Jasleen Kaur Royal’s Peh Gaya Khalara, though fitting into her now-overused Punjabi dance number template, is quite enjoyable, with the sweet vocals by herself and Divya Kumar, Akasa Singh & Akanksha Bhandari accompanying them. The arrangements are what make the track more enjoyable, and also the quirky lyrics.
Familiar territory is entered in Ishq Bector & Shree D’s semiclassical Raina, which, though quite soothing, gets tedious due to its length (it is the only song on the album over three minutes long, and goes up to over four minutes long!) The arrangements help propel it forward though, and also Shree’s vocals. Shaarib-Toshi enter the Bollywood scene after a long time with a delightful Punjabi melody, Ishq De Fanniyar. The male version by Shaarib is great, but the Female Version has all the feels, hence scores higher. The beautiful melody seems like a wonderful sequel to the first movie’s ‘Ambarsariya’. The lyrics are sweet as well, not to mention amazing accordions in the arrangements.
The techno sounds come along with the last three songs, bunched up together, out of which two are by Sumeet Bellary (composed for ‘Fuddu’ last year), and one is by (another person who re-enters Bollywood as a composer after a loooooong time, longer than Shaarib-Toshi), Gulraj Singh.
Sumeet’s two songs rely on weird techno gimmicks, which fail to propel the songs forward. Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai is a quirky friendship anthem, but is pulled down by lack of catchiness in both music and composition. Bura Na Maano Bholi Hai is like a title song, but gets all over the place in no time. The arrangements are slightly better here. Both songs are sung by Gandharv Sachdev, wit Shahid Mallya joining him in the latter song, and aren’t all that well sung.
Gulraj does well in his title song, Fukrey Returns, with a nice catchy musical loop, and heavy use of brass and techno sounds which makes his song sound even better. Siddharth Mahadevan on the vocals is a bonus.
Not as great as the first movie’s album, but still a commendable album considering the amount of new talent on there. But nevertheless, I wish Ram Sampath had returned!
Total Points Scored by This Album: 2.5 + 3.5 + 3.5 + 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 3 + 3.5 = 27.5
Album Percentage: 68.75%
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: Ishq De Fanniyar = Ishq De Fanniyar (Female) > Peh Gaya Khalara = Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai = Raina = Fukrey Returns > Bura Na Maano Bholi Hai > Mehbooba
♪ Music by: Jatinder Shah ♪ Lyrics by: Dr. Devendra Kafir, Ashraf Ali & Krishna Bhardwaj ♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company ♪ Music Released On: 21st November 2017 ♪ Movie Released On: 1st December 2017
The song with almost the least amount of Punjabi words (second only to ‘Gulbadan’, which comes later on in the album) in its lyrics, Oye Firangi, starts the album off, and Jatinder Shah steals your heart right away. The charming melody immediately gets you grooving — thanks to a little EDM twist in the hookline — and though it is very simple, it is amazing thanks to the programming, and Sunidhi’s marvellous voice. There comes a British-era ballroom style orchestral portion at the end, but I wish the composer had extended that into another antara instead of ending the song with it! Another charming but heard-before melody, Sahiba Russ Gayiya, starts from where ‘Channa Mereya’ ended, with a similar structure and arrangement. Rahat’s voice is a boon to the song, and it’s the first song of his in a long time that doesn’t get on my nerves.(Ahem, ‘Mere Rashke Qamar’!) I love the way he pronounces the hookline. The Unplugged Version sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, is funnily named ‘Sahiba (Male)’, as if Rahat’s version wasn’t by a male singer. The song itself is an improvement on the original, in that we get to hear Shafqat’s impeccable aalaaps, and though the choice of Shafqat doesn’t make it sound less like a Pritam song in general [Shafqat is just as much of a Pritam camp singer as Rahat is!] it surely does sound less like ‘Channa Mereya’, because the electric guitars have been toned down. Acoustic guitars play the larger role here. However some factors make both versions balance out at the end.
If ‘Sahiba’ had ‘Channa Mereya’ written all over it, Tu Jit Jawna has ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’s title song all, and I mean ALL over it! Daler Mehndi, who I wish had sung the BMB number too, sings this one, and so it is quite bearable, but otherwise, it falls flat and sounds hollow in its emotion. It is also lyrically a counterpart to ‘Oye Firangi’, except Daler paaji doesn’t call him a ‘Firangi’ (foreigner), while Sunidhi did. Gulbadan is a Qawwali-esque number, sung by Mamta Sharma. Good to hear her sing a different kind of song, though I’m sure the video will be the same kind of Bollywood ‘item number’. The hookline is greatly composed, with amazing arrangements by Shah, but again, falling into the too much tried-and-tested category of arrangements. I guess the best that comes out of this song is hearing Mamta Sharma’s gentle voice, because she thankfully hasn’t been made to sing in the annoying loud voice of hers.
But the album’s best is the wonderful folksy number, Sajna Sohne Jiha, which transports you back to the Punjab of the olden days. Wadali Bros’ Qawwali ‘Ve Sone Diya Kangna’ has been given a nice reinterpretation by Shah, and it works so well. The rhythms at the beginning really bring out the song’s folksiness, and Jyoti Nooran’s strong voice helps propel it to the finish line, where it emerges the winner compared to the other songs of the album!
A very desi album to the film ‘Firangi!’
Total Points Scored by This Album: 3.5 + 3.5 + 4 + 3.5 + 3.5 + 5 = 23
Album Percentage: 76.67%
Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां
Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.
♦ No Intezaar for This Album! : TERA INTEZAAR Music Review
♪ Music By: Raaj Aashoo ♪ Lyrics by: Shabbir Ahmed ♪ Music Label: T-Series ♪ Music Released On: 11th November 2017 ♪ Movie Released On: 1st December 2017
After a long time (or is it the first time?), one single composer gets a chance to compose an album for a film starring Sunny Leone. Somehow, she debuted smack in the middle of the multicomposer craze and so, got mainly multiple composers to compose for all her films! Raaj Aashoo handles the album.
The title track, titled Intezaar Title, instead of a more apt ‘Tera Intezaar’ (Obviously, because that’s the film’s name), is a dreary 2000s melody, sung by Shreya Ghoshal too, as if she is still in her debut year. Adding to the ennui, is the Qawwali-ish chorus. Raaj’s composition is good, but dated. The arrangement is the best thing about the song, especially the flute. Another very typically 90s melody, Khali Khali Dil, sees Payal Dev and Armaan Malik at their clichéd best. The digital sounds do not help make it more ‘modern’ or anything, and even the harmonica fails to create any impact. Quite a similar sound follows in the dreary Mehfooz, another song straight out of Nadeem-Shravan’s music-bank. The guitar work makes it sound like a version of Mithoon’s ‘Sanam Re’ title track, sans the tablas. Yasser gets a version, and, sounding like Arijit as always, manages to make it sound genuinely interesting. The arrangements here too make this song much more interesting than ‘Khali Khali Dil’. The song appears in two more versions, one by Palak Muchhal and the other by a new singer named Hrishikesh Chury. Palak’s 2½ minute long version fares better than Hrishikesh’s normal length one, because of the pleasant arrangements. Also, Hrishikesh tries to sound like Kumar Sanu.
The best song on the album, Abhagi Piya Ki, becomes the best only because the others don’t deserve it. It appears in two versions, a banal one sung jarringly by Kanika Kapoor and Raja Hasan, and a slightly better version sung much better by Payal Dev and Javed Ali. The tablas that went missing from ‘Mehfooz’ seem to have come to this song, and they play in surplus. The semiclassical touch to the song is good, but the 90s melancholia seems to have followed the composer like a thundercloud whenever he sat to compose for this film.
The only song that does not sound anything like a 90s song is Sexy Baby Girl, and it doesn’t work because it tries to sound uber-cool with its lead singer Swati Sharrma, like always, trying to add unnecessary style to her words, resulting in a disaster. Also, the lyrics are cringeworthy.
This is not an album anyone would have waited for.
Total Points Scored by This Album: 3 + 2 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 2 + 3 + 3.5 + 3 = 21.5
Album Percentage: 53.75%
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: Abhagi Piya Ki (Javed/Payal) > Abhagi Piya Ki = Intezaar Title = Sexy Baby Girl > Mehfooz = Mehfooz (Palak) > Mehfooz (Hrishikesh) = Khali Khali Dil
♦ Surprising Monsoon in Winter!!: MONSOON SHOOTOUT Music Review
♪ Music by: Rochak Kohli, Viveick Rajagopalan, Mayur Narvekar, Chinmay Harshe, Chetan Rao & Vikram Shastry ♪ Lyrics by: Sumant Vadhera, Kartik Krishnan, Deepak Ramona, Chinmay Harshe, Rohit Bhasy, Neeraj Sharma, Vinit Gulati, Nidhi Gulati ♪ Music Label: Saregama ♪ Music Released On: 19th December 2017 ♪ Movie Released On: 15th December 2017
Rochak gets two songs, and reminds us why he’s one composer that keeps popping up in numerous albums scattered over the year’s span. It is because of his strong melodies. Pal is a cherishable melody which, though predictable, does give you goosebumps, and makes you want it to rain. Arijit’s heart-touching rendition is enough to make anyone fall for the song. On the other hand Miliyo Re is a very Sachin-Jigar-ish romantic song, with Monali and Rochak behind the mic, with vocals that aren’t amazing, but are functional. The composition is good but very commonplace; not as distinct as Rochak’s other songs this year.
Viveick-Mayur present their only song Andheri Raat next, a haunting song with weird Marathi rap, and awesome Punjabi-flavoured male vocals. Neha Bhasin kills it behind the mic, as does her co-singer, Rajiv Sundaresan, doing the aforementioned Punjabi-flavoured portions. The Marathi rap by Aklesh Sutar is funny, and quite weird too.
The other three songs are quite situational, all by newcomers, with neither one exactly standing above the others. Chinmay Harshe’s Miss You Balma, by Akriti Kakar, is experimental but has you questioning “Why??” because the jazzy composition and the rock arrangements don’t really gel well with each other. Akriti aces the vocals though, singing in an unusually (for her) low pitch. The other duo, Chetan Rao & Vikram Shastry, present two songs, one being a folksy item song Maachis Ki Teeli, in which the very unconventional choice of singer, Bhavya Pandit, whi hasn’t ever sung such a song, proves to be great, as she adjusts to the song’s folksiness very well. Her co-vocalists provide good company as the loafers interjecting occasionally. The last song Faislay has a quite dated tune, and a very mismatching digital loop that starts it off, but Mandar Deshpande’s singing brings it up.
