This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
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USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…Expectations:
Sonu Nigam turns film composer, in association with classical and fusion table whizkid Bickram Ghosh. So we expect something good and fresh from the pair.
Music:
The lead track 'Gun Gun Gutar' is delectably folksy and the cute Rajasthani words and beats enhance the instant appeal (Udta kabootar bole aao sa padhaaro sa / Happy happy gaon mera, albela ji nyaaro sa) before the song settles in satiric mood (Baat maze ki baat suno / Yahaan paani par bhi kharcha hai). Ambarish Das and Parwati Kumari are new vocalists and sound great, with Das sounding like a fresher Kailash Kher.
The second song follows the now oft-done trend of re-creating a classic song, this time 'Kaate Nahin Kat-Te Yeh Din Yeh Raat' from Laxmikant-Pyarelal's Mr India by using major chunks from the song along with a new musical and structure built around it.
The track, 'Behka Behka' (Ash King and Teesha Nigam) is done fairly imaginatively, and no doubt the composers have made the song as per the director's brief. Teesha, a noted singer down South already, has a distinctive tenor and does her best for her composer brother. Ash King is just adequate, but special mention is needed for the imaginative strings used in the prelude.
Mika-Soumya Raoh's 'Bajan De Dhol', full of energy and percussion-rich (Maharashtrian) folk cadences, emerges as the swinging title-song of the film. Though quite haunting while on, its lingering quotient is a little less, maybe because the folkish tune seems too familiar. Mika is his usual self, but Soumya (especially after her recent triumph in Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns) is strangely subdued.
Gunjan Singh is the discovery of the album – a distinctive talent who takes on the layered, multi-hued composition, singing the Rajasthani prelude to the version with a rare felicity that would match many experienced singers. The haunting hooks of the music remain long in memory as she moves to the main and whacky portion of the song 'Intaducing Gul'.
Without doubt, this is the most evolved composition of the score, and Gunjan the perfect choice. Her expressions are amazing. The lyrics are lightweight but meaningful and penned by Sonu himself with Shabbir Ahmed. Rarely does a comic song reach these heights of being the most accomplished song on a soundtrack.
'Whacky Zindabad' (Anish-Oushnik Majumdar-Nevaan Nigam-Saloni-Rohini) is a nice nursery-rhyme kind of a song by and about children. The number is a bit over-orchestrated but the kids do a peppy job, with Nevaan's solo bit towards the end standing out – here's a kid that truly takes after his dad and the family bloodline! However, the song's last portion could have been – er, less 'today' and more faithful to the genre and tenor.
'Sapna Mera' (Sonu Nigam) sounds as if Sonu the singer has fully absorbed the styles of today's composers like Pritam and Vishal-Shekhar. Pleasant, antiseptic and trendy, it would have been just another conveyor-belt number but for the small touches that he lends to the vocals. Shabbir Ahmed writes fluidly, though the verse is routine and fluffy, sans weight.
Overall:
Sonu and Bickram clearly go the contemporary way, but do keep in mind classical and (a lot of) folk elements. This is a score for a movie, and happily, is not about random trendy tunes assembled to make a film soundtrack.
On the other hand and happily again, Sonu and Bickram have also not tried to show off their musical knowledge or experience in a lighthearted film for which high musical calibre is not required. In short, there is no effort to impress, but only a good attempt to express what goes with the subject. Plus, the sheer variety in the album is also praiseworthy.
The star rating, as always, is however based on what we feel is the commercial viability of the album.
Our Pick:
Gun Gun Gutar, Intaducing Gul, Sapna Mera
Music: Sonu Nigam & Bickram Ghosh
Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed, Sanjeev Tiwari, Sonu Nigam & Bickram Ghosh
Music Label: T-SERIES
Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more
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