Songs at the end.

It is a relief to see Tanishk Bagchi’s name credited against a track that is not the remix of a yesteryear song! Sadly, Baarish does not provide a lot of relief otherwise – the melody is banal, helped on its way down by the middling lyrics (written by Bagchi himself, with Arafat Mehmood). Ash King’s impassioned singing makes him sound like Arijit at times, but manages to elevate the song a tad. Mithoon milks his Tum Hi Ho template once again to create Phir Bhi Tumko Chaahunga, also headlined by Arijit Singh (joined by Shashaa Tirupati briefly, it’s Manoj Muntashir doing the lyrics this time though). And as much as I hate the fact that the song offers almost nothing new in comparison, it has to be grudgingly admitted that the formula still works. Mithoon does two more songs for the soundtrack, both essentially based on the same piece. In the reprise version titled Pal Bhar, he amps up the song’s ambient effect with something like a hang/steelpan, but otherwise things remain largely the same. The third song, Half Girlfriend Love Theme, is an instrumental arrangement of bits and bobs of the song in a thematic fashion, including a climactic scale change with the instruments going into an overdrive. Effective, but need not have been four and a half minutes long.

More datedness follows in the soundtrack with composer-singer Rahul Mishra’s filmy qawwali-ish Tu Hi Hai. Mishra is definitely a better singer than a composer, to his credit. Ami Mishra, who debuted with director Mohit Suri’s Hamari Adhuri Kahani, packages his song Lost Without You in a smarter fashion, mitigating the familiarity in the song’s main melody (rendered by Mishra himself) by interspersing it with English bits written and sung by Anushka Shahaney and a breezy arrangement that features, among other things, an erhu (Chinese violin). Shahaney gets one more song in the soundtrack, composed by former Jal man Farhan Saeed, Stay A Little Longer. I like Shahaney’s voice texture, but her singing comes across as odd, and that bogs down the song that has a decent melody. Saeed has a better offering in his other song titled Thodi Der that he renders himself, alongside Shreya Ghoshal. And like a lot of Pakistani composers who have ventured into Bollywood in the past, Saeed too rehashes one of his older compositions to create this song. Thodi Der is a rehash of Tu Thori Dair that Saeed composed as a Pakistan Army Song, the revised lyrics supplied by Kumaar. Rishi Rich’s Mere Dil Mein is the only song that comes as a surprise entry in the otherwise standard Mohit Suri soundscape. The track is passable fare though, if you are familiar with Rishi Rich’s works. An alternate version of the song features some dialogue snippets from the movie, mostly by Arjun Kapoor.

Mohit Suri may have increased the number of composers, but the sound remains pretty much the same he (and the Bhatts, though they are not involved in this movie) has been consistently maintaining in his movies for the past few years. And in this case the end product is just middling and dated.

Music Aloud Rating: 2.5/5

Top Recos: Phir Bhi Tumko Chaahunga, Thodi Der, Lost Without You

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Songs and credits at the end.

Marx called religion the opiate of the masses – in Meri Pyaari Bindu, lyricist Kausar Munir calls the lead pair’s love for each other opiate (Afeemi). The composition itself isn’t as addictive as the title suggests however, though it makes for quite a pleasant listen. Sung by Sanah Moidutty and Jigar Saraiya, the song starts sounding indie-ish before taking a more filmy disposition. Kalyan Baruah’s guitar work is half the song’s charm, while Humtoo Dey chips in with a short but nice flute refrain. The song that takes a completely indie route is Khol De Baahein (the first thought I had on listening to Krishna Pradhan’s guitars and Monali Thakur’s Bengali start was to check whether this was an Anupam Roy composition!). The minimal arrangement puts the focus of the song squarely on the melody and singing, both of which are ace. And to hear Thakur sing the occasional Bengali verse is the icing on the cake! The opening bars of Haareya give me Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai (Woh Lamhe) vibes, though the track takes its own course subsequently. Trippy song once again, and here too it is just the guitars (Indrajit Chetia this time) and the vocals (Arijit Singh, in fine form as usual) that constitute the song for most part.

Ayushmann Khurrana, who used to sing in every movie of his, seems to have got over that obsession since Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha. Instead, it is his co-star Parineeti Chopra who gets behind the mic here. To her credit, she does better than most of the current actors who have jumped on to the singing bandwagon. It is still inadequate for the Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’s classical flavoured melody, however. The track itself turns out to be the weakling of the soundtrack and not just for the singing; the déjà vu factor in the arrangement too works against the song here. Even the alternate version of the song, though an improvement over the original with Sonu Nigam joining the actress, gets bogged down by the familiarity. The seven piece soundtrack’s rear end is brought up by two (thankfully non item-) dance tracks, both of which carry a retro vibe. Ye Jawaani Teri is boisterous and fun as rock n roll songs come, that Sachin Jigar reference the Pancham brand of rock n roll makes it even more enjoyable. Behind the mic, Nakash Aziz and Jonita Gandhi match the song’s energy to a tee. Paresh Kamath’s guitar and Kishore Sodha’s trumpet dominate the funky orchestration of Iss Tarah that turns out to be an even more fun piece. Composers get the musician couple Clinton Cerejo and Dominique Cerejo to handle the vocals, both of whom do an exceptional job at that.

