Monty played his cards right in Saawariya
Without doubts this is a typical Sanjay Leela Bhansali flick, nonetheless it keeps up with his valued grandeur and the class he offers in his movies. Bhansali must have extracted superb performances from the two new comers who belong to big families. The promos are scintillating and inviting the viewers to the theaters from the word go. Let’s see what the new comer Monty has to offer in the music department. The covers are covered with dark blue that is the brand color of the film I guess, all the artists are credited in a comprehensive fashion and the cover depicts Salman and Rani as well, it will be interesting to see them in the movie. The lyrics of most of the songs are penned by Sameer.
The album listening bon-voyage starts with the title track “Saawariya†vocalized by assistant music director Sahil Hada. The guitar plucks, innocent voice and the feeling of attachment are the plus in the song. The rhythm is catchy and seems to stick to your mind from the first listen, lyrics are also written effortlessly. Some components remind the old melodies of Kishore Kumar. The user of percussion by the music director is also admirable. Over all the first punch is short, sweet and on the target. Next is “Jab Se Tere Naina†crooned by the effervescent Shaan. The lyric is simple and woven remarkably with the free flowing music. The instrumentation is crude but has that soothing feel. Shaan has do a marvelous job and justified the hard efforts of the music director. Subsequently, Kunal Ganjawala and Shreya Ghosal have a song to offer entitled “Masha Allahâ€, the beauty praising lyrics go in sync with the gentle composition. The rhythm remind of the golden era of Indian Music. Exceptionally sung by Ganjawala, his narcotic voice makes you listen to this song over and over again. Two words for this gem of a song Masha Allah. Next number in the album is “Thode Badmas†rendered astonishingly by the talented Shreya Ghosal. She has maintained perfect harmony with the simple but powerful compositon. Lyrics by Nusrat Badr is fully able to prove the qualities of a man and even Bhansali has proved his compostion skills in this song. Consequently, its time for a new singer Parthiv Gohil to croon “Yooon Shabnamiâ€. Still with the slow and stable flow the composer has played with the percussions in this songs in a astounding fashion. The qawalli in the middle adds extra zing to this song. The lyrics is comforting and the singer scores in all bases.
At track 6 we have “Daras Bina Nahin Chain†by Richa Sharma, Shail Hada and Parthiv Gohil. The background music looms in to this song from the start which give it that raw feel. Again a unadventurous composition, but this one has a dark sense attached to it. The lyric and the classical feel given to the song add to the over all aura of this song. After that Shreya Ghosal lends magical voice to “Sawar Gayiâ€. The lyric by Sameer is just OK in this song but the composition makes the song a hit material. The rhythm is subtle but has the gravity to sweep you off your feet. The unsophisticated orchestration compliments the impeccable word done by the singer. Next on the list is “Jaan E Jaan†rendered effortlessly by the soulful voices of Kunal Ganjawala and Shreya Ghosal. Lyric penned down by Sameer is emotional and has that impact. The compostion and arrangement is again mind-blowing and the singers also have put their heart and soul to uplift the song. Consequently “Pari†submerged in the addictive voice of Kunal Ganajawal is all set to enchant our ears. The praising in the lyric still continues but this song could be made better with good use of instruments. In this song Ganjawala also has some palaces to improve. Then the legendary singer Alka Yagnik vocalized “Chhabeelaâ€. The earthy instrumentation is the USP of this song and here you have a song with that dance feel. Lyrics is just ok, on the contrary Yagnik has done a formidable job. I didn’t expect any remix in this sort of an album but last but not the least there is “Saawariya REPRISE†not remix by Sahil Hada. The comoposition is not that different that the first track but the singer proves his vocal skills very well in this fortifying track.
The album has a good balance between old and new singers which is good. The length of songs is also encouraging as the title track itself is not even 3 minutes. Though the whole album has that 70’s feel and slow tracks rule the album towards the end you seem to feel bore due to similar compositions and instruments except of the title track. All in all it is a very good album but think before buying, if you are a remix fan and like 4/4 dance beat numbers this is not the album for you. If you adore old songs and think slow compositions rock then don’t miss this masterpiece.
Geshan Manandhar
Around 850 Words
Also Available at https://geshan.blogspot.com/2007/09/monty-played-his-cards-right-in.html