Music Reviews

Film: "Bodyguard"; Music Directors: Himesh Reshammiya and Pritam Chakroborty; Lyricists: Shabbir Ahmed and Neelesh Misra; Singers: Salman Khan, Ash King, Clinton Cerejo, Mika Singh, Amrita Kak, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Alam Gir Khan and Shaan; Rating: **

After his brief acting spree, music director Himesh Reshammiya returns to composing with Salman Khan-starrer "Bodyguard". The composer, who has collaborated with Salman after six years, has churned out all the songs for the album except one that has been composed by Pritam Chakroborty. The album is out and out commercial, but its 12 songs offer nothing extraordinary or unique.

The first song of the album is the title number -- crooned by Salman himself. What starts with a few dialogues soon begins to sound too much like "Dhinka Chika" from "Ready", again starring Salman. Nonetheless, this one too is catchy and is a blend of Indian and western beats. Not a bad start to the album. It also has a remixed version.

Then comes in the Pritam number. The mushy outing "I Love you", sung by Ash King and Clinton Cerejo, is a typical Pritam love song, which is actually his forte. It is light, simple and easy on the ears. There is nothing new or different that the song offers. It's just a decent hear.

This too has different versions, including a remix and an unplugged version where Shaan replaces Ash King. Shaan's apt and effective vocals make it more appealing and likeable.

"Desi beat", crooned by Mika Singh and Amrita Kak, brings the Punjabi flavour to the album. High on energy, strong orchestration and loud beats describe the song. It's a total dance number.

This too comes with versions. One is a remix and the other a Punjabi hip-hop mix where Alam Gir Khan takes Mika's place.

Next is "Teri meri", a poignant love song by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal. High on Sufi touch, the song scores on vocals but offers nothing new or fresh as a composition. It is moderately paced and is quite average.

This too has a reprise and remix version. Finally, the album ends with an instrumental theme song, which is the music of the song "Teri meri", but with psychedelic beats.

On the whole, the album is quite average. Though none of the songs is very bad, there isn't any that really stands out and grabs attention.

Film: "Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap"; Music Directors: Shekhar Ravjiani and Vishal Dadlani; Lyricists: Vishal Dadlani, Swanand Kirkire and Anvita Dutt Guptan; Singers: Amitabh Bachchan, Vishal Dadlani, Monali Thakur, Shekhar Ravjiani, Sunidhi Chauhan and Abhishek Bachchan; Rating: **

The soundtrack of "Bbuddah...Hoga Terra Baap" is an all and all Amitabh Bachchan album with four out of five tracks sung by the megastar himself. The songs are not extraordinary, but one can hear it once.

Soulful number "Haal-e-dil" crooned by Amitabh with backing vocals by Monali Thakur and Shekhar Ravjiani opens the album and sets the mood. The mushy outing starts with entire focus on Big B's voice and minimal music, but as it progresses, the musical arrangement becomes stronger. The track is slow and likeable.

Next comes in the title track called "Bbuddah...hoga terra baap" and Amitabh has sung it in a Capella style, in which a person or a group sings without any instrumental sound. The song has a fun element owing to its witty lyrics. An interesting attempt.

It has a re-mixed version, but that is average. Then comes "Go Meera Go", again sung by Amitabh and his son Abhishek Bachchan, making it a rare event when the father and son have crooned together. It is a mix of Amitabh's hit songs, including a rap section by Abhishek. The songs that are included are "Khaike paan banaras wala", "Pag ghunghroo baandh meera naachi thi", "Rang barse" and "Sara zamaana haseeno ka deewana" among others.

Finally, there is Sunidhi Chauhan singing "Main Chandigarh di star" that seems like an item number. It is an out and out dance number with strong beats and a fast pace. Nothing impressive in this number. On the whole, an average soundtrack, which sounds suitable for the film.

Film: "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara"; Music Directors: Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Noorani and Loy Mendonsa; Lyricist: Javed Akhtar; Singers: Joi Barua, Suraj Jagan, Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani, Gulraj Singh, Alyssa Mendonsa, Mohit Chauhan, Farhan Akhtar, Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Maria Del Mar Fernandez, Dominique Cerejo, Clinton Cerejo and Loy Mendonca; Rating: ***

When it's Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, the expectations from the music score are usually high and like always, the trio has managed to fulfill what was required out of them in the upcoming film "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara". The music of the film is nothing out of the box, yet it is light, hummable and has a feel good factor.

The music album contains nine songs.

