Via Darjeeling Review {1.5/5} & Review Rating
Now what kind of music can one really expect from the movie which came and went in a jiffy? While it is a known fact that this film which boasted of an ensemble cast isn't really the kind that qualifies as commercial entertainment, even from the music (by Prabuddha Banerjee) one only expects either some situational numbers or a few background pieces to be used to take forward the narration.
To begin with there is a Vibhas Singh written 'Kahin Nahin' which has Sunidhi Chauhan coming behind the mike. An average sounding track which has a rhythmic base to it, 'Kahin Nahin' is, as expected, is a situational number which is closer to being an advertisement jingle than a film song.
Later, Shaan too croons the same track and the way it begins (with a soft tone to it due to guitar being on the forefront), there are expectations of a better outing ahead. Well, that's indeed the case as from rhythm, composer Prabuddha Banerjee turns to melody and comes up with a number that has a serene feel to it.
Kunal Ganjawala is a different singer for third song in a row as 'Sirf Ehsaas' marks its arrival. With a haunting feel to it, this Sanjeev Tiwari written number carries a story with itself as it challenges the very relevance of reality and truth. A song which comes with a philosophical twist to it, it is purely situational and doesn't really have anything in it which would make a listener play the song on a continuous mode.
Mrityunjay Kumar Singh writes 'Baarish', a poetic number sung by Chitra who is seldom heard in Bollywood playback singing world. Well, one has to decipher the number really hard to figure out what it is exactly trying to say since for an average listener there isn't much beyond the music to follow and appreciate. One wonders how this song would have fit into the film's narrative.
As is the trend, there is a new singer for each and every song that arrives in the album and 'Uribar Swapan' is no different. A Bengali number which has Kartik Das Baul, Anita Basu Mallik, Sanjoy Das and Rajiv Sunam coming together, it has Gautam Nag and Arindam Nandy as the lyricists. There are English portions interspersed in this song which has a pop flavor to it and as has been the trend in the album so far, this one too joins the long list of forgettable numbers in Via Darjeeling.
Lyricist's Mrityunjay Kumar Singh's work is heard again in 'Phir Bhi' which is the last song in the album. Kunal Ganjawala is the privileged singer to have two songs to his credit in Via Darjeeling and he does a fine job in 'Phir Bhi' which turns out to be a better outing. A soft melodious number with a romantic feel to it, musically 'Phir Bhi' has a mood similar to that of Shaan's version of 'Kahin Nahin'.
There are four more tracks in the album which are mainly background theme pieces. 'Rimli's - Theme' starts off with a sound of violin and stays on to have an overall haunting feel to it. With a dark touch to it, this one should sound good in the film's background. On the other hand 'Ankur's - Theme' has the composer pick up the guitar while keeping the somber mood of the proceedings intact. 'Bonny's - Theme' that follows isn't much different either as it only picks up from where 'Ankur's - Theme' left. Ditto for the theme track 'Mallika And Kaushik' which goes as per the film's situational demand of being sober yet haunting!
As expected, Via Darjeeling turns out to be a barely passable soundtrack that has nothing for a listener to really get excited. Even situation-wise, Via Darjeeling barely passes muster.
