Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Jeet Gannguli, Samidh-Urvi, Ankit Tiwari & Suniljeet
♪ Lyrics by: Rashmi-Virag, Vijay Vijawatt, Shabbir Ahmed, Suniljeet & Shalu Vaish
♪ Music Label: Sony Music
♪ Music Released On: 23rd August 2020
♪ Movie Releases On: 28th August 2020
Sadak 2 Album Cover
Listen to the songs: JioSaavn | Gaana
Sadak 2 is an upcoming Bollywood film directed by Mahesh Bhatt, and produced by Mukesh Bhatt. The film stars Alia Bhatt, Aditya Roy Kapur and Sanjay Dutt, and is a sequel to the 1991 release ‘Sadak’. That film had a music album by Nadeem-Shravan, who were the Bhatts’ go-to composers back in the day. This time, we get out usual mix of composers, half of which have been composing for the Bhatts very frequently since ‘Aashiqui 2’ in 2013. Ankit Tiwari and Jeet Gannguli are the Bhatts’ reprise acts, and as is their norm nowadays, what with Ami Mishra in ‘Hamari Adhuri Kahani’, Samuel-Akanksha and Abhishek Mishra in ‘Jalebi’ and Ankit himself in ‘Aashiqui 2’, they try to promote three new talents, Suniljeet and a composing duo Samidh-Urvi. Expectations are lukewarm given the composer lineup, but let’s see what the album has to offer.
The very first song of the album takes you back to Ankit Tiwari’s songs ‘Bheegh Loon’ (Khamoshiyan) and ‘Tu Jo Hain’ (Mr. X). His song Tum Se Hi has the effect of a large number of his previous songs — sedative. The composer yawns through the song in his usual nonchalant way, and you half expect him to start singing a line that goes “Teri galliyan, galliyan, teri galliyan, ro raha hoon main, tu hai ki nahi?” The usual Tiwari rock guitars (Rhythm Shaw) are there, as well as the Bhatts’ favourite flute and woodwinds (Pmk Navin Kumar). It is surprising that Dhrubajyoti Phukan has arranged the song; his usual interesting elements are nowhere to be heard! It was his arrangement that made Tiwari’s ‘Rula Diya’ (Batla House) sound better than it otherwise would. Shabbir Ahmed’s lyrics are functional for a Bhatt romantic song, but again, it is the composition that just doesn’t let the lyrics stand out, because it will probably be dismissed as drab before it gets a chance to be heard for its lyrics. Ankit Tiwari ropes in a singer Leena Bose, who sounds like a version of Palak Muchhal, who in turn sounds like a version of Shreya Ghoshal in her songs. I guess this song is the perfect start to a Bhatt album.
Newcomer composer Suniljeet gets a breezy romantic melody Ishq Kamaal, sung aptly by Javed Ali. The song itself has a heard-before tune, but it is well supported by the able singing by Javed, as well as the beautiful dholak+tabla led arrangements. And this is what I meant when I said Dhrubajyoti Phukan’s arrangements seemed low in the previous song; they are back to normal here, carrying a very Pritam touch to them, harking back to songs like ‘Tera Deedaar Hua’ (Jannat 2). They are accompanied by the occasional sarangi, ethnic strings and guitars. The composer along with Shalu Vaish writes lyrics that beautifully bring back the 90s, although in Punjabi, which seems to be the go-to language for lyricists these days. No complaints about it in this song, though. All in all, this song is a pleasant listen, well-rounded and successful in whatever it intended to convey.
Jeet Gannguli’s offering Shukriya appears in three versions, and the standard Gannguli guitars open the song, followed by some standard Gannguli digital sounds. Jubin Nautiyal handles the male version, and I must say, the song sounds like the typical Jeet-Arijit affair, but Jubin handles it with a unique finesse. Jeet employs his favourite Spanish guitars quite a number of times in the song, while his composition keeps fluctuating from intense to soft and back in matters of seconds. The strings, brass and drums in the interlude bring out the intensity of the song well, but the antara unabashedly brings you to Pritam’s ‘Haan Tu Hai’ (Jannat). The lyrics by Rashmi-Virag are aptly melancholic, and also lean towards Sanjay Masoomm’s lyrics for Jeet’s song ‘Bhula Dena’ (Aashiqui 2). The Om namah Shivaay chants towards the end are refreshing, and somehow fit right into the Bhattishness of it all.
The alternate female version by Shreya Ghoshal, titled Chal Tera Shukriya, is just the same track with female vocals, delivered amazingly by Shreya. However, the song seemed better in Jubin’s scale; the high notes seem a bit awkward in this version. The Reprise version sees Jubin joined by K.K., who is returning after quite a while. K.K. sings everything but the mukhda, which is done by Jubin. Again, Jeet keeps the arrangements the same. One would think that three versions would warrant for different arrangements, but alas.
The last song, Dil Ki Puraani Sadak, composed by Samidh-Urvi also appears in three versions, two by K.K. and one by Samidh Mukherjee. The original version of the song starts off like a very waltzy 90s number complete with choir and strings, until it digresses back into a very staid Bhattish melody, the ennui just never ending. In the beginning, K.K. handles his low notes beautifully, while the composers just go on creating a cry-fest with violins, until the arrangements pick up with a drum-and-guitar led sound a la ‘Hasi’ (Hamari Adhuri Kahani) crossed with the retro sound of ‘Om Shanti Om’, thanks to arranger Sufiyan Bhatt. The lyrics by Vijay Vijawatt, however, are perfect for such a melancholic number, and deliver what they promise. The Reprise Version has more of a haunting, ritualistic sound, probably to go with the mystical parts of the film. The arrangements intrigued me from the beginning; the prelude is musically rich, with chants at the beginning, and progressing to a haunting piano piece that is then coupled with amazing strings, and this creates a crescendo that draws the listener in. I think it is safe to say that K.K. sounds much better in this version, too! As soon as he starts, there is a nice tabla beat that kicks in, which keeps up for the most of the rest of the song. The song goes completely unplugged in the middle, though, only to pick up again about a minute later. This unplugged minute belongs to K.K., whose amazing command over his low pitch is the highlight of that portion. Samidh-Urvi have done a great job arranging this reprise. The last version of this number, the Unplugged Version, is sung by Samidh Mukherjee, one of the composers. Let’s just say it is safe to skip it, thanks to the vocals — after listening to two versions by K.K., this version sounds really unnecessary. The strings and woodwinds are a nice addition in the arrangements though.
Right down there with ‘Mr. X’, this album turns out to be one of the weakest albums from Vishesh in the recent past. Despite having a composer like Jeet Gannguli (who worked wonders in films like ‘Marudhar Express’ last year), he is made to record the same track in three different voices. The best offering is probably by newcomer Suniljeet. The ‘puraani’ adjective fits perfectly for this ‘sadak’, what with the overall dated feel it has.
Total Points Scored by This Album: 6 + 7 + 6.5 + 5 + 6 + 5.5 + 6 + 4.5 = 46.5
Album Percentage: 58.13%
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 Kamaal > Shukriya > Shukriya (Reprise) = Puraani Sadak (Reprise) = Tum Se Hi > Dil Ki Puraani Sadak > Chal Tera Shukriya > Dil Ki Puraani Sadak (Unplugged)
Which is your favourite song from Sadak 2? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂
Music Mastani 