It opens with "Dil dhadakne do" that has already climbed popularity charts and is being liked by listeners. Crooned by Shankar Mahadevan, Suraj Jagan and Joi Barua, the song starts with a bang and makes its presence felt. The chorus is foot-tapping and the part that creates maximum interest. The guitar is prominent. A good start to the album.

Next in line is a multiple singer song "Ik junoon (Paint it red)" that has Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Ehsaan Noorani, Alyssa Mendonsa and Gulraj Singh behind the mike. With a combination of English and Hindi lyrics, the fast-paced youthful song is nothing out of the ordinary. It is neither bad nor brilliant. 

It also has a remixed version, which is equally average.

Then comes in a song with a raw and fresh feel "Khabon ke parindey" with vocals by Alyssa Mendonsa and Mohit Chauhan. The hummable mush melody is an all and all Alyssa song since Mohit enters the scene only after more than two-and-a-half minutes. However, even though he makes a brief presence, Mohit's vocals add an edge and some kind of substance to the song. It's a track you would like to hear in loop.

Then the actors take the mantle of singing with "Senorita", which has been sung by Abhay Deol, Hrithik Roshan and Farhan Akhtar with ample support from Maria Del Mar Fernandez, who sings the Spanish lines in the song. A fun number, "Senorita" is catchy with Spanish influences and is a dance number. It is lively and energetic and adds colour to the album. The experiments paid off.

"Senorita" also has a remixed version.

"Der lagi lekin" is a moderately paced track, which sounds like more of an unplugged version. It has vocals by Shankar Mahadevan and slowly grows on you. It's a sweet, simple song that picks pace towards the end. Up next is "Sooraj ki baahon mein" by Loy Mendonsa, Dominique Cerejo and Clinton Cerejo, which is another high power track. It starts with lyrics and then music follows in. With variations in vocals, the song is worth a hear. 

Finally Farhan Akhtar steps in with a philosophical monologue titled "Toh zinda ho tum". With slight music, this almost 100-seconds narration is poetic. On the whole, the music of "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara" is a good mix of Bollywood sounds and external influences. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have stuck to their signature style and have churned out a decent score.

Film: "Murder 2"; Music Directors: Harshit Saxena, Mithoon, Sangeet Haldipur and Siddharth Haldipur; Lyricists: Sayeed Qadri, Kumaar and Mithoon; Singers: Harshit Saxena, Sunidhi Chauhan, Kshitij Tarey, Saim, Mithoon, Mohammed Irfan, Arijit, Sangeet Haldipur and Roshni Baptist; Rating: **

The music of Vishesh Films' movies is usually impressive and the songs of their 2004 release "Murder" were extremely popular and so high expectation from the album of "Murder 2" is not too much to ask for. But the film's tracks, although not bad, do not succeed in engaging the listeners.

A compilation of eight tracks, the album is full of Love songs. The flavour of romance starts with the first song "Hale dil", composed and crooned by Harshit Saxena. It has nothing new that can impress music lovers.

It also has an acoustic version, which has a soft rock touch.

"Aa zara", composed by Sangeet and Siddharth Haldipur, is a moderately paced song. It has a sensuous feel about it and Sunidhi has aptly captured the mood with her powerful voice that gives the song an edge. The track has a remix version too.

Next is "Aye khuda", which has been composed by Mithoon, who also goes behind the mike along with Kshitij Tarey and Salim Bhat to sing the song. There is a strong Sufi influence and the song has a minimal musical arrangement. Focus is on vocals and singers impress with their high pitch. Worth a listen.

"Aye khuda" also has a re-mixed version. Another track composed by Mithoon is "Phir mohabbat" that has Mohammed Irfan, Arijit and Saim Bhat behind the mike. The slow-paced song with less music is not instantly likeable because of average lyrics, but it slowly grows on you thanks to likeable composition.

Sangeet and Siddharth's second composition in the album is "Tujhko bhoolna", which is full of techno beats. The moderately paced number, sung by Sangeet and Roshni Baptist, is average and offers nothing great to the listeners in terms of composition. On the whole "Murder 2" soundtrack has nothing extraordinary and it is not even a patch on the music of "Murder".

Film: "Delhi Belly"; Music Director: Ram Sampath; Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya; Singers: Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath, Keerthi Sagathia, Suraj Jagan, Chetan Shashital and Tarannum Mallik; Rating: ** and 1/2

After a light, youthful album for "Luv Ka The End", composer Ram Sampath goes all experimental with his next soundtrack for the film "Delhi Belly" and from the compositions he has created, the song "D.K. Bose" stands out, becoming quite a rage these days among youth.