Meri Pyaari Bindu does indeed deliver on its promise, Sachin Jigar producing a winner after a long gap. The Yash Raj collaboration seems to be working out really well for them!

Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5

Top Recos: Khol De Baahein, Iss Tarah, Haareya

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician credits

Khol De Baahein

Music: Sachin Jigar
Lyrics: Kausar Munir
Singer: Monali Thakur
Guitar: Krishna Pradhan
Iss Tarah

Music: Sachin Jigar
Lyrics: Kausar Munir
Singers: Clinton Cerejo, Dominique Cerejo
Guitars: Paresh Kamath
Trumpet: Kishore Sodha
Haareya

Music: Sachin Jigar
Lyrics: Priya Saraiya
Singer: Arijit Singh
Guitars: Indrajit Chetia

Yeh Jawaani Teri

Music: Sachin Jigar
Lyrics: Kausar Munir
Singers: Nakash Aziz, Jonita Gandhi
Guitars: Shomu Seal
Electric Piano & Organs: Rinku Rajput
Trumpet: Kishore Sodha
Saxophone: Shyamraj
Drums: Debashish Bannerjee

Afeemi

Music: Sachin Jigar
Lyrics: Kausar Munir
Singers: Sanah Moidutty, Jigar Saraiya
Backing Vocals: Danw Cordo, Crystal Sequeira
Guitars: Kalyan Baruah
Piano: Rinku Rajput
Flute: Humtoo Dey
Drums: Lindsay D’Mello

Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahi

Music: Sachin Jigar
Lyrics: Kausar Munir
Singers: Parineeti Chopra, Sonu Nigam (in Duet Version)
Guitars: Krishna Pradhan
Piano: Rinku Rajput
Flute: Shreeram Sampath
Sarangi: Dilshad Khan
Percussions: Arun Solanki
Programming & Arrangement: Sachin Jigar
Mix Engineers: Shantanu Hudlikar, Abhishek Khandelwal
Recording Engineer: Abhishek Khandelwal, Mansi Tare
Recorded & Mixed at: YRF Studios
Music Production Head: Romil Ved

Songs at the end.

The percussion dominated orchestral sound is an oft employed format for heroic tracks, but Sachin Sachin is an engaging listen all the same. Largely owing to the suitably energetic and soulful singing by Sukhwinder Singh – interspersed with Kaly’s rapping – and more importantly, that titular chant of Sachin Sachin that is bound to evoke bittersweet memories in every fan’s mind. The inspirational Hind Meri Jind continues with the atmospheric sound but has a more soothing arrangement. Nice listen this one too, despite being higher on the familiarity scale. Composer A R Rahman himself handles the vocals in this one, a factor that adds to the familiarity. Rahman’s son A R Ameen gets the soundtrack’s best song, the sprightly folk fusion piece titled Mard Maratha that starts off sounding like the folk elements might oddly be from North of Maharashtra (that wind instrument at the start feels a lot like Jodiya Pawa which is a Kutchi instrument), before the Marathi percussion kicks in. It’s a fun ride from then on, highlighted by the strings-percussion combination in the first interlude. It is Ameen’s singing counterpart Anjali Gaikwad who steals the show however, with a brilliantly nuanced rendition of Irshad Kamil’s lines which also incorporate some Marathi verse.

Short and sweet soundtrack from A R Rahman and Irshad Kamil that is devoid of anything exceptional. While I understand that a film like Sachin: A Billion Dreams probably does not have much scope for songs, the Sachin-ARR fan boy in me was still hoping for something mind blowing. Hopefully the movie’s background score holds some surprise.

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Songs and complete credits at the end (best to watch the videos).