An album that is good, but still will be a wipeout.
Total Points Scored by This Album: 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 3 + 3.5 + 3 = 21
Album Percentage: 70%
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: Pal = Miliyo Re > Andheri Raat = Maachis Ki Teeli > Miss You Balma = Faislay
Hope you liked this section of reviews! The review for ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ will be out soon!
Music Album Details ♪ Music by: Tanishk Bagchi, Daler Mehndi, Dilip-Sameer, Rishi Rich, Sunai Marathe, Shreyas Iyengar & Sonny Ravan ♪ Lyrics by: Shabbir Ahmed, Javed Akhtar, Kumaar, Saurabh Pandey & Sonny Ravan ♪ Music Label: T-Series ♪ Music Released On: 19th August 2017 ♪ Movie Releases On: 8th September 2017
Poster Boys Album Cover
To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE
Poster Boys is an upcoming satirical Bollywood film, starring Sunny Deol, Bobby Deol and Shreyas Talpade in lead roles. The film is an official remake of Shreyas-directed Marathi film ‘Poshter Boyz’, and is also directed by Shreyas Talpade himself. The film is produced by Sunny Sounds Pvt. Ltd., Shreyas Talpade and Deepti Talpade. The film revolves around three men who suffer humiliation in their village when they appear on an advertisement for vasectomy, without their knowledge or permission. The film seems like a comic caper, at the same time trying to create awareness about this. The music, which I actually expect to be bad, just because this film seems like one of those films where music plays a minuscule role, is by four composer entities. Remake master Tanishk Bagchi comes back with a remake here, while Rishi Rich gets to compose an original. The album also serves as the debut vehicle for three new composers, a duo, Sunai Marathe & Shreyas Iyengar, and an individual, Sonny Ravan. So let’s see how this album with half its songs by known personalities, and half by newcomers, fares!
1. Kudiyan Shehar Diyan
Singers ~ Daler Mehndi & Neha Kakkar, Original Composition by ~ Dilip-Sameer & Daler Mehndi, Music Recreated by ~ Tanishk Bagchi, Original Lyrics by ~ Javed Akhtar, New Lyrics by ~ Shabbir Ahmed
So T-Series messes up with credits again — the old song ‘Kudiya Shehar Di’ (Arjun Pandit; 1999) which this song is a remake of, was credited to Dilip and Sameer Sen, but now they credit Daler Mehndi as its composer! Anyway, Tanishk (the go-to recreator these days) tries to infuse more life into the already lifeless and staid Punjabi number (or so I personally feel), by giving it a better mixed dhol arrangement, and having Neha Kakkar sing the female parts. But replacing one screechy singer (Alka Yagnik in the original) with another screechy singer, is not too wise! The only energy in the song is because of Mehndi’s amazing singing. Tanishk hasn’t actually newly composed anything; the song is just permutation and combination of the parts in the old song. Lyrics are functional, nothing great. An okayish remake of an okayish song.
Rating: 2.5/5
2. Kendhi Menoo
Singers ~ Yash Narvekar, Sukriti Kakar & Ikka Singh, Music by ~ Rishi Rich, Lyrics by ~ Kumaar
Rishi Rich is in charge of the next song: a nice hip hop number with a peppy and groovy beat that instantly has you hooked. The composition too, is quite catchy. Especially the hookline’s tune. The antara isn’t great, but good enough to go with the amazing beats. The arrangements are the highlight of the song, and those trumpet sounds are some of the best beats in a Bollywood hip-hop song this year. That being said, it isn’t like the song is extraordinary either, just surprisingly good enough and compared to the others in the album, it is a masterpiece. The vocals are nice too, with Yash Narvekar and Sukriti carrying the hip-hop vibe very well. I wish Sukriti wouldn’t mumble though. Ikka’s rap is good too! The lyrics are understandably ordinary. A good hip-hop number with a groovy “Rishi Rich beat”.
Rating: 3.5/5
3. Noor-E-Khuda
Singer ~ Kailash Kher, Music by ~ Sunai Marathe & Shreyas Iyengar, Lyrics by ~ Saurabh Pandey
This song is the typical Bollywood sad Qawwali, which gets played in movies whenever things are going wrong. Usually it’s Sukhwinder Singh or Kailash Kher singing these Qawwalis, and sure enough, here, the newcomer duo, Sunai Marathe & Shreyas Iyengar, present the song in Kher’s voice. The composition itself is very maudlin and typically dramatic. The roopak rhythm, as overused as it is, sounds very heavy here, and I am beginning to feel like it should be used less often now! The tablas and claps too, are very typical — nothing new. The lyrics are good as they should be, but again, very typical. Kailash Kher has the tendency to bore in such songs, but here it’s everything else that draws you away from the song.
Rating: 2/5
4. The Posterboys Anthem
Singer ~ Shree D, Music by ~ Sonny Ravan, Lyrics by ~ Sonny Ravan
Now the second debutant gets to end the album with something called the “Poster Boys Anthem”, and I must say, it is quite a tedious anthem. And also one of the saddest debuts I’ve seen. The composition is dead, and seems like someone who doesn’t know much about what it takes to make a good song, came out and composed a song for an everyday morcha, and decided to use it here. I don’t even know where this kind of a song would fit as the theme song to a satire as this. The vocals are so bad, it’s unbelievable. SKIP!
Rating: 0.5/5
Poster Boys is yet another bad multicomposer album. It pains us reviewers when our point is proved that the multicomposer trend is slowly corroding the quality of music. Well, actually, the trend isn’t to blame here. The makers could’ve gone for more established and seasoned artists, who would’ve composed some good music!!
Total Points Scored by This Album: 2.5 + 3.5 + 2 + 0.5 = 8.5
Album Percentage: 42.5%
Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां
Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.
Music Album Details ♪ Music by: M.M. Kreem ♪ Lyrics by: Manoj Muntashir ♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company ♪ Music Released On: 5th April 2017 ♪ Movie Releases On: 28th April 2017
Baahubali 2 Album Cover
To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE
Baahubali 2: The Conclusion is an upcoming Indian epic historical fiction film, starring Prabhas, Anushka Shetty, Rana Daggubati, Sathyaraj, and Tamannaah Bhatia. The film has been directed by S.S. Rajamouli, and produced by ShobuYarlagaddaand Prasad Devineni. The film is being distributed in Hindi by Karan Johar’s Dharma Productions. The film is a sequel to 2015’s super-duper hit ‘Baahubali: The Beginning’. Technically this one is a prequel and (SPOILER ALERT FOR ALL WHO HAVEN’T WATCHED THE FIRST FILM, IF ANY OF YOU EXIST) shows the story of Baahubali himself, as opposed to his son Shiva’s story in the first film. It also gives the answer that all India is awaiting — Why Katappa Killed Baahubali. The makers have even made it into a trend called #WKKB. 😂 Anyway, the music director of the film is the same man who did the first film (of course!), M.M. Kreem. The first album was very situational, but three songs nevertheless stood out, out of seven. This album is smaller in size, with five songs, and I also hope it is better in terms of quality too. What I’m expecting is grand, royal and majestic music. And I’m pretty sure I will get it too. Without further delay, let’s jump right into the album to this much-awaited film of 2017.
“Gali gali teri lau jali, jiyo re Baahubali, Praanon se badhke humko hai, tu pyaara, Sab gaayenge, dohraayenge, abb tera jayjaykara!”
The album starts off aptly with a grand, anthemic title song giving the titular character, Baahubali, a larger-than-life image, projecting him as a Superman. The composition by Kreem is quite similar to his other such songs that were included in the first movie. It flows freely, the only impediment it face being the anthemic “Aisa, woh aisa, jaise parvat avichal sa” chants, that kind of restrict the flow of the song. The female portion has been composed very beautifully, and also the mukhda by Daler Mehndi. The rest is very passable, and forgettable as soon as you finish listening to the song. Kreem uses the strings section from ‘Mamta Se Bhari’ from the first film, a very clever inclusion because that portion was like the definition of the song, and the theme song of the film. That brings us to Kreem’s arrangements, which are, very suitably, full of grand war-based sounds, like the booming percussions and impressive strings. The chorus portions are least effective however, and fail to raise the interest of the listener. Vocals are grand, and Daler Mehndi aces the mukhda and hookline. He has just as much scope in the song as Bombay Jayshri had in ‘Mamta Se Bhari’ and Kailash Kher in ‘Jal Rahi Hain’ (Both songs from the first film, in which these singers had negligible portions compared to the chorus, who took away the most part of the song). Similarly, here, Ramya Behra in her stunning antara, and Sanjeev Chimmalgi in his antara. Again, I reiterate that the chorus portions, though important in keeping with that whole war theme of the movie, sound very mediocre. Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics take the grandeur to another level. Only partially impressive in every department except lyrics, in which it is completely impressive!
Rating: 3/5
2. Veeron Ke Veer Aa
Singers ~ Aditi Paul & Deepu
“Oh oh re raja, veeron ke veer aa,
Nainon se tu na door hona,
Main toh hoon teri, phir kaisi deri,
Le jaa jahaan tera thikaana,
Haath se ye haath jod lo na,
Hai saath dono ko behna,
Bas teri hai Devasena!”
As soon as the song starts, I got reminded of a construction site, metal clanging against metal, hammers and construction tools at the go. It reminded me a bit of ‘Manohari’ from the first movie. Turns out it isn’t a construction song though, as the lyrics clearly indicate. Anyway, first things first — the composition. M.M. Kreem provides this very weird-sounding composition, which sounds seductive at places (as it is supposed to be), but falls flat in others. The “na na, na na, na na” loop sounds amazing, and the mukhda hooks you, but, as happened in the first song, you will lose your interest in the antara. It just has such a haphazard composition which you can’t keep track of, so you just give up. The bridge line between the antara and hookline though, is cleverly done. The vocals are good, not great. Neeti Mohan would’ve been perfect for the song. I’m still waiting for Aditi Paul to come with another stellar song like ‘Ang Laga De’ (Ram-Leela). That being said, she manages to convey the romance nicely, and does the seductive-Devasena thing properly. Her companion, Deepu, also does well. Kreem’s arrangements barring the construction site sounds are fascinating; a very nice assortment of strings and brass instruments give the song a much-needed grandeur. Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics are functional for the situation. Good but not great.