The album offers 10 tracks of diverse kinds. It opens with the song that is on everyone's lips nowadays - "D.K. Bose". Crooned by Sampath himself, the track with quirky, interesting and double meaning lyrics has already become quite popular. With a rock-infested composition and an energetic, pacy feel, the song has become a favourite of youth and has become an instant chartbuster.

Next is "Nakkaddwale disco, udhaarwaley khisko", a very different kind of track with unusual lyrics. It has been sung by Keerti Sagathia and is only an average number.

"Saigal blues" brings back the era and style of legendary singer K.L. Saigal. The track that has Chetan Shashital behind the mike is sung in Saigal's style but with a contemporary touch. The composition is under the genre of blues that bring about a certain poignancy in the song. On the whole, it's a mix of today and the eras gone by.

"Bedardi raja" by Sona Mohapatra is a rustic, masses song and seems to be an item number in the film. It's a simple composition and offers nothing great.

The track also has a grind mix, which has more beats than the original but the basic character and the pace of the song remain the same. Another eccentric track "Jaa chudail", sung by Suraj Jagan, is a rock track from the word go. It might be liked by hard rock lovers.

"Tere siva", the only soft, Love track of the album, has been voiced by Sampath and Tarannum Mallik and is a simple romantic number with a touch of rock. However, the orchestration is not very strong. A good hear.

"Switty tera pyaar chahida" is a Punjabi music lover's delight. Strong beats, Punjabi lyrics and lots of energy make this track a total dance number. Crooned by Keerthi Sagathia, this song gets the listener hooked and is quite likeable. It also has another version called "Switty punk" that has the addition of Sampath and is higher in energy and fun.

Then there is "I hate you (like I love you)" that is a song by Keerthi Sagathia again with ample support from Sona Mohapatra. It is a mix of various genres of music and multiple influences. Starting as a slow-paced Indianised track, it goes on to become fully Western in its feel, music and lyrics, then takes the guise of a typical Bollywood song in the 1970s and finally ends like a qawwali. Very experimental and energetic at the same time. On the whole, the music is unusual, breaks monotony and is far from being typical.

Film: "Shaitan"; Music Directors: Prashant Pillai, Amar Mohile, Ranjit Barot, Anupam Roy and Bhayanak Maut; Singers: K.S Krishnan, Preeti Pillai, Kalloist, Farhad Bhiwandiwalla, Hitesh Modak, Prashant Pillai, Bindu Nambiar, Colin Terence, Abhishek, Shradha, Suraj Jgan, Suman Shridhar, Kirti Sagathia, Chandan Shive, Ranjit Barot and Suzanne D'Mello; Rating: ** and 1/2.

Just like its promos, the music of upcoming film "Shaitan" is also edgy, quirky and quite away from the realms of a typical Bollywood venture. The album has been put together by four composers and a music band with a variety of singers behind the mike. The soundtrack of the film that is about a group of five youngsters boasts of 14 tracks. The album kickstarts with a short instrumental called "Enter" composed by Prashant Pillai.

Next comes in "Bali-the sound of shaitan" that has been doing the rounds of channels for some time now. Composed by Pillai, most of the song's lyrics sound gibberish except a few lines here and there, but the music is cutting edge and catches the attention of the listener instantly, owing to its quirky nature.

It has been crooned by K.S Krishnan, Preeti Pillai, Kalloist, Farhad Bhiwandiwalla and Hitesh Modak. Then there is "Nasha" churned out by Pillai again. The song has been inspired by the bond of friendship. It is moderately paced but orchestration is reasonably strong. A lot of experimentation with sound is witnessed in this track that has vocals by the composer himself along with Bindu Nambiar.

The song also has a rock and soul version where Pillai has been replaced by Ranjit Barot and Farhad Bhiwandiwalla for the vocals. "Josh" composed by Amar Mohile and sung by colin Terence, Abhishek and Shradha starts with English rap and then goes on to Hindi lyrics. The song is contemporary from the word go and has majorly used the saxophone in the composition.

Then there is "Fareeda", a slow-paced, free flowing track with a slight rock feel. The music in the song is commendable and very engaging, especially the guitar lead towards the end. This has been voiced by Suraj Jagan and has been composed by Pillai. Up next is a recreated version of "Hawa hawai", a song from the 1987 film "Mr. India". The original was composed by Laxmikant-Pyarelal and sung by Kavita Krishnamurthy.

