Music: Vishal Bhardwaj
Lyrics: Gulzar Additional songs by Mehdi Hasan, Faiz Ahmed Faiz & Traditional
Music Label: Junglee Music
Expectations:
Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj, the music team of Maachis, Omkara and Ishqiya and other good songs in Satya, Maqbool and Kaminey, do spark anticipation.
Music:
Faiz Ahmed Faiz was one of the pillars of poetry in India and his creation, 'Aaj Ke Naam' sung by Rekha Bhardwaj, comes at the end of the soundtrack and is elegantly rendered and orchestrated. The composition, like a lot of Vishal's work, tends to be languorous, but is not of the memorable kind.
Vishal also employs Mehdi Hasan's version of another Faiz feat, 'Gulon Mein Rang Bhare' with Arijit Singh, making him sing differently from his norm. But even today's busiest male singer fails to make the song reach out. After the beautiful version of then poem that we have heard in Sikander (2009) that was composed by Sandesh Shandilya in two soulful versions, this one pales even more and as a tune, is sadly forgotten as soon as it is over.
Suresh Wadkar-Shraddha Kapoor's 'Do Jahaan' makes a mark largely because of Wadkar's resonant vocals that originate from an era in which firm musical grounding, a powerful throw and expertise at 'live' recordings were paramount qualifications for a true-blue playback singer. Effortlessly, Suresh becomes the only singer on this score - to score high!
Arijit Singh's 'Kabhi To' is salvaged while we listen to it because of the singer's listener-friendly tenor, but nothing else registers. Vishal Bhardwaj's self-rendered 'Jhelum' also is a long-drawn litany that is eminently forgettable, despite the overt influences of Laxmikant-Pyarelal in the mood composition.
The lyrics of 'Bismil' and its shorter version 'Ek Aur Bismil' attempt the narrative format seen in song classics that told complete stories like 'Ek Tha Gul' (Jab Jab Phool Khile) , but thanks to its over-the-top obsession with Urdu phonetics, simply fail to communicate. Sukhwinder Singh puts in vocal energy, but the frenzied pace does not result in any impact.
Vishal Dadlani's 'Aa Jao' is a mélange of loud orchestration and screechy tenors that, aided by the esoteric verse, makes for a cacophonous experience in which even the vocals are part-submerged. 'So Jao' (Bashir Lone-Bashir Bhawani-Muzamil Bhawani-Mayukh Sarkar-Aalaap Majgavkar-Sourabh Joshi) is yet another track that completely misses the bus.
Overall:
The music is acutely disappointing for the status of the music people involved in the enterprise, and will not contribute to the appeal of the film. Maybe the songs will fit in somewhat better in the film, but that will not make much difference in this case.
Our Pick:
'Do Jahaan', 'Aaj Ke Naam'