Rating: 3/5
3. Soja Zara
Singer ~ Madhushree
“Gopiyon ke peeche, phire tu nisdin, palchhin,
Thhak gaye paanv tere!
Saans zara le le, ruk jaa Kanha, thham ja,
Maan bhi jaa pagle!
Saanvare! Baawre!
Kal bhi hongi ye rang raliyaan,
Kal phir aana oh re chhaliya,
Dooba yeh din, chal so jaa!
Kanha soja zara, oh Kanha soja zara!”
Now this is what I was waiting for from this album. A song with a very charming old-world 90s charm to it, this one is a nice and sweet romantic song, using the example of Radha-Krishna, like so many romantic songs like to do in Indian songs. Kreem’s composition is majestic and magnificent, obviously based in a Carnatic Raaga, and the result is just enticing! The mukhda pulls in the listener right away, wih its lilting and upbeat tune, two qualities we don’t quite get in the same song nowadays! The mellifluous hookline is a respite from the jarring hooklines of many recent songs, and the antara is just fabulous with its sweetness double than that of the mukhda. The composer also decorates the composition with wonderful arrangements — on a catchy beat that almost sounds Caribbean if the Carnatic melody is removed from the song! The flute stands out, as it should if the song is based on Lord Krishna! Guitars too, have been played very enticingly, and you can’t not like them! The duff gives a nice old-fashioned-sounding beat to the song. The flute show in the second interlude is MIND-BLOWING!! Madhushree (after a long time!!) proves herself yet again, and though I was initially wishing Shreya Ghoshal had sung this one after hearing its Telugu version, I’m satisfied with Madhushree’s rendition as well. The backing chorus in this song surpasses any backing chorus I’ve heard this year! Their conclusion to the song from 4:00 onwards in the song, ends the song on a beautiful note. Manoj Muntashir’s lyrics here are as cute and sweet as those two words can get! MAGNIFICENT!
Rating: 5/5
4. Jay-Jaykara
Singer ~ Kailash Kher
“Kya kabhi ambar se, surya bichhadta hai?
Kya kabhi bin baati, deepak jalta hai?
Kaisi hai yeh anhonee, har aankh hui nam,
Chhod gaya jo tu, kaise jiyenge hum?
Tu hi kinaara, tu hi sahara, tu jag saara,
Tu hi humaara suraj, tu hi taara,
Jay-Jaykara, Jay-Jaykara,
Swami dena saath humaara!”
Kailash Kher, who had sung two songs in the previous film’s album, out of which I loved none, rather got bored by both, returns in this album to sing yet another melancholic song, something I get really apprehensive of hearing. However, to my pleasant surprise, this song is actually better than all the other melancholic Kailash Kher songs out there. The tedium hits you initially but wears off with the advent of that war-chant-like chorus in the interlude after the mukhda. The composition is soulful, but I wouldn’t exactly call it heart-rending. Again, the humming from ‘Mamta Se Bhari’ is incorporated into this song. From the antara, the song sounds very lively, and not melancholic. Kreem’s arrangements help to make this easier, the booming percussion providing an awesome beat, and the strings infusing grandeur and a majestic quality to the song. Kailash Kher has sung well, in his trademark style, and he has been well supported by the chorus singers, who take it away in that interlude I wrote about above. The lyrics make out to us that it isn’t exactly a sad song, it is rather a plea from the subjects to their king Baahubali. And Manoj Muntashir has written them so well, they actually compel you to focus on them instead of the composition for most of the time! A song with great lyrics, a good composition and supported by amazing arrangements, but lacking in repeat value.
Rating: 3.5/5
5. Shivam
“Kya mrityu uss maha samar ki janani hai,
Jiska, varnan, srushti karti,
Kya ambar ki nagari se woh rakhwala aaya,
Jiske paanv choome dharti?”
Another melancholic-sounding song starts, but yet again, the beginning deceives us as it changes course soon enough. This song is like a short background score, an anthem of sorts. There is very less by way of composition, and so, it doesn’t quite stay with you as a listener. The arrangements too, are minimal except for a nice background percussion that gives the song its anthemic quality. The santoor that starts the song is great. The chorus again takes centre stage for most of the song, but the lead vocals are by Kreem’s son, Kaala Bhairava. The lyrics have very little substance, but are very well written. A song made to be heard in the cinema hall.
Rating: 2/5
Baahubali 2 is an album that fits in with its predecessor. The songs do not make much sense or appeal to one without the visuals. The case was similar with the previous album. At least that one had two to three amazing songs to hear as audio songs. Here? Just one. I’m happy at least that one song is outstanding! A soundtrack that sounds grand, but deep down below, is bland!
Total Points Scored by This Album: 3 + 3 + 5 + 3.5 + 2 = 16.5
Album Percentage: 66%
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: Soja Zara > Jay-Jaykara > Veeron Ke Veer Aa = Jiyo Re Bahubali > Shivam
Which is your favourite song from Baahubali 2? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂
Music Album Details ♪ Music by: Pritam Chakraborty ♪ Lyrics by: Amitabh Bhattacharya ♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company ♪ Music Released On: 14th December 2016 ♪ Movie Releases On: 23rd December 2016
Dangal Album Cover
To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE
Dangal is an upcoming Bollywood sports drama / biopic starring Aamir Khan, Fatima Shaikh, Sanya Malhotra, Sakshi Tanwar, Zaira Wasim and Suhani Bhatnagar. The film has been directed by Nitesh Tiwari, and produced by Aamir Khan, Kiran Rao and Siddharth Roy Kapur.The film revolves around the life of wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat (played by Aamir), who teaches his two daughters, Geeta and Babita Phogat to master the sport. The movie looks like a fun but emotional struggle of the family, and I’m looking forward to watching it. Of course though, till the 23rd of December, we all have the music album of the movie to entertain us. The music has been composed by Pritam, who has not even yet come out of the fresh success of his latest super-hit album ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’. This happens to be Pritam and Aamir Khan’s second time working together, the first being ‘Dhoom 3’, which, as most sequels are, was a bit underwhelming. This movie being a sports film, I was skeptical whether there would be any scope for Pritam to shine as much as he did in ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’, but again, we remember music albums like ‘Phantom’ and ‘Barfi’, movies where music might not have played too much of a role, but Pritam nailed it with his music and stunned critics as well as listeners. So let’s hope Pritam continues his hit spree with this album as well! With this album, Pritam offers 6 more songs to add to his 6 songs from ‘Ae Dil..’, so without further ado, let’s start!!!
“Toffee chooran, khel khilaune, kulche naan parantha, Keh gaye hain tata jabse, Bapu toone daanta! Jis umar mein shobha dete, masti, sair, sapaata, Uss umar ko naap raha hai, kyun ghadi ka kaanta?”
It is with the first song itself, that Pritam assures that whatever our doubts were before hearing the album, he is going to provide his utter best and not leave a single chance to give good music, whatever be the genre of the film. So of course, the film shows the struggle of Mr. Phogat’s daughters right from their childhood, in which case a children’s song is a must, isn’t it? And so, Pritam, very diligently, delivers a children’s song as the very first song of the album. And what a smashing opening it makes for! The composition is another one that falls into Pritam’s category of insane, fun songs, and is one that will instantly connect with the audience, especially the part of the audience that it is clearly aimed at — The kids! More specifically, the kids who have a very strict father, like the girls in the movie do. 😀 The song starts with a cute little ad-lib by the young boys, paving a nice way into a folk-flavoured rhythm that goes “ding dang ding dang…” and at the same time, makes you groove. And it is the mukhda which makes the song finally get going finally. The catchy tune, rendered by those cute young voices, just can’t let you hate it! The raps that act as fillers in the interludes are so entertaining, that the instruments almost don’t matter! (People wanting to sue me because of less recognition and rights for instruments, please note the ‘almost’ 😛 ) The antara showcases even more of the Folk flavour, by slowing the tempo down, sort of like how it is in Qawwalis, and that tune too is amazing! Pritam has employed great folksy nuances to complement his buoyant composition, the rock guitars (Vadim Zilberstien & Amandeep Singh) being the most prominent. What infuses the folksy feel into the song, though, are the lively harmoniums and that wonderful rhythm (Iqbal Azad, Hanif Dafrani, Aslam Dafrani & Yusuf Sheikh) that plays all throughout. The duffs and other folksy percussion have been used so wonderfully, not to mention the awesome occasional drums (Alan Hertz). I completely loved the fusion of Western and Folk music that Pritam has utilised in this song. The second interlude has a wonderful banjo solo, that is just a pleasure to listen to! Back to the rock guitars, it just rejuvenates you when those guitar strums play unexpectedly in the middle of a verse. The song ends on a nice high-energy conclusion, complete with whistles and the “ding dang” rhythm making it a grand finale. The vocals are impressive. Pritam’s earthy finds, Sarwar & Sartaz Khan, two young folk singers, render the song beautifully. That naughtiness that was required to render the song, has been very professionally brought into the song by them. Their diction of certain words is very fun and entertaining, like ‘torture’. But the backing vocalists, two more young boys, namely Dayam & Kheta Khan, also make the song sound better with their occasional embellishments throughout the song. The genius mastermind that he is, Amitabh Bhattacharya excels with the pen in this track. His witty nuances constitute the majority of the song, while also dissipating the subliminal message of letting children enjoy their childhood. Lines like “Bapu sehat Ke liye Tu toh haanikarak hai” (Father, you are injurious to health) and “Mitti ki gudiya se bole Chal body Bana, yo toh torture hai ghana re yo toh torture hai ghana” (He tells a young girl to do body building, this is sheer torture!) and “Discipline itna khudkhushi Ke laayak hai” (So much discipline, that it is enough for us to commit suicide), though marinated in sarcasm and exaggeration, do evoke laughter from you, even though they are a bit far-fetched. 😀 The jest contained in this song is enough to make you rolling with laughter. Finally, Bollywood evolves from songs that worship blindly, to songs that are straightforward like open letters. To those cute boys, please sing more in the future!#5StarHotelSong!!