For "Shaitan" it has been recreated by Mikey McCleary and has been sung in a more contemporized style by Suman Sridhar. This version is slower in pace as compared to the original. "O yaara" with Pillai as the composer again and singers like Kirti Sagathia and Preeti Pillai, starts with a Shehnai prelude. The track has a qawalli touch along with other influences added to it. This one is slightly close to the common Bollywood sound that we know of. A nice song about Love and longing.

Next comes "Pintya", a song with influences from Maharashtrian folk, composed by Ranjit Barot. It has vocals by Chandan Shive. The track has a lot of punch and is fast-paced. Later contemporary influences crop up in the song. "Zindagi" is a soft, slow-paced title track with minimal music in the beginning. A few seconds into the track, the music becomes stronger. It has been sung by Barot and also composed by him. It's an impressive track and edgy and frequent change in tempo makes it more interesting.

Then the album offers three instrumental tracks, while "Amy's theme" has been composed by Barot, "retro pop shit" has been churned out by Anupam Roy" and "Outro" by Pillai. Finally, the album offers a heavy metal English track "Unleashed" by the band Bhayak Maut. On the whole, the album is very different from a typical Bollywood album and that just might work in its favour.

Film: "Ragini MMS"; Music Director: Shamir Tandon; Singers: Asha Bhosle, Raaj, Faizan Hussain, Agnel Roman, Bappi Lahiri and Shweta Shetty; Rating: ** and 1/2

The music album of "Ragini MMS" is not a mammoth album; so there is hardly anything to look forward to. With just four songs, it will not take much of your time.

The album begins with the original version of "Raat akeli hai", a popular song from the 1967 hit "Jewel Thief". Unlike most old songs used today, this one retains its original character and has not been worked upon or remixed. It's used in its original form.

Then romance flaps its wings again with "Itne kareeb aao", crooned by Raaj. The song has influences of jazz and is sung in a sensual tone. With less orchestration and a number of variations, the song brings forward a different sound and is worth a hear. Next in line is the title track of the film "Ragini", sung by Faizan Hussain and Agnel Roman. It's more of a song that can be used in the background score. Rap is a dominant feature in the song that gives out the theme of the film.

Finally, there is another relatively old composition used in the film. This time it is Bappi Lahiri and Shweta Shetty singing "You are my fish fry". This one has also been used in its original form and no changes have been made to the song, which was originally in the film "Rock Dancer".

On the whole, the album is not such a treat for music buffs but stays close to the theme of the film.

Film: "Stanley Ka Dabba"; Music Director: Hitesh Sonik; Lyricist: Amole Gupte; Singers: Shaan, Vishal Dadlani, Sukhwinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Hamsika Iyer and Aditya Chakravarty; Rating: ***

Amole Gupte's directorial debut "Stanley Ka Dabba" seems to be a simple, sweet, innocent film and its music, scored by Hitesh Sonik, is quite apt for it. Although most of the songs are situational, yet they do have a hummable quality.

The album begins with pleasing number "Life bahot simple hai". Sung by Shaan, the track basically talks about life from a child's perspective and Shaan aptly infuses right emotions while crooning it. Not too many instruments are used and the composition is simple. Before you know, you start humming the song. A good beginning. Next comes in a faster and peppier track "Dabba" by singer Sukhwinder Singh. It's basically a situational song about the importance of a tiffin box. Children give ample support to Sukhwinder in this fun song.

"Nanhi si jaan" packs in a few elements of rock and is about the courage and determination of a young boy. Shankar Mahadevan softly croons the song and makes it one of the best songs of the album. Then comes in "Tere andar bhi kahin", which has minimal music. Vishal Dadlani goes behind the mike to sign this free flowing, slow moving song and the composition has a slight effect of jazz. A nice but situational track again.

This song has another short version sung by young boy Aditya Chakravarty. The orchestration is lesser in this version. Next is "Jhoola jool". An average song sung by Hamsika Iyer, it is the only track with female voice in the whole album. The slow number seems to be a track that a mother would sing for her child; it's like a lullaby.

Finally, the album ends with an instrumental theme song called "Stanley's theme". On the whole, the songs are pleasing and worth listening.