The lead composer of Humans of Someone, Govind Menon, does not get to produce any original song for the movie. He does however get the most significant job – that of recreating some of the classic musical pieces associated with the person this movie is all about, master director Padmarajan. I do not know how the movie will turn out, but Govind’s half of this soundtrack is bound to make the listening experience for every Malayalam movie lover (who grew up watching movies in the 80s/90s) a memory trip akin to what Sachin A Billion Dreams is becoming to cricket lovers across the country. The longest and best of the lot is the movie’s prologue titled dear padmarajan (all song titles are in small case, interestingly). The movie’s writer/lyricist Nitin Nath goes about professing his admiration for the auteur in a monologue packed with references to some of his best movies, while the montage on a screen behind him keeps flitting between scenes from the respective movies, with Govind’s haunting renditions of the respective iconic pieces as accompaniment. Two of the renditions from the set receive a more elaborate version in the soundtrack (though still shorter than I would have liked, both lasting under two minutes). In same sea, another season, Govind does a fine adaptation of Ilayaraja’s BGM piece from the 1989 movie Season (the piece appears during the jail escape sequence in the movie) maintaining the song’s intrigue while suitably contemporising it. nowhere home harks back to one of Johnson master’s earliest hits, Aadi Vaa Kaatte from Koodevide (1983); a violin rendition only accentuates the melody’s soulfulness. The composer’s final track is fresh lime blues, yet another BGM adaptation, this time from 1987 film Thoovaanathumbikal (song’s title being a smart reference to the famous catchphrase from the movie). This piece is closest to the original track, given that Johnson’s composition too had violin as the lead instrument.

Remaining four songs of Humans of Someone are the original compositions. sarah & i, the “telephonic equivalent of the duet” as per the song’s description, is indeed a telephonic conversation between Nitin Nath and Madonna Sebastian set to composer Roby Abraham’s soothing backdrop that ends with a dark twist, just like the conversation. When Chai Met Toast’s guitarist Achyuth Jaigopal, who last year played for a couple of Shaan Rahman soundtracks, turns composer with sound of memory. A wonderful debut it turns out – a beautiful melody that is set to an ethereal arrangement (Achyuth himself plays guitars and ukulele, Shravan Sridhar on violin), in perfect sync with the song’s highland-based visuals. Singer Shaktisree Gopalan is in exceptional form on her part too. I haven’t been a great fan of Anju Brahmasmi’s Music Mojo songs, but in one life stand she really impresses with a laidback bossa nova based composition. While the lady herself produces a great rendition, she has some great musicians backing her up too, led by the immensely talented guitarist Santosh Chandran. Neha Nair and Yakzan Gary Pereira, doing their first movie composition since that fabulous soundtrack for Iyobinte Pusthakam nearly three years back. And it is sad they don’t get to compose more often; even in hopelessly yours it is evident that the duo is still in exceptional touch. The haunting composition continues along the album’s dreamy soundscape and once again features an ace arrangement, featuring star bassist Panagiotis Andreou and drummer Pranoy Praveen. Neha herself handles the vocals, and delivers in style. Good of the makers to feature most of the musicians in the individual song videos, by the way.

Humans of Someone. A soundtrack that is esoteric but brilliantly consistent in its sound. Not often that one gets to hear that in a multi-composer work.

Music Aloud Rating: 4/5

Top Recos: All of them!

Musician Credits

‘dear padmarajan’

Written & Performed by Nitin Nath

Music rearranged & produced by Govind Menon

Mixed and Mastered by Rajan KS

Films mentioned:

Thoovanathumbikal (1987)

Thinkalaazhcha Nalla Divasam (1985)

Deshadanakkili Karayarilla (1986)

Season (1989)

Namukku Parkkaan Munthiri Thoppukal (1986)

Moonnam Pakkam (1988)

Koodevide (1983)

Aparan (1988)

Innale (1990)

Njan Gandharvan (1991)

Original Composers:

Johnson, Thoovanathumbikal

Raveendran, Deshadanakkili Karayarilla

Ilaiyaraja, Season

Johnson, Namukku Parkkaan Munthiri Thoppukal

Ilaiyaraja, Moonnam Pakkam

Johnson, Koodevide

Johnson, Aparan

Mohan Sithara, Innale

Johnson, Njan Gandharvan

‘sarah & i’

Written by Nitin Nath

Performed by Nitin Nath, Madonna Sebastian

Composed, Mixed, Mastered by Roby Abraham

‘same season, another sea’

Originally composed by Ilaiyaraja for Season (1989)

Re-interpreted by Govind Menon

‘sound of memory’

Written by Nitin Nath

Composed by Achyuth Jaigopal

Vocals: Shaktisree Gopalan

Guitars, Ukulele: Achyuth Jaigopal

Violin: Shravan Sridhar

Programmed by Palee Francis

Mixed and Mastered by Vivek Thomas

‘fresh lime blues’

Originally composed by Johnson for Thoovanathumbikal (1987)

Re-interpreted by Govind Menon

‘one life stand’

Music & Vocals – Anju Brahmasmi

Lyrics – Nitin Nath

Guitars – Santosh Chandran

Bass – Andres Rotmistrovski

Body Percussion – Nikhil Kakochan

Mix – Vivek Thomas

Mastering – Joe LaPorta (Grammy nominee), Sterling Sound

‘nowhere home’

Originally composed by Johnson for Koodevide (1983)

Re-interpreted by Govind Menon

‘hopelessly yours’

Music – Neha Nair & Yakzan Pereira

Lyrics – Nitin Nath

Drums – Pranoy Praveen

Bass – Panagiotis Andreou

Mixed by Vivek Thomas Productions

Mastered by Mike Kalajian

Songs at the end.