“Tanne chaaro khaane chitt kar degi, Tere purje fit kar degi, Datt kar degi Tere daanv se badhke, pech palat kar degi, Chitt kar degi, chitt kar degi! Aisi dhaakad hai, dhaakad hai, aisi dhaakad hai, Aisi dhaakad hai, dhaakad hai, aisi dhaakad hai!”
The next song redefines Bollywood’s meaning of ‘rap’ and actually takes rap for what it means. The song is a Haryanvi hip-hop rap song, that is full of attitude and spunk. Though it is completely a rap song, it is that harmonium tune by Pritam that gets the listener hooked right from the beginning. The arrangements too are very captivating. More on them later. So as I was saying, or writing, the song starts off quite subtly with a rap that does not instantly grab you in. However, gradually, as the rhythm sets in and you get accustomed to the very innovative setting of the song, the song sounds nothing but catchy. Raftaar’s rap has this flow to it that makes you want to hear it over and over again. Especially the lines I’ve written above, that part sounds so good!! However, Raftaar only plays half the role in making the song sound so good. Because Pritam has decorated the background music with such cool sound effects, that it is difficult to keep your concentration on one particular thing. The song itself starts with a very stunning prelude, which gives us an insight into the Haryanvi setting of the song, with the sarangi (Rajesh Kumar) welcoming us into the song very warmly and getting us ready for some folksy fest, when unexpectedly, some techno sounds and digital beats start playing and those nice sound effects bring a modern touch to the song. The Folk percussion and the manjeeras too help the song to get elevated right at the beginning. Raftaar’s spunky rendition is just perfect. There couldn’t be a more full-of-attitude delivery of the verses. He also puts in those awesome backing vocals that interrupt in between the lines, like ‘haanji’, ‘kasam se’, ‘by God’, ‘ibb yo suno’ and whatnot. Those phrases just sound awesome in their randomness. Aamir’s version has Aamir starting off well, and with a lot of attitude, but you just get disconnected from the song midway. Nevertheless, it acts as a nice makeover of the actor’s goody-goody image. :p He does deliver the words very fast, and that one rap in the middle which Raftaar had rendered amazingly, Aamir too aces easily! About that ‘nineteen-to-the-dozen’ rap, though, there are many musical additions by Pritam behind whatever Raftaar or Aamir are saying. A nice techno base offers a modern touch, while electronic tablas steal the show and that been/pungi (Mukesh Nath) that sounds oh-so-earthy, is just awesome. Pritam places the techno elements in the song in places they are least expected. And that harmonium which plays everytime the rapper says “Tere purje fit Kar degi..” is just mind blowing!!! Amitabh’s lyrics are equally full of attitude. I doubt Raftaar being a rapper could’ve written the lyrics! A step towards the uplifting of the rap genre in Bollywood, this song acts as a nice relief from the rap songs of today.#5StarHotelSong!!
3. Gilehriyaan Singer ~ Jonita Gandhi
“Ek nayi si dosti, aasmaan se ho gayi, zameen mujhse jalke, muh banaake bole, Tu bigad rahi hai! Zindagi bhi aaj kal, gintiyon se oobke, Ganit ke aakdon ke saath ek aadha sher padh rahi hai!”
With the next song, the fun and naughty flavour of the album is gone, and replaced by a subtlety and innocence which can only be got in the best of romantic songs. With that fun flavour, even the rustic, folksy nature of the former tracks is replaced by an almost urban, modern touch. So Pritam has composed a song tracing the feelings of the girls when they go to the city for their training, and what results is a lilting composition that sucks you in right away. The mukhda is the hookline itself, and what a relief it is! It is so fresh and relaxing, that you cannot even imagine to hate it! The part that goes “Kyon zarasa mausam sarphira hai ya mera mood maskhara hai..” is beautiful! Pritam’s tune instantly gets you hooked, and you can’t do anything except sit and listen until the magic is over. The antara just continues the magic, and those two lines of the antara sound scintillating and surreal. The way Pritam connects the antara then, to the hook again, is fantastic! The hook has that lilt to it, which you normally feel when you are on top of the world, happy, jolly and indifferent to whatever’s going on around you! That lilt has been infused into it because of the amazing arrangements. The guitars (Nikhil Paul George) are so beautiful, that you just can’t ignore them, not to mention those finger snaps at the end of every line. The strings (The Symphony Team conducted by Christian Lorenz) are amazing, coupled with a nice choir piece to them. The mandolin can be heard in places, while the matkas are beautiful in the hook. The whole thing results in a wonderful positive vibe that does nothing but make you feel content and satisfied. It is Jonita that explores herself the most in this song. While she has sung quite some soft numbers for Rahman, it was her first such song with Pritam (the club numbers ‘Sau Tarah Ke’ from ‘Dishoom’ and ‘The Breakup Song’ from ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ being her previous songs with Pritam) and Pritam has made her sing so calmly and smoothly that it actually sounds fairy-land-ish and lulling. When she touches the high notes, her voice just directly touches your heart. Amitabh’s lyrics are genius here as well, and those lines from the antara are just ingenious!! A song that will make a place in everybody’s playlist for this year’s best songs! Melodic!#5StarHotelSong!!!
4. Dangal Singer ~ Daler Mehndi
“Thhos majboot bharosa, apne sapnon pe karna, Jitne munh utni baatein, gaur kitnon pe karna, Aaj logon ki baari, jo kahe, keh lene de, Tera bhi din aayega, uss din hisaab chukake rehnaaa..! Arey, bhed ki hahakaar ke badle sher ki ek dahaad hai pyaare, Dangal Dangal!”
The album’s title song comes quite late into the album, but how! The song is a pulsating, racy, energetic song that can be described just half of how great it actually is! Pritam has outdone himself here and produced such a heart-rending, motivational song, with such a beautiful composition, that I really have to salute him! The song starts off with those backing vocalists that we heard in the trailer of the film, and they sing that line with such conviction and energy, that it’s simply magical! The song immediately plunges into the mukhda that is the hookline, and then takes a small detour to the actual mukhda, which is amazing. (“Dhadkanein chhati mein…”) The composition of these two parts is enough to grab the attention of the listener and get him hooked! The backing vocals line keeps repeating throughout and it sounds just as exhilarating each time it plays. Though the hookline is oh-so-dependent on the repetition of the words “dangal dangal”, it still remains fresh in your mind after the song is over, and doesn’t come across as boring,because the padding around it has been composed rather professionally. Of course, what else can you expect from Pritam? The antara has a very emotional touch to its tune, and that was a welcome touch added by the composer. Everytime the verse connects with the hookline, you feel some thrilling sensation, and that just means that the motivational song has succeeded in its intentions! Arrangements are awesome as well! Of course, the usual rock guitars (Amandeep Singh & Roland Fernandes) and drums (Alan Hertz) that are used by everyone in such motivational title songs, are present. But leave it up to Pritam to give an already fortified and established cliché, an unexpected twist. He adds a nice Punjabi percussion to the song, and I must say, the percussion (Iqbal Azad, Girish Vishwa, Babloo Kumar, Ramjan Khavra, Ahmed Khavra) has added a nice and very intense quality to the music. Though it is a bit reminiscent of the ‘Rang De Basanti’ title song, which also had Daler Mehndi singing amidst heavy Punjabi percussion, this one too will make a place for itself in history. Moving on to the vocals, I can’t really praise Daler Mehndi enough! This year he has ventured into Bollywood thrice — once with Sachin-Jigar in ‘Raj Karega Khalsa’ (A Flying Jatt), then with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in the ‘Mirzya’ title track, and now this. Each time, he has showcased his awesome singing prowess and prices that he is the lion of Bollywood music. He uses his distinctive voice to awe the listeners in this track too, and doesn’t fail to live up to the energy that Pritam has created with his tune and arrangements. The backing vocalists (unfortunately uncredited by Zee Music), as mentioned earlier, are awesome! Amitabh goes to a different league altogether with the lyrics of this song. The struggle of the main character has been perfectly described through his words. The antaras are amazing, and somewhere I find that the words also apply to Pritam himself, who rose up from those demonic allegations of plagiarism and reinvented himself. The words are very touching and are sure to get some tears (even one will do, but don’t cheat and add glycerine please!) in your eyes! An adventurous title song, rendered beautifully by Daler Mehndi! Pritam has tried something different and succeeded with flying colours!!#5StarHotelSong!!
5. Naina Singer ~ Arijit Singh
“Naina, jo saanjhe khwaab dekhte thhey, Naina, bichhad ke aaj ro diye hain yun, Naina, jo milke raat jaagte thhey, Naina, seher mein palkein meechte hain yun”
The melancholia sets in with the next song. Pritam composes another song to accompany his songs in the league of ‘Channa Mereya’ (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil), ‘Kabira’ (Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) and ‘Ashq Na Ho’ (Holiday). The same feeling of melancholia hits you as soon as this one starts playing. The song starts with a small verse that sounds a bit like that concluding Punjabi couplet of ‘Channa Mereya’ in certain notes. However, it soon passes through that small resemblance phase, and as the miraculous hookline takes over, you soon forget about whatever small resemblance both songs showed. The hookline is amazingly poignant, and touches the chords of your heart immediately, and then the mukhhda just consolidates their position in your heart. The antara too, is very soul-stirring, and the high notes in Pritam’s composition help that part to connect with the audience. The melody has some old-world charm to it, something that is missing in most of today’s songs. The arrangements are beautiful as well, and the Composer goes with the typical Duff rhythm to accompany the composition. Calm guitars help the song to grab the attention of the audience before the actual melody starts playing. A wonderful sitar provides a nice source of relief in the interlude, only to be followed by an accordion-mandolin combo. In other parts though, the Duff does the needful, and though I have gotten bored of this rhythm in other songs, it sounds fresh here, maybe because of the poignant melody. And that violin that appears out of the blue at 2:18 in the song!! It sounds so retro and soothing! 😀 Violins also join in to conclude the song during the last hookline. Arijit renders the song beautifully, but part of the sameness of this song and the others I mentioned at the beginning, is that Arijit has sung them. Nevertheless, he is good at his delivery and does what he’s best at. Amitabh’s lyrics are splendid and a great to listen to, especially with Pritam’s heart-touching melody. A song that might go unnoticed, but is actually a gem!#5StarHotelSong!!
