Lamhaa.. THe untold Sotry of Kashmir.. directed by National Award winning Rahul Dholakia had been in the news for a quite a long time. What type of a soundtrack can one expect from a movie like this based on a serious issue of Kashmir. The music is done by Mithoon, Didnt hear about Mithoon? Ok now the first clue is that he was part of the team that brought to us the amazing soundtrack Bas Ek Pal in 2007…remember? No? What about his incredible double act in Anwar( Muala mere Maula and Javeda zindagi) ? Still No? Then what about his awesomely composed The Train and the good soundtrack of Aggar?
Whether this is your first listen to Mithoon’s musical talents or if like me you are already a fan, his latest venture Lamhaa is quite simply an exhilarating ride that everyone should take
Lamhaa’s soundtrack starts off on a mindblowing note with the beautifully arranged Madno. This song is in the same leage of Maula Mere Maula and Javeda Zindagi. The song starts off well with a spiritual feeling. Kshitij and Chinmayi do their part of complimenting Mithoon’s composing job to a tee. The fact that the song is over eight minutes in length is most likely to be forgotten as you let the sedate melody wash over you.
An alternate version of the song titled Saajnaa sees Mika Singh replacing Kshitij on the male portion. While I was wondering why Mika got chosen for this sort of a song, Mika presented a pleasant surprise, bringing out a hitherto hidden soft, classical side of his! Chinmayi might be doing the lead vocals for only her second song in Bollywood (first one being Tere Bina from Guru), but she can be proud of having made both her outings worthwhile.
Verdict : This song will blow you away.
Salaam Zindagi is a song that would belong to the league of Shantanu Moitra’s Naam Ada Likhna et al, Mithoon spot-on with his arrangement in bringing about the Kashmir feel to the song. Arun Daga and Mohammad Irfan’s brilliance behind the microphone with Saim Bhat’s Kashmiri backing cannot go without a mention.
The graph continues its way up as Mithoon spins out yet another super track called Main Kaun Hoon. The intermittent folk and rock elements in the orchestration and Euphoria frontman Palash Sen’s rendition present quite a killer combo! The lyrics by Amithabh Varma is outstanding.
Zameen-O-Aasmaa which follows next has the ambient background and Kshitij’s soaring vocals as its high points. The lyrics by Saaed Qaudri touching. But owing to its situational nature, the song may not score high on the entertainment index.
The composer himself comes out to do a cameo alongside Mohammad Irfan on the very Pak rock-ish Rehmat Zara. The song starts off engagingly. The song is instantly catchy one the singers start to croon Rehmat Zara.. The lyrics by Saeed Quadri is good enough and fits well to the song.
The last time Mithoon did a score for Bollywood was in 2007. And he ends his three year-long exile with a well-rounded score in Lamhaa. Hope the next one doesn’t have such a long waiting time! Go grab this one!
Rating : 8.5/10