Top 11 soundtracks of 2011

By Bollywood Hungama News Network -

January 7, 2012 - 4:39 PM IST

In the year gone by there were quite a few surprises in store when it came to Bollywood music. While a few biggies didn't quite boast of memorable music with the albums not even moving an inch on the stands, a few smaller movies sprung a pleasant surprise. Also, it was interesting to see young guns like Sachin-Jigar, Ram Sampath, Krsna and Sohail Sen making their presence felt in a big way. Here is presenting some of the best soundtracks from the year gone by. While some scored high on popularity meter, a couple didn't quite cover the kind of distance they deserved though a few could well be 'lambi race ka ghoda'!

[In alphabetical order]

Top 11 soundtracks of 2011

Damadamm (Himesh Reshammiya)

Himesh Reshammiya may be waiting for audience's acceptance when it comes to his acting career but for his music, there were, there are and there would be takers. This was witnessed in Damadamm as well where he brought together a variety of songs, most of which were gladly lapped by the audience. An occasional 'Mango' may have made a few wonder what he was up to but half a dozen other songs, most notably 'Umrao Jaan', 'Aaja Ve', 'Bhool Jaun', 'Tere Bina' and 'Hum Tum' were good enough to keep his fans and followers entertained.

Delhi Belly (Ram Sampath)

This was an absolute riot. Despite the fact that Delhi Belly was originally designed as a song-less film, it didn't stop Aamir Khan from roping in Ram Sampath and ensuring that the kind of tunes churned were such that they were instantly caught on by youth and adults alike. While Sampath went unabashed with 'DK Bose', there were other songs like 'Switty Tera Pyaar Chaida', 'I Hate You (Like I Love You)', 'Jaa Chudail', 'Nakkadwaley Disco, Udhaarwaley Khisko' and 'Bedardi Raja' that turned out to be huge as well. It is a pity though that a genuine melody like 'Tere Siva' was ignored in the middle of all the mayhem.

Desi Boyz (Pritam)

Now this one really deserved to go all the way but surprisingly didn't score too high on the popularity quotient. Yes, the title song did well while 'Subha Hone Na De' started finding good attention for itself too. Still, in a year Pritam would have been content enough to have scored a boundary with this one, if not a six but then guess this wasn't his year after all. The songs had just the kind of zing that would have been lapped up by the youth and if only the film would have done better at the box office, songs like 'Allah Maaf Kare' and 'Jhak Maar Ke' would have been bigger than they eventually turned out to be.

F.A.L.T.U. (Sachin -Jigar)

No one was willing to give anything related to this film any chance whatsoever. Still, the film scored in all departments, and how. While Jackky Bhagnani was accepted as the leading man and the film too turned out to be a success despite releasing in the World Cup Finals weekend, what worked most for F.A.L.T.U. was its music which became a rage. 'Chaar Baj Gaye' is a regular in every event till date, whether it is a marriage season or a New Year eve, while for a DJ this one is a must in his library. Other chartbusters like 'Le Ja', 'Bhoot Aaya', 'Fully Faltu' and 'Awaaz' marked a solid arrival of Sachin-Jigar.

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (Sohail Sen)

Safe, secure and fool proof - the music of this Yash Raj production pretty much came with an ISI stamp to it. It followed a definite template and composer Sohail Sen, who had been hunting for a hit soundtrack after being around for some time in Bollywood, was more than happy to add on his own stuff to it as well. Result was Mere Brother Ki Dulhan which was zingy, spicy, youthful, entertaining and ensured quick results. No wonder, even though one may not be singing the title song, 'Madhubala', 'Isq Risk', 'Dhunki' or 'Choomantar' today, they worked for the film as a whole when it was released.

Ready (Pritam, Devi Sri Prasad)

Purists may ridicule Ready for its 'masala' approach but the fact remains that everything related to the film was gladly accepted by the audience. Whether it was Salman's act, the film's narrative or its racy music, there were positives all the way that ensured good (and continuous) moolah for the film. Even Pritam may not have anticipated the kind of success that 'Character Dheela' eventually turned out to be. No wonder even the makers roped in Devi Sri Prasad for a special number 'Dhinka Chika'. Both songs turned out to be chartbusters and have ensured a huge shelf life for them as well as they are played till date.

Ra.One (Vishal Shekhar)

Vishal-Shekhar went all out for the soundtrack of Ra.One which stays on to be the grandest of them all when compared to everything else that was churned out this year. Boasting of a truly international sound, it had quite a few tracks that were composed for the film's background score and made a huge impression. However, from the popularity standpoint, one number that ensured that Ra.One comes trumps is 'Chammak Challo' which is the biggest single of the year. Though it is a pity that 'Bhare Naina' didn't find much popularity, 'safe' tracks like 'Criminal' and 'Dildaara' compensated for it.

Rockstar (A.R. Rahman)

If at all one song has to be hailed as an anthem track of the year, it has to be 'Sadda Haq'. This solitary track was worth the price one was willing to pay for this A.R. Rahman soundtrack that defied all stereotypes and aimed at creating its own niche. As it happens with most experiments, this one too saw mixed reactions coming its way. Still for the majority amongst the target audience, there was good enough ammunition in Rockstar that ensured that it found a worthy place amongst the best of 2011. Though 'Jo Bhi Main' and 'Katiya Karun' were hits too, the pick of the lot were 'Nadaan Parindey' and 'Tum Ho'.

Tanu Weds Manu (Krsna)

Soundtrack of Tanu Weds Manu found a good growth for itself, and how. Though to begin with it seemed like 'Saddi Galli' and 'Jugni' were the only chartbusters waiting to be unleashed on the audience, as days went by other songs like 'Rangrez' and 'Mannu Bhaiyya' found their worthy place as well. Newcomer Krsna announced his arrival as a composer, who is quite rooted, comes with an earthy bent of mind and wants to take an unadulterated approach when it comes to his music. One now waits to see what the young composer has to offer in his future assignments.

The Dirty Picture (Vishal-Shekhar)

Ignoring the fact that 'Ooh Laa Laa' had it's source from a Bappi Lahiri composition composed way back in the 80s, the fact remains that if at all there is one 'masti se bharpoor' song that made youngsters, kids as well as elders dance to it's tune, it was 'Ooh Laa Laa'. Such huge is the popularity of the song that (strictly) in comparison, it has even eclipsed the success of a quintessential Emraan Hashmi number 'Ishq Sufiana'. Okay, so the remainder of the album didn't quite break any new grounds but the aforementioned tracks ensured that Vishal-Shekhar had scored two in a row this year.

Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (Shankar - Ehsaan - Loy)

Pure, unadulterated and just the kind if fusion sound that ensured that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy indeed had something fantastic to cheer about this year, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara boasted of an ensemble of songs that belong to the kind which go on to have a long enough shelf life. Despite the fact that majority of album was situational, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara found good attention coming it's way as it boasted of a new age sound. While 'Senorita' and 'Ik Junoon' were the most popular of them all, the ones that managed to leave a lasting impression were 'Dil Dhadakne Do', 'Khaabon Ke Parinday' and 'Der Lagi Lekin'.

Other notable mentions:

Bodyguard (Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam)
Hum Tum Shabana (Sachin - Jigar)
Love Breakups Zindagi (Salim-Sulaiman)
Mausam (Pritam)
Murder 2 (Harshit Saxena, Sangeet & Siddharth Haldipur, Mithoon)
Patiala House (Shankar - Ehsaan - Loy)