“Main boli banna manne picture dikha de, Balcony ki do tho ticket kata de, Yoon toh Sara theatre tha khaali, Banne ne ek ticket hi nikaali! Bola ke interval take dekh le Tu, Interval ke aage ki main dekh loonga, Ek ticket se kaam chale toh do leke Kya karna?! Idiot hai mera banna!”
The last song on the album definitely suits as a grand finale to the album. The song is a wedding song, clearly a song where the ladies of the town are singing and dancing, and the men are nowhere to be seen. The song follows the convention of songs like ‘Mere Haathon Mein Nau Nau Chudiyan’ (Chandni), ‘Didi Tera Devar’ (Hum Aapke Hain Koun) and ‘Gore Gore Se Chhore’ (Hum Tum) where the girls are singing about the men, and making fun of them. And with the men being made fun of, we listeners too get let in on a few secrets as we enjoy the track. Pritam’s composition perfectly sums up the essence of village weddings, and has a distinct Haryanvi flavour to it. The backing vocalists (again uncredited) become a nice addition as they help with the gossiping and whatnot. They start the song off on a very upbeat and ‘Cutiepie’-ish note. The mukhda too, seems as if it has been taken out of ‘Cutiepie’ (Ae Dil Hai Mushkil). Again, the resemblance only lasts for an insignificant amount of time, and wears off right away. The hookline is catchy, and very fun. The antara is functional, but since the song is primarily situational, it doesn’t matter, as the fun lyrics help us through the song. Arrangements are fantastic, almost a replica of ‘Cutiepie’ but less loud and less in-your-ears. The dholaks are what reminded me of ‘Mere Haathon Mein’ (Chandni) and the shehnaai in the interlude is very fun and cute, though reminiscent of Salim-Sulaiman’s shehnaai in ‘Baari Barsi’ (Band Baaja Baaraat). The rock guitats and drums stand out here as well, and the harmonium sounds charming. The Nooran sisters with their ebullient voices, harmonize perfectly with each other and though their voices, usually left free to their natural extent, sounds a bit suppressed and restricted here, the magic produced is the same. Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics are very humorous, and really make for a fun listen. The words I have showcased are just one of the three funny incidents about the Banna. (Groom) Bringing the old Bollywood traditions back into Bollywood as they were!!#5StarHotelSong!!
Phew!! Dangal is stunning! Each and every track has a different distinct flavour to it — one primarily a children’s song, another a rap song, yet abother a lilting romantic song, and a electrifying motivational song, a poignant melody, topped by a fun village-ish wedding song. Pritam has delivered songs that don’t even scream “Pritam has composed us!”. None of the songs sound like a Pritam song! How interesting it is, that all the sings from Pritam’s last album, ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ had that distinct Pritam flavour, while all of the songs in this album (save maybe ‘Naina’) don’t! Anyway, the album is one of Pritam’s best, and also Aamir Khan’s best albums in quite some time. (‘PK’ being good, ‘Dhoom 3’ being okay, and ‘Talaash’ being the last great album of his movie.) The variety of tracks that this album offers, is amazing! All I can say is that, the ‘dhaakad’ duo Pritam-Amitabh have won this Musical ‘Dangal’ and ended 2016 on a high, with a bang!!
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: Dangal > All the rest! 😀
Which is your favourite song from Dangal? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂
THE YEAR’S ALBUMS ARE OVER!!! STAYTUNED FOR THE ANNUAL ROUND-UP! 🙂
Music Album Details ♪ Music by: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy ♪ Lyrics by: Gulzar ♪ Music Label: T-Series ♪ Music Released On: 8th September 2016 ♪ Movie Released On: 7th October 2016
Mirzya Album Cover
To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE
Mirzya – Dare To Love is an upcoming Bollywood romantic period drama, directed by the famous Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, and produced by Rohit Khattar, Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, P.S. Bharathi and Rajiv Tandon, and Cinestaan Film Company.The film stars new talents Harshvardhan Kapoor (Anil Kapoor’s son) and Saiyami Kher (Tanvi Azmi’s niece). The film is inspired from the famous Punjabi folklore of “Mirza-Sahibaan”. Well, after great movies like ‘Rang De Basanti’, ‘Delhi-6’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, I’m sure Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra has put in more than his best for this ambitious film, and I was hoping this magnum opus worked out well; sad that it didn’t! Meanwhile, we got to enjoy the music of the film, and whether the film works or not, we are always here to enjoy the music, which is expected to be great, just like all of Rakeysh’s other film’s music was. Seeing how successful his decision of roping in the most successful musical trio of Bollywood, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, turned out in his last outing ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’, Rakeysh ropes them in for this ambitious project as well. But this time, he changes his usual lyricist Prasoon Joshi, and ropes in the mastermind Gulzar, who had also worked with him on his first film ‘Aks’. Gulzar was the perfect choice when it comes to a movie like this; clearly, a theme-based movie, which will need songs strictly following its narrative. Another point I would like to note is that Daler Mehndi has scored the background music of the film, and six of the fifteen tracks in the album are his background vocal tracks — less than a minute long, and nothing that can be described individually, so I would advise you to hear them while watching the movie if you don’t like such tracks. First of all, let’s see how Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s nine tracks constituting the actual reviewable part of the album fares! Hopefully, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy shoot the arrows right on the bullseye!
The title track arrives first on the album, and it is something that will leave you awestruck by the end of it. It is Pakistani folk singer Saieen Zahoor (spelled by T-Series as Sain) who gets to open the track, and his voice is very representative of the setting and locale of the film — a rural area. It is fascinating things such as this that constitute the best moments of the song. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy seem to have taken great efforts in making this one what it is. The song is a great showcase of beautiful folksy rhythms and melodies, and I’ve never seen the north-western folk music represented in such a beautiful way in films recently (Thank you, Badshah and Yo Yo Honey Singh!) All the singers associated with this song are natives of that region, but surprisingly, the music-makers themselves, aren’t! What a magnificently remarkable work they’ve done! The composition has many layers, tones and undertones. At first listen, it sounds like a very happy-go-lucky folk song, until you start noticing the sinister and emotional undertones too! The song starts with Saieen’s folksy voice singing a verse that hookss you instantly, and then his wonderful “Mirzyaaaaa hoo-ohhh” starts off the actual song. Daler Mehndi steps in, with all his energy focused onto the song, bringing out a brilliant performance. His famous high notes don’t fail to fascinate here either. The hookline is genius at its peak. The mukhda has Daler Mehndi singing an awesome high-pitched portion, and along with Saieen, he carries it out with impeccable finesse. But the high point a of the composition is whenever Daler sings “Oh mirzyaaaa“. The “Gol gol ghume zameen…” line, too, has been composed beautifully. The antara is led by the Nooran Sisters, and their part is very cuteand likable. Akhtar Chanal is in there somewhere, not getting much scope to shine individually, but I’m sure his voice is making a difference somewhere or the other. The backing vocals are beautiful, and their roles are so important in making the song what it is. Towards the end, they sing a wonderful, dreamy portion that goes like “Sunn teri oh dastaan re mirzya“, and it is so good!! The Salvation Singers’ intermittent vocals in between the lines of the song, are too good to miss. This is one of those songs where the backing chorus plays a very important role. Coming to the arrangements by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, they are very energetic and catchy. The rhythms by Taufiq Qureshi instantly catch your attention, and you can’t forget the rhythm on which the song is composed. The dhadd plays throughout the song, infusing the Punjabi touch to it, while the earthy string instruments are something you don’t get to hear everyday. Towards the end Naveen Kumar’s BRILLIANT flutes and pungis play a very upbeat folksy piece which makes you smile. At the end of the song, you just can’t help but think how skillfully Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have crafted the music and composition for this song. Gulzar’s lyrics are clearly folk lyrics out of which we can understand some things here and there, and so it might appeal to less people, but I loved whatever I could discern! The way he has employed a story-telling manner to put forth the legend of Mirzya, is commendable. A title track that is as legendary as the legend it is supposed to be describing! Something as fascinating as this can simply not go unnoticed or unappreciated!!#5StarHotelSong!!
2. Teen Gawah Hain Ishq Ke Singers ~ Siddharth Mahadevan & Sain Zahoor, Chorus ~ The Salvation Singers & Loy Mendonsa
The sound of a woodwind opens up the next song and you can easily understand that this one is going to be a fresh romantic song with a folksy aura to it. Sure enough, that is just what you get. It is Saieen Zahoor again, who gets to start the sing off with a very enchanting couplet, that made me get goosebumps. And what follows is pure bliss. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy get it right with the composition, a breezy and enjoyable one which is as fresh as you can imagine. Of course, the trio has excelled in making these songs, but this one seems to top them all. The composition is a breeze of fresh air. After Saieen’s couplet, Siddharth sings a wonderful vocal rhythm which goes ‘Tannanaa Nannanaa” and the wonderful Salvation Singers accompany him in the “Hoo-oh-ohh“. The mukhda is something that instantly gets you hooked. The hookline is entrancing, if not anything else. The low notes of the mukhda make you ready for a very soft and quiet song which stays in the low notes for the whole time, but the antara is an exception, where the trio expertly let the composition traverse into high notes, and it sounds equally tranquil. Towards the end, Saieen does a wonderful closing aalaap, which is worth looking out for! The Salvation Singers and Loy do a wonderful job in supporting Siddharth, who is clearly at his best here. The man usually gets high-pitched, high-energy, dynamic songs where he is forced to yell (though it sounds good, nothing against that!) but this seems to be the very first song where he has actually been able to sing in a normal pitch, voice and without risking his throat! 😀 And the result? It is a very melodious, mellifluous voice that I couldn’t ever imagine Siddharth Mahadevan producing! Leave it up to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to discover new singing styles in singers, even if the singer is the son of the first third of the trio. 😀 It is the arrangements that add the necessary charm to the song. With those guitar riffs playing throughout the song, it is impossible to not get lost in the music! It is Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s trademark, those riffs! In each song they have some or the other musical loop, be it that vocal one in ‘Mera Yaar’ (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) or the digital one in ‘Gallan Goodiyan’ (Dil Dhadakne Do) which starts off the song. Along with those guitars, the trio has a wonderful folk percussion instrument called the dimdi (played by Abhay Rumde) which helps to get the folksy feel. There are other sounds like chinks on glass, which must be the genius of Taufiq Qureshi at work. 😀 It is the backing chorus made up of the Salvation Singers and Lot that make the song as breezy as it is. Last but definitely not the least, Gulzar’s lyrics come into picture. What a brilliant hookline he has written! “Teen gawah hain ishq ke, ikk rab hai, ikk tu, aur main!” (There are there witnesses of love, one is God, and you, and me!) I don’t know where he gets such ideas from, but much to our enjoyment, he gets them anyway! 😀 Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy ace this one, and deliver what must be the breeziest love song I’ve heard in a while! Kudos to Siddharth Mahadevan for showing this side of him!#5StarHotelSong!!
