Contract Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
When was the last time music from a Ram Gopal Varma film made news? Well, it was close to a year back when Darling came up with at least a couple of tunes that went ahead and made an impression. However, it was meant to be that way since the film was a T-Series production and hence the final result was more Bhushan Kumar than Ram Gopal Varma.
Carrying on with the trend of making music that fits more as a background score (Sarkar Raj being the recent example), Contract makes an arrival and one looks forward to what does the team of Amar Mohile, Bapi-Tutul, Sana and lyricist Prashant Pandey have to offer this time around.
Remember 'Sab Ganda Hai Par Dhandha Hai Yeh' from Company? Similar setting is used for the number 'Har Kafan', which carries forward the dark genre. Sung by the duo of Abhishek and Runa, the number begins as well as ends with a punch and should be a part of the background theme throughout the film's duration. Composed by Amar Mohile, 'Har Kafan' is a theme piece that has Prashant coming with the kind of lyrics that fit in well with the pace, mood, and the narrative of Contract.
Composed by newcomer Sanaa, 'Maula Khair Kare' is the sole item number in Contract that has an outdoor setting and seemingly a rave party in motion. Shilpa Rao's voice has an intrinsic haunting feel to it and the same is witnessed in this number as well where she has Sukhwinder Singh for company. If one has to draw comparisons, the song has a feel similar to that of 'Khullam Khulla Pyaar Kare' [Road] that had Koena Mitra and Ganesh Acharya matching steps. Written by guest lyricist Mehboob, this one should contribute to the film's narrative rather than being irrelevant to the film's plot.
Obviously inspired from the James Bond theme music, 'Jeene Ka' is a kind of track that Amar Mohile and Ram Gopal Varma are capable of closing on over a coffee table itself. Together they have incorporated a song like this in quite a few flicks before and 'Jeene Ka' isn't an exception. Ravi Shankar and Runa are forceful in their rendition of this theme piece that has the keyword Contract making an appearance quite a few times. Yet another situational piece which carries a rock feel to it and should add spice to the proceedings, it has a Ramu stamp all over it!
Now this one turns out to be the darkest song in the album so far. In spite of being based on the legendary 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', the namesake song is narrated as a voice of the child who is seeing the world burn around him/her. With bombings and killings all over resulting in the world not being a safe place anymore, 'Twinkle Twinkle' is yet another background theme piece with Amitrajit Bhattacharjee, Ranjana Verma, Devika Verma, and Trishe coming together to creating a haunting feel. So far, the album sticks to it's theme of being situational and one doesn't expect anything different from the remaining two numbers as well.
Composers Bapi-Tutul are heard for the first time with 'Badalon Pe' and they rope in Shaan for this track which again kick starts with 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star'. One wonders why though and waits for the film to give an answer. However, Shaan is quick to arrive on scene and makes it the most likeable song of the album so far. Though this one too isn't a conventional Bollywood number and sticks to the mood of the film, it is still more acceptable mainly due to Shaan's vocals.
Lastly arrives theme music, which is titled 'The Heart of Contract'. A three-minute piece, it brings Contract to a kind of end, which was expected the moment the album had begun. It stays on to be dark and has it's own twists and turns with sudden escalation in tempo punctuated by scary silences.
Overall, Contract is a theme album and though it doesn't make one rush forward to the nearest store and buy a dozen odd CDs to be distributed amongst friends, it does justify the film's theme and mood. Of course an album like this doesn't have many takers but one looks forward to see how Ram Gopal Varma and Amar Mohile incorporate this sound in Contract to enhance it's narration.