The ever reliable Rekha Bhardwaj sounds oddly off colour singing Saat Rangon Ke, it is perhaps the pacing of the song itself causing that feeling. Even composer Anupam Roy – doing his first Hindi movie that does not involve Shoojit Sircar – doesn’t feel his usual self, setting the nice melodic piece (very nicely written by Irshad Kamil) to a rather dated arrangement. The Acoustic Version of the song features a better arrangement and sounds better; the composer even does a passable job donning the vocalist role himself. Jonita Gandhi sings her heart out in the melancholic Kehne Ko that once again carries a heard before feeling about it otherwise. The song is a better listen than Saat Rangon Ke all the same.

Anupam Roy delivers his best song for Dear Maya in yet another melodic piece titled Sune Saaye. The rock-flavoured sound is right down Roy’s alley, and he unsurprisingly aces it, adding a lovely touch in the arrangement with the sitar. Harshdeep Kaur delivers splendidly on her part as well. Final track of the soundtrack has been done by guest composer Sandman (Sandeep Patil). Attitude-loaded singing from Rashi Mal (whose main trade is acting) aside, middling song.

Dear Maya. But for one trademark composition, surprisingly ordinary work from Anupam Roy.

Music Aloud Rating: 2/5

Top Recos: Sune Saaye, Kehne Ko, Saat Rangon Ke (acoustic)

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Songs at the end.

I am not sure what Rishi Rich “fixed” in his “refix” of R D Burman-Anand Bakshi’s Jaanu Meri Jaan, but he does manage to unfix a lot of things and produce an absolutely terrible piece. The mediocre singing (Juggy D and Shivi, with rap by Raftaar) only eggs you on to press the Next button quicker. The other remix of the soundtrack – incidentally a recreation of a recreation – works better, a lot because it doesn’t change much of the original. Jai Maa is an entertaining devotional spin on Kaala Chashma, sung by Sahil Solanki and Jyotica Tangri (with rap by Parry G). I assume Jaidev Kumar did the remixing though he is strangely credited for “music”. Amjad Nadeem’s Tenu Na Bol Pawaan is a pleasant melody, only it sounds a lot like Main Tenu Samjhawan from Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. Of the two versions it comes in, the minimal reprise version sung by Asees Kaur scores over Yasser Desai and Jyotica Tangri’s rendition.

Like their debut work, Pritam’s A&R team JAM8’s (more specifically, Kaushik, Akash and Guddu, aka KAG for JAM8) Behen Hogi Teri track Tera Hoke Rahoon too carries a strong whiff of compositions by their mentor. And Arijit Singh’s presence behind the mic adds to that familiarity. The final song, Yash Narvekar’s Teri Yaadon Mein too is fraught with familiar sounds, but a smarter job on the arrangement part (Prithvi Sharma, the arranger) makes this the soundtrack’s better song. And once again the minimally set reprise version sung by the composer himself along with Sukriti Kakar trumps the original delivered by Yasser Desai and Pawni Pandey.

Behen Hogi Teri. Multiple composers, familiar sounds, a badly done remix. Perfect ingredients for a forgettable soundtrack.

Music Aloud Rating: 2/5

Top Recos: Teri Yaadon Mein (reprise), Tenu Na Bol Pawaan (reprise), Tera Hoke Rahoon

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Songs and credits at the end.

The makers of Raabta clearly did not find four a big enough number to pick from, and hence decided to get Pritam (though now credited to JAM 8) to create a fifth version of his Agent Vinod song. A decently done remix, to be fair, just that I would rather still go back to the Night In the Motel version from the original set. While Irshad Kamil supplies the additional lyrics for the Raabta version that Nikhita Gandhi delivers in style, joined by Arijit Singh (who incidentally has been part of every version of this song; though when he recorded the first four his playback singing career was still taking off). Ik Vaari Aa continues on the remix-y lines with amped up electronic dance elements, and doesn’t serve much of a purpose except perhaps to jive along to in a club. Arijit Singh handles the main version of the song while Jubin Nautiyal sings the version bearing the honest title, Jubin Version (interestingly this one is credited to Pritam; I thought he did not want any association with the project). Sadda Move, the staple Punjabi-flavoured entry, fares mildly better despite the standard elements – the arrangement is a tad more imaginative here. Interesting to note specific credits for dhol and tumbi sound design (Tigerstyle). Diljit Dosanjh and Pardeep Singh Sran (who last recorded Cutie Pie for Pritam) handle the singing in this