3. Chakora Singers ~ Mame Khan, Suchismita Das & Akhtar Chanal, Chorus ~ Shankar Mahadevan & Suchismita Das
You would be a nasty, ugly little liar, if you said that you weren’t waiting for some or the other kind of a dance track in this movie. When it’s a folk-themed movie, based in Rajasthan, and when you have composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy on board, wouldn’t you be eager to hear a dance song? Yes you would, at least I think you would. And so, the next song presents itself as a folksy dance track. Of course, there can’t be a straightforward dance track when it comes to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy either! They have to twist it some way or the other. And so what do they do? They conveniently infuse techno beats into the Rajasthani folksy song. And the result is stupendous!! The composition has the very much necessary folk touch, and calls out to you right away. The mukhda starts with a very enticing “Arey Haalaaaaaa” by Mame Khan, a contemporary folk artist who has sung in Coke Studio Season 2 for Amit Trivedi, indicating that a folksy melody is following. The mukhda is very catchy, and both Mame Khan and Shuchismita Das sing wonderfully to make it sound entrancing. The hookline, “Lipat lipat chal gayo re dola” is sooooo good! The trio has made up a very appealing melody for that. The antara is made up of many twists and turns, all of which just make the song sound even more beautiful. With one singer singing half a line, which is later continued by the other singer, this part is definitely not to be missed! The song may be raaga-based, but it really doesn’t seem to be, with the arrangements that the trio has given. A wonderful techno sound has been added to the song, reminiscent of the times when the trio has introduced such songs to Bollywood, and in particular, the entire sound reminded me of ‘Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe’ (Dil Chahta Hai). The other folk instruments play an important role in making the folk aspect of the song stand out — particularly the percussion. The vocals are magnificent, though I do bear a grudge against Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for having autotuned Mame Khan’s voice! 😦 It sounds good autotuned too, but I feel the folksy aspect would’ve stood out if it had been left as it was. Suchismita sings wonderfully as she always does, but gets little space to be noticed among Mame Khan’s wonderful singing. Akhtar Chanal, once again, is sidelined and I think he’s the person who sings those mystical-sounding chants at the start of the song, which I thought sounded a lot like Gulzar! 😀 Shankar Mahadevan’s backing vocals are amazing, and he leaves no space empty, making sure every second of the song is filled with some sounh or the other! Gulzar’s lyrics are great, here as well, perfectly describing love in a very metaphorical manner. The underlying suggestion that the line “Aasmaan par udey chakora, chaand pakadne jaave, ishq udey jab tez dhaar pe dono pankh kataave” gives, also explains the pain of the two lovers. A fun song, with undertones of emotion and love! Genius stuff from Gulzar, and brought to life very effusively by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Mame Khan & Suchismita Das!#5StarHotelSong!!
4. Aave Re Hitchki Singers ~ Shankar Mahadevan & Mame Khan, Chorus ~ Sapna Pathak, Arsh Mohammed, Rehan Khan, Firoz Khan & Farhan Sabri
When the gratifying sound of the sarangi opens a song, the song more often than every time, turns out to be a very beautiful one. And this one is another song which can be added to that list. The song wonderfully starts off with an enchanting sarangi piece, played by Mame Khan’s troupe. And then the roopak taal sets in to make the ambience more soulful and soothing. It is the first line of the composition itself, that brings out the goosebumps. The tune is so sweet and charming, that you just can’t NOT like it. The way the mukhda is made up of three parts, the first one being the first line, “Nidra mein kisne...”, the second being “Sandesa aayo na chhithiyaa bhijayi…” and the third going on a different scale and tune with “Dhoop mundhere chadh gayo dola..“, is a masterstroke idea. And the hookline, oh!! It is so charming, that you end up falling in love with it by the time it has played twice. There are actually two very wonderful hooklines or refrains in the song — the title of the song being one, and the second being a just as wonderfully composed (in fact, sounding better!) “Talaiyya sookhi, keekhar sookha, bheetar sookha re“. The seamless transition from each line of that hookline, is what makes it so beautiful. The antara traverses very calm notes, that instantly connect with the listener. And towards the end there’s a wonderful bit of the song, which goes “Mann tarse, ghan barse“.. And the way the trio has composed these two words in so many different tunes, also with the tune of the hookline, is such a pleasure to hear! 😀 What can I say about the vocals? Shankar Mahadevan is at his graceful best. The RAAGA-based composition couldn’t be sung better by anyone but him, and I particularly loved how he sings the high notes! The backing chorus effusively sings the hookline, and makes it stand out amazingly. The arrangements are nothing to miss, either! The trio has appointed a number of instruments to help to make the song sound grand. I must bring out the sarangi, (by the Mame Khan Troupe) which has been played the most beautifully throughout the song. One part in the interlude where the hookline’s tune has been played on the sarangi, is just awesome. And then there are the brilliant, BRILLIANT guitars (Neill Mukherjee) which support the composition on every note. The Spanish Guitars in the interlude particularly, are worth hearing a million times! Dholaks (also by the Mame Khan Troupe) are also great. But one of the most intriguing sounds in the song, is Shankar Mahadevan’s flawless “HICHH!” in one of the hooklines, which you really have to watch out for! 🙂 Gulzar’s lyrics are worth a salute, and I can’t really say anything much except that you should go and hear them and also try to decipher them, and when you do, wait for the smile that’ll come on your face! 😀 A masterpiece from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, fit for repeat listening, and wonderfully bringing out the rajasthani folk part of the movie!#5StatHotelSong!!
The angst in the album was missing, until this song comes along in the playlist. The way it starts, you wouldn’t think it would turn into a sinister, dark-sounding, angsty song later on! The Nooran Sisters start off with a very groovy vocal beat, which is basically Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy showing off at how well they compose such groovy vocal loops. This song is the song around which the gist of the story is centered. The line “Chot kahin lag jaati hai par zakhm kahin par hota hai” is the tagline of the film, and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy wonderfully incorporate it into the song. The way the composition is not delimited by a fixed tune, and is rather flexible, in that the folk singers can be seen at their liberty to sing anything anytime, is just fabulous. I personally loved the way Akhtar Chanal & Saieen Zahoor interrupt throughout the song with weird vocals, that actually bring you to like the song even more. But the song belongs to the Nooran Sisters, who are at their best in bringing a whole different kind of suspense to the song, and vivaciously bring forth the ideas of Gulzar saab. The composition itself is filled with very dark undertones and the dark sound of it all does nothing but attract you. There is a wonderful line in the song sung by Shankar Mahadevan along with the Salvation Singers. And to top it all, at the end, Daler Mehndi comes back with his hard-hitting “Ohhhh mirzyaaaaa” from the title song. The composers have made sure that the composition, despite all of its unconventional-ness, reaches out to the listener and grabs him, not instantly, but a bit more each time. It is the awesome arrangements that give the song half of its greatness. The techno beats and the typical Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy club beats fuse with a mesmerizing folk act by the Nooran Sisters, Saieen and Akhtar. The sarangi (Delshad Khan) in the interlude is just wow. And then there are the khartals (Mame Khan Troupe) which attract your attention. And the harmony between Jyoti and Sultana Nooran is unmatchable! Gulzar’s lyrics are all about how love is deceptive and blah blah, but the way he has portrayed it, is worth listening. Something unconventional, that might not get the desired praise and acclaim, but definitely touched my heart!#5StarHotelSong!!
6. Ek Nadi Thi Singers ~ Jyoti Nooran, Sultana Nooran & K. Mohan,
This song starts with a wonderful heart-touching aalaap by one of the Nooran Sisters (really can’t distinguish which one!) The real magic though, starts when Mohan Kanan with his very deep voice starts to sing the sweet melody of the song, and it is from this moment that you really start grooving to the song. The beats too, are worth grooving to! The song is arranged on nothing but acoustic guitars and claps and snaps, giving a very homely and minimalistic feel to the entire affair. The composition by the trio is so catchy and absorptive at the same time, that you just can’t forget it once you hear it. The hookline is just something that seems to have come from the composers’ hearts. The antara continues the freshness of the song, and the harmony that the Nooran Sisters create with K. Mohan, who is probably the only lead singer on the album who is not known for folk, is pretty awesome! The high notes touched by the Nooran Sisters and the low notes rendered by Mohan, complement each other very well, despite so much contrast. I can hear Shankar Mahadevan leading the Salvation Singers in the background, and it sounds so beautiful, that sometimes, you will find yourself focusing more on his parts than the parts of the lead singers! I wonder why T-Series hasn’t credited them like they have for the other songs! The arrangements mesmerize you with their simplicity — who has ever heard a song arranged merely on acoustic guitars and claps and snaps, when the song is in an album made for a folksy movie? Well it is allthe work of the mastermind percussionist Taufiq Qureshi! Towards the end, the two entities, Nooran Sisters and K. Mohan, perform a wonderful harmonic interpretation of the hookline, with one of them saying one line and the other following the first, with the classic style of starting right in the middle of the first singer’s line. Gulzar’s words make it known that the nadi (river) that he’s talking about is Sahibaan, and he has woven a metaphorical story around her through the song. Simplicity takes over in this otherwise quite complicated album!#5StarHotelSong!!