Film: "Luv Ka The End"; Music Director: Ram Sampath; Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya; Singers: Ali Zafar, Aditi Singh Sharma, Joi Barua, Jimmy Moses, Krishna Beura and Suman Sridhar; Rating: ***

It's hip, its zippy and its young! The music of Yash Raj Films' upcoming venture "Luv Ka The End" is wholly and solely packaged for the consumption of GenNext. The album contains six tracks with mainly rock-pop feels.

The music album kickstarts with "Freak out", which has already garnered popularity because of not only its music but it being the first song in Bollywood to use stop motion technology for the video. Sung by Aditi Singh Sharma and Joi Barua, the rock-pop song is foot-tapping and moderately-paced. The whistle in the background is interesting and lends creativity to the track that basically talks about the various aspects and factors in the lives of teenagers today.

The next offering "Tonight" by Suman Sridhar, a slow, dreamy song about a young girl in love, has an undercurrent of jazz in the composition. Suman has crooned the song in a very different way making it stand out. A pleasing, entertaining number. Then comes in the title track of the film "Luv ka the end", effectively playbacked by Aditi Singh Sharma.

The song's basis is revenge that a jilted girl wants to take from her ex-lover and hence it is full of energy, epitomising her pain, angst and anger. Rock elements are predominant and it is pacy with a strong orchestration. Aditi's brilliant vocals give the song a character and make it a track to look forward to.

Next in line is Krishna Beura singing the weirdly titled track - "The mutton song". This is an item number with a difference, not only because of its quirky lyrics but because the video will see a man, instead of a woman, shaking a leg on the song, wearing a woman's attire.

The qawwali with a contemporary twist makes its presence felt because of its out-of-the-box lyrics and sounds. Not one that will have a long shelf life but will definitely raise eyebrows for a few weeks. Ali Zafar then steps in to croon "F.U.N fun funaa" that starts with a bang. It is zippy, peppy, young and has both English and Hindi lyrics. The music is strong and Ali's voice blends in, making the sounds to stand out more. A fun-filled number.

Then there is "Heppy budday beybee", which is not a song but just a couple of eunuchs wishing the girl in the film. Ram liked the thought so much that he made stand-up comedian Jimmy Moses render this and incorporated it in the music album. It is less than a minute.

On the whole, a good soundtrack that will be accepted by its target audience - the teenagers. It's got all the elements to appeal to the younger generation, from the music to the vocals and the lyrics.

Film: "Dum Maaro Dum"; Music Director: Pritam Chakraborty; Lyricist: Jaideep Sahni; Singers: Anushka Manchanda, Ash King, Sunidhi Chauhan, Papon, Zubeen Garg, Abhishek Bachchan, Earl, Ayush Phukan and Mohit Chauhan; Rating: ***

Pritam Chakraborty is back on track after the not-so-rocking music in the film "Thank You". For "Dum Maaro Dum", the composer has created both fast- and slow-paced numbers that are enjoyable and hummable.

The film album offers seven tracks. It begins with the title track "Mit jaaye gham", which is a revised and re-arranged version of the cult 1971 song "Dum maaro dum" from the film "Hare Rama Hare Krishna".

This version has been sung by Anushka Manchanda and has been made contemporary with new lyrics, rap and additional beats and sound effects. The song has a neo-age feel and might be a hit on the dance floor, but it somehow lacks the appeal of the original.

Up next is a song "Te amo", describing a girl and the various facets of her personality.

Crooned by Ash King and Sunidhi Chauhan, the moderately paced track is quite pleasing and hummable and adds a soft touch to the album. It also includes a few English lyrics. The song has two more versions. One a solo by Sunidhi and the other a reprised version by Mohit Chauhan. While the solo version is just slightly slower than the original and has a female singer taking the mantle of the song, the reprised version is the most impressive. Even more than the original.

Mohit instills life into the song with his mesmerising vocals and the raw feel of the unplugged song creates an impact.

Then there is "Jiyein kyun", which is the best song of the film. Sung by Papon, the song starts with no music in the background and the full focus is on the vocals.

After a few seconds in the song, light music seeps in, giving way to a stronger orchestration that then follows. It has a very raw, fresh feel to it with colloquial lyrics. The guitar riffs later in the song draw interest and engage the listener. On the whole, a super composition and great singing by the vocalist.

Finally, there is "Thayn thayn", which has none other than actor Abhishek Bachchan behind the mike with ample support from Earl and Ayush Phukan.

Abhishek is mainly rapping in the track. It starts with a dialogue, but soon acquires the hip-hop feel. It is a situational song.

On the whole, Pritam has proved with this album that he has the capability of churning out interesting tracks. A good job done by the composer.