Music: Uttam Singh Lyrics: Dev Kohli, Sameer Anjaan & Vishwas Patil Music Label: Junglee Music…  

<b>Music:</b> Uttam Singh<br> <b>Lyrics: </b> Dev Kohli, Sameer Anjaan & Vishwas Patil<br> <b>Music Label:</b> Junglee Music<br><br> <b>Expectations: </b><br><br> There are no expectations really from this modest film's soundtrack. <br><br> <b>Music: </b><br><br> However, Uttam Singh, a veteran musician whose best work as a composer includes <i>Dil To Pagal Hai, Gadar-Ek Prem Katha</i> and <i>Pinjar</i>, delivers old-world melodies, reminding us of the days of great mujras composed by master composers like Roshan, Ravi, Madan Mohan, Laxmikant-Pyarelal and others who had the opportunity to frequently compose for such situations. <br><br> Or to be more apt, the music may not be the kind that sells circa 2013 but is bang-on for the subject: let us not forget that songs rooted in Indian ethos - our <i>raags</i>, our folk - are still liked by the bulk of the country's populace, and even by youngsters outside of the metros. <br><br> The album starts with the saucily-written and rendered mujra, <b><i>'Julmi Re Julmi'</i></b> sung by Bela Shende - the vocals are uninhibited, clearly showing the nuanced terrain the song reaches in terms of concept and execution. The treatment makes the song quite contemporary, clearly indicating that the filming must be quite au courant even for <i>mujra</i> in - presumably - a <i>kotha</i>. <br><br> Bela is the same singer who excelled in <i>'Manmohana'</i> in the 2008 <i>Jodhaa Akbar</i>, and she gets her major break in this album as the sole voice of the heroine. This is where again this album is a departure from the modern norm of having a soundtrack inundated with multiple voices for an artiste. However, Bela is either made to sing with a Shreya Ghoshal hangover, or prefers to do so - some original throw and vocal delivery could have only enhanced her vocals. <br><br> Bela then takes on the weighty <b><i>'Kaleja Hai Haazir / Khanjar Kahaan Hai'</i></b>, poses the tangy question of a woman telling her loved one of why he is so perturbed when she is willing to be destroyed by his knife (<i>khanjar</i>). The classic <i>mujra</i> is richer for its acoustic texture wherein the <i>tabla, dholak</i>, harmonium and the <i>ghunghroo</i> are heard in their individual pristine glory. <br><br> A prominent and mood-evoking harmonium riff and <i>alaap</i> begins the folk- and <i>raag</i>-rich mood melody, <b><i>'Kaise Milu Main Piya'</i></b>. There is exceptional lovelorn singing here, the song swaying to undulating cadences sans traditional percussion patterns. The lyrics (Dev Kohli) are outstanding, and Bela glows in this song. Javed Ali displays adequate singing prowess, but for the umpteenth time we wonder when this singer will stop being a clone of Sonu Nigam! <br><br> Shubha Joshi, the classical vocalist, renders <b><i>'Yeh Kotha Yeh Ghunghroo'</i></b>, a brief couplet written by Dev Kohli. Chronologically, this is the sixth song within the album, which ends with two tracks - the Vishwas Patil (the film's director)-written <b><i>'Billi Ke Jabde Mein'</i></b>, clearly a satire sung at least on-screen by eunuchs. The last track, <b><i>'Rajjo's Theme'</i></b>, is instrumental, using the tune of <i>'Kaise Milu Main Piya'</i> in the beginning to move on to a mood piece. It is an evocative if slightly long (for an instrumental) piece suggesting the tragedy of unrequited love for a prostitute. <br><br> Sameer Anjaan writes a supple and simple ditty in the slightly retro romantic number <b><i>'Meri Ghunghroo Ki Jhankaar'</i></b> (Bela with Javed Ali), with some philosophy thrown in as well. The song is treated in a style that last went out in the mid-'90s and is what today's listeners will call 'over-orchestrated'. The second interlude seems designed for a situation within the movie in the way the music changes in tenor. Javed is once again Sonu-esque and Bela is into the mood of the song. In effect, this ends up sounding like a '70s Lata-Rafi duet that was a pattern followed till the '90s. <br><br> Shaan delivers the perky <b><i>'Mere Dil Ki Train'</i></b>, clearly vocalizing the effervescence of a young man smitten by Rajjo, with the name mentioned in the mukhda. The old-fashioned sedateness of the song is charming at places, dated at others, and the lyrics are once again by Sameer Anjaan. <br><br> <b>Overall: </b><br><br> Melody and good lyrics reign, even if in an old-fashioned way. This is situational music and not meant to be fodder for dance floors. The rating here is, however, as per its commercial viability today. <br><br> <b>Our Pick: </b><br><br> <b><i>'Julmi Re Julmi', 'Kaleja Hai Haazir', 'Kaise Milu Main Piya'</i></b>