7. Doli Re Doli Singers ~ Shankar Mahadevan & Mame Khan
The wonderful opening lines sung by Mame Khan bring an opulent start to the next song, which is a very unconventional bidaai song! The opening lines by Mame Khan sound like the start of a garba, but then stop sounding like one almost at once, and when you get to know, much to your disappointment that the song isn’t a garba, you get excited on knowing that it is, indeed, a soft jazz song! Yes, you read it right! A bidaai song with a jazz backdrop! After Mame’s introduction is over, Loy’s keyboard comes in and steals the show, coupled with a wonderful trumpet (Victor Garcia) that was definitely not anticipated! And while all this magic is happening, Shankar is busy at the mic, singing a tranquilizing aalaap. When the first line of the melody hits you, you can’t believe your ears for a minute, but then your ears decide to digest the fact that the composition is so melodious, and though it has a sad undertone, you can’t help feel your mood lightened up a bit after hearing. The classical-based composition coupled with the emotional soft jazz arrangements consisting of showstopping keyboard solos by Loy, not to mention the drums (out of which the cymbals are played oh so wonderfully! — credits to Kalyan Pathak). The signature melodica played by Shankar himself, is the epitome of classiness in the song. That brings us to the vocals which are by Shankar too, and couldn’t be better! I can’t praise him enough for this song! The way he brilliantly breezes through those aalaaps in the song (they’re almost everywhere — try to locate each and every one of them, as they’re not to be missed!) Gulzar, on the other hand, writes away at a heartrending piece of poetry, which puts forth the sentiments of the bride during bidaai, very well. Lines like “Chaukhat pyaar Jo pair dhare toh, main len den chukayo baabul” (I have repaid all the debts to my parents after I cross the threshold of their house) tell you why Gulzar is such a renowned writer. 🙂 The sweetness of the album reaches a new level with this song. Something that is as unconventional as this, has to be par excellence!#5StarHotelSong!!
8. Kaaga Singer ~ Kaushiki Chakraborty
After all that folk and the jazz of the previous song, you’re really not ready for what awaits you in this song. As soon as it starts playing, an opulent symphony strikes you and you feel as of you’re in some orchestra performance, where one of the stalwarts like Mozart, Beethoven, Bach, Chopin, Haydn and the like. The violins really fill your heart and mind with some pleasing and soothing quality, but also leave you craving for more after it all ends. BUT WAIT!! We haven’t finished yet! I still have to tell you about the start! So, back to the beginning of the song. After that wonderful symphony — which, sadly, T-Series and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy haven’t given any sort of musician credits for (which is simply not done, okay! You don’t NOT give musician credits for some song I really wanna know the musician credits of! 😦 ) — so yeah, after that symphony, a sweet twinkling sound (xylophone most probably) takes you to the main melody of the song, and who waits for you there? The fantastic classical singer, the majestic Kaushiki Chakraborty. With her each and every note, she manages to take away some fraction of your breath, and that’s why you call it breathtaking! Her AALAAPS are simply amazing, and it is her magnificent vocals that decorate the already magnificent composition and arrangements by the trio. Wonderful use of strings and the flute, makes this song what it is. The brass portions give a very otherworldly feel, and you feel as if you are in outer space. Gulzar’s lyrics are nostalgically refreshing! Something in which Kaushiki, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, and Gulzar, all are at their very best! And special bows to the musicians!!!#5StarHotelSong!!
9. Mirzya Theme – Broken Arrows (Instrumental)
To end the album, we have an instrumental that is bound to get you teary-eyed, to the extent that even if you’re in Shangri-La while listening to it, you will get that inabominable feeling of pain and hurt in your heart. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy yet again bring in the strings — this time the violin, to bring out the emotion in the piece. The trio cleverly takes the backing chorus’ humming tune from ‘Teen Gawah’ and weaves it into a mellow, sombre and emotional piece, which is quite brimful of emotions. The violin does the job in the first half of this piece and in the second half, the relay is seamlessly passed on to the flute, which is the best choice ever! Again, T-Series and the trio haven’t provided any musician credits of any sort, so I take it for granted that they played the instruments themselves. Anyway, it is a beautiful way of the composers and director telling us that all that happiness in the ‘Teen Gawah’ sequence was just illusory, so don’t pay it any attention, because we all know the fate of Mirza and Sahibaan. A track that will play in the back of your head in your free time and try to make you feel like you’re in a movie and your life is depressing, so try to limit that depression to the characters of the movie and listen to the song, to have a wonderful experience! Emotion at its best! 🙂#5StarHotelSong!!
Mirzya – Dare To Love is an album that really forces you, not dares you, to love it. Nine wonderfully arranged musical pieces with awe-inspiring vocals by attractive rustic voices, coupled with groovy beats from the maestros Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and the vision of a mastermind like Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, makes this album one to die for. The choice of singers is fantastic — Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy gather up a team of folk singers and wonderfully employ them throughout the album. The Nooran Sisters and Saieen Zahoor, particularly, strike gold through this album. The Noorans spectacularly make their presence felt throughout the album. The two Pakistani folk singers, Saieen and Akhtar Channal, though they get less scope, don’t fail to impress you, while Mame Khan and his musician troupe, hailing from the deserts of Rajasthan, amaze you with their rustic vocals. The two very smooth-textured voices on the album, Suchismita Das and Kaushiki Chakraborty, both from West Bengal, do magic in their relatively small roles on the album. K. Mohan and Siddharth Mahadevan, practically the only commercial singers of the new generation on the album, do a splendid job in their respective songs, though the Noorans do overshadow Mohan in his song. Shankar Mahadevan himself spectacularly sings two of the songs, which are two of my favorites from the album too! Not to mention the wonderful harmonies of The Salvation Singers!! Just splendid! 😀 And last but not the least, Daler Mehndi with his splendid baritone voice surpassing all with his rendition of the title song, and his theme tracks that are interspersed throughout the album. A special mention to his voice that goes “Ohhhh mirzyaaaaaaaa” at the end of every television promo of the movie. 😍😍😍😍 When will the goosebumps get to sleep!? Gulzar’s words perfectly make this album a repeat-listen-worthy album, and it is in albums like this that my emotions overflow so much and I rave about the album, not noticing that my “conclusion”, which is supposed to be the shortest part of the review, is just a complete introduction altogether. I guess that the last time I did so was in ‘Bombay Velvet’. So, without further ado, let’s go on to my verdict! This miraculous album will make you fall in love… With itself!
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: Why ask!? Why rub salt on my wounds!! 😢😢😡
Which is your favourite song from Mirzya – Dare To Love? Please vote for it below!
Music Album Details ♪ Music by: Sachin-Jigar ♪ Lyrics by: Vayu Shrivastav, Raftaar, Mayur Puri & Priya Saraiya ♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company ♪ Music Released On: 3rd August 2016 ♪ Movie Releases On: 25th August 2016
A Flying Jatt Album Cover
To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE
A Flying Jatt is an upcoming Bollywood comedy/superhero/action movie which stars Tiger Shroff and Jacqueline Fernandez in lead roles, while Australian actor (and retired wrestler) Nathan Jones is essaying the role of the antagonist. The film has been directed by Remo D’Souza, who is back after more than a year after his last hit, ‘ABCD 2’, and produced by Shobha Kapoor, Ekta Kapoor, Sameer Nair abd Aman Gill. The story revolves around a very un-superhero-like superhero, played by Tiger Shroff, and his adventures. The synopsis for the movie under the movie trailer on YouTube says that the movie is an account of a young superhero who is scared of heights! I don’t know how exciting that will be to watch, as the movie already looks like a mixture of ‘Singh Is Bliing’ and ‘Krrish’, so much so that it might even be ‘Krrish 4’, wherein Krrish, through his magical powers, turns into a Jatt. 😀 Anyway, since the movie seems to be targeted at little children, the makers are free to get away with anything. Remo D’Souza cannot make a successful album to his movies without his trustworthy duo, Sachin-Jigar, who are on board for this movie as well, coming back after a year, after their two songs in ‘Hero’, before which their last full album was another Remo D’Souza movie! 😛 Of course, seeing the theme of the movie, something zany is expected, and since it is not ‘ABCD 3748’, ten dance songs aren’t expected, so the duo makes 6 songs. Now, to see how high these six songs fly!
1. A Flying Jatt (Title Track) Singers ~ Raftaar, Mansheel Gujral & Tanishkaa Sanghvi, Lyrics by ~ Vayu Shrivastav, Rap Lyrics & Vocals by ~ Raftaar
The first song on the album is what Sachin-Jigar are known for. The whackiness, craziness and catchiness of it all is their signature style of composing such songs. The song starts off with an anthemic chant that goes “Ho aa gayeJ.A.T.T. maaro saare seeti...” The tune that it has been composed in, is just so infectious, that it actually made me take interest in such a song which I would never have listened to otherwise! The opening line is just too catchy to leave the song halfway and dismiss it as stupid or bad. The “Pagg, peg, swag, set” chants are just as catchy and crazy. The base composition is good as well, and Mansheel Gujral, contestant of 2014’s ‘Raw Star’, renders it with the right amount of gusto and gangsta-swag! The composition is more like a Punjabi pop song, butt the treatment is purely Sachin-Jigar! The hookline is something that will grow on you as you keep progressing through the song; it is repeated so many times, that you end up loving it unknowingly! The mukhda has the perfect gangster-pop feel to it, while the first antara follows the same tune. It is the second antara, where Sachin-Jigar introduce a clever twist, with a little girl singing about “Flying Jatt”, who is apparently her boyfriend. And that girl is none other than Sachin’s own daughter, Tanishkaa Sanghvi. She sings the little girl’s part soooo cute, and it sounds good in the song, which is obviously made for children to pull their parents to the theaters in order to watch a superhero movie. Raftaar’s rap constitutes most of the song, and it is surprisingly very entertaining! Maybe because it isn’t unnecessarily added into a song that doesn’t need it! In fact, it gels in quite well with the song, which idolizes the protagonist, a flying Sikh superhero. Sachin-Jigar of course, can’t make a peppy song without some insane additions randomly thrown into the song. This time, it is the insanity of the chorus going “Pagg, peg, swag, set” followed by somebody singing “aajao aajao aajao saare!” It is so random, that you end up loving it so much! The arrangements are apt, with the whole song placed upon a techno base, which is addictive and peppy. Of course, the duo place an unexpected twist in the form of typical Punjabi dhols in the hookline once, and that part sounds awesome! The lyrics by Vayu are cool, and suit the superhero-theme. Raftaar’s rap is a very enjoyable “be-good” kind of rap, which again, will help the superhero attract kids’ attention! A title track that is very experimental and showcases Sachin-Jigar’s ability to get listeners (old or young), hooked!#5StarHotelSong!!
2. Toota Jo Kabhi Taara Singers ~ Atif Aslam & Sumedha Karmahe, Lyrics by ~ Priya Saraiya
The next song is a haunting romantic song, composed beautifully on a scintillating background. The song starts off with sounds that indicate nighttime and a field with crickets chirping in it, with a grand orchestration accompanying it. And then the real magic starts, when the piano kicks in with such a haunting and catchy tune, which actually is the hooktune of the song. The silence of it all makes you so serene, that it is hard to believe! The duo’s composition is pure black magic, with notes that touch your heart and how! When the piano gives way to Atif’s voice, which starts off with a dulcet melody, you get ready for the best romantic song you’ve heard in quote some time, but then, the duo surprises you with a very unexpected high-pitched, grand second line, which builds up to the hookline, which is just as calming and soothing. The structure of the song is the most interesting thing of all. After the hookline, the singers hum the tune which had started off the song (on piano), and it sounds so heavenly and extremely lovely! The duo follows the new-age trend of composing two antaras with different compositions, and give one completely to Atif, while the other goes completely to Sumedha. Both the antaras are bliss, with haunting notes galore! The second one though, is my personal favourite, with Sumedha (who has worked with the duo before in the movie ‘Teree Sang’) singing in the low octaves so beautifully, that it sounds as if she is singing specially for you! Atif’s antara, on the other hand, treads higher octaves (yet not too high either) with a very melodious tune. The way he sings some words rapidly to bridge one line to the next is a very ingenious trick played by the duo! It sounds so magical! About the arrangements, I can write a whole essay!! Sachin-Jigar have set such an entrancing backing rhythm to the song, made of nothing but techno sounds, which are just so enchanting! The way they’ve used the instruments is mind blowing and spectacular; a perfect blend of haunting strings and lilting flute, and that beautiful piano loop will stay in your mind for a long time! Sparkling sounds accentuate the fantasy-like, dreamy composition very well. Finger snaps and brisk strings in the first interlude grab your attention, while the second interlude is highly reduced, with only a flute playing that haunting tune that usually plays on the piano, followed by Sumedha’s antara. The magic of the strings though, is just unmatchable. A great assortment of high and low pitched strings make the listening experience worthwhile. I can just imagine how it is going to sound in the theaters! Priya Saraiya’s lyrics are the icing on top of the extra-sweet cake. She writes the song wonderfully, making many references to dreams herself. So what wrong is it to call the song a dreamy one?? Nothing, right? The dreamiest song I have heard recently! A masterstroke by the whole team behind the song!#5StarHotelSong!!
The duo bring Atif back to sing the next song, which is another haunting, dreamy and lilting, but very emotional and heart touching song. The composition has dark shades and is pure black magic, something that instantly makes your hair stand on end and sends a chill down your spine. The composition is highly reminiscent of the duo’s own song ‘Chunar’ from Remo D’Souza’s previous movie, ‘ABCD 2’, but still manages to strike a chord with the listener. Treading on the emotional notes, the composition still has a charm that will make you ready to hear it again and again, for a countless number of times. The mukhda is quite soft, until it gets into the high notes just before the hookline, which is when the goosebumps start to appear. The hookline itself, is exceptionally hooking and haunting. The way Atif introduces small variations in the tune each time he sings “khair mangda“, is remarkable. The antara continues with the darkness, but in a different way. The duo has churned out a trademark Rahman-styled composition, something he would constantly give in the 90s. The arrangements are mostly guitars, and other digital sounds that help the song sound more graceful. The gracious strings that elevate the thrill in the song, are wonderful. Everything else is almost only done by the guitars, and some wonderful chimes, which make it sound very enchanting. The song is tailor-made for Atif, and he doesn’t disappoint, proving how beautiful a singer he is, yet again. The humming he does in the start and in the interludes, is mind blowing, though very short! Priya, on the other hand, is adept at writing heart-touching lyrics, which she shows yet again here, as well. Though most of it is in Punjabi, the listener can instantgy connect to the words and it grows very soon. A song that is on an emotional high, something that needs repeat listens to discover each and every aspect of the song. in other words, another masterpiece by Sachin-Jigar!!#5StarHotelSong!
4. Bhangda Pa Singers ~ Vishal Dadlani, Divya Kumar & Asees Kaur, Lyrics by ~ Mayur Puri
After the pathos, the duo is back to what they love, and what we love them doing! And that is, an upbeat, happy-sounding track that will get you up and dancing. Of course, such songs are usually very situational, and you don’t always love them before you see them in the movie, with the surrounding content and their placement. Made with the intention of entertainment and enjoyment, this song is a dance fest. The duo’s composition is definitely nothing great, and a quite typical Punjabi bhangra track, but does manage to entertain you for as long as it lasts. The mukhda is a very interestingly structured one with very fast-paced lines, fun to hear being sung so rapidly by Vishal Dadlani and Divya Kumar, the powerhouse male voices behind the track. The hookline is not so addictive, but as I said, it may grow after watching the movie. The first antara has the same tune as the mukhda, and again, keeps you listening for that masterclass singing by both the lead male singers, each having their own unique voice texture and quality. Vishal’s husky tone and Divya’s cutting-edge-like voice are a very interesting and compatible combination. The second antara, however, sees Asees Kaur, Zee Music Company’s pet singer, singing a quite ordinary giddha stanza which doesn’t entertain as much as her “timb lak lak timb“s interspersed throughout the song, which are insane! Arrangements are typical BHANGRA arrangements, but so energetic, dynamic and booming, that they end up making you like the song. The dhadd and dhols are powerful and just awesome. Of course, the duo can’t make a song with straightforward typical arrangements, so they do add some techno sounds, which aren’t so effective. The lyrics by Mayur Puri are enjoyable, and fun even in their nonsense manner. A dance song which clearly shows how the makers underestimated Sachin-Jigar, and eventually extracted an ordinary dance track out of them!
5. Beat Pe Booty Singers ~ Sachin Sanghvi, Jigar Saraiya, Vayu Shrivastav & Kanika Kapoor, Lyrics by ~ Vayu Shrivastav
A techno beat lures you into the next track, a dance track totally arranged on addictive techno and EDM beats. Of course, a track is needed to show off Tiger’s dance moves, and this seems to be the track made for that purpose. Sachin-Jigar are at their best with the composition, which is an insanely catchy one even in its simplicity and Yo-Yo-Honey-Singh-ishness (Yup, I invented that word!! I hope its meaning has stared back at you while you were staring at it!) Just like their own song ‘Johnny Johnny’ (Entertainment), the duo has made a very simple and monotonous composition, and they are apparently very confident, that it will be a superhit. And why shouldn’t they be? The song has everything you need for a catchy song, and it sounds PERFECT for its genre. The beats are insanely catchy (I don’t know how many times I’ve already said that, but they are). The composition can’t get out of your head and the vocals are so addictive! Talking about vocals, Sachin-Jigar along with Vayu sing the male parts good (with special care taken not to make it sound too perfect, either, which would spoil the fun!) But it is Kanika’s short part that won over my heart. The part when she says “nacha de, mainu nacha de, nacha de mainu” is so catchy! And after that, when she sings the song’s antara, her sweet and addictive voice makes magic there too. To think that she’s working with Sachin-Jigar for the first time!! The Afro feel of the song makes it even more catchier than ever. Lyricist Vayu writes words that are enjoyable as well as humorous, and they go well with the addictive and sultry nature of the song. All in all, the song is an enjoyable dance track, where the duo full-fledgedly shows their experimentation capability!#5StarHotelSong!!
6. Raj Karega Khalsa Singers ~ Navraj Hans & Daler Mehndi, Lyrics by ~ Priya Saraiya
To end the album on a very dynamic note, the duo now brings into the album a kind of heavy metal song. The song is a spectacular one, with a splendid use of rock guitars and drums. Electrifying electric guitar strums start the song off, until a composition that anyone would usually expect Vishal Dadlani to sing, sets into pace, with someone unexpected, Navraj Hans, (Hans Raj Hans’ son) rendering it with an immense amount of energy, and sounding awesome in the bargain. He is accompanied by Daler Mehndi in some places, who is more of a backing singer; the main parts of the song go to Navraj. Daler excels though, with his aalaaps in the background, and his occasional one-or-two lines in the song. He has some lines in the first interlude which he aces with his wonderful high-pitched voice. The duo’s composition is really emotional and also motivational at the same time. The song has those positive vibes in it, that make you feel both proud and sentimental at the same time. The hookline, “jaako raakhe saaiyaan… ” is phenomenal! This is probably another rock song (which usually don’t really appeal to me) which has appealed to me this much after Sultan’s title track, but of course, this one is less commercially appealing. The choice of singers is very experimental as well. Using the two rustic voices, the duo has succeeded in bringing home the idea that desi-flavoured rock songs do sound good! 😀 Navraj with his powerful voice, and Daler paaji with a just as powerful voice complement each other well to infuse the required energy into this quite darkly-composed rock song. Arrangements by the duo are fab, and they take liberty to add in techno elements, orchestral strings and trumpets to make the song sound less monotonous with just guitars and drums! Priya’s lyrics are a wonderful ode to the Sikh community and yet, are a kind of motivation for the whole world. The duo manages to end the album on such a brilliant note, that you are stunned after you finish hearing it!! Fantabulous!! #5StarHotelSong!!
A Flying Jatt turns out to be an apt album for a comedy/action/masala superhero film as this. Sachin-Jigar have introduced high levels of variety into the songs and each song sounds different than the next. The songs are enjoyable and they have not only created buzz to bring people to the movie, but will also be played after the movie releases too! All six songs are miles apart from each other and that is the USP of the album. To sum up, I would say that the duo, who is back after a year, is still flying with the same amount of variety and experimentation with which they had left us!!
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: Toota Jo Kabhi Taara = Khair Mangda > Raj Karega Khalsa > Beat Pe Booty > A Flying Jatt (Title Track) > Bhangda Pa
Which is your favourite song from A Flying Jatt? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂
Music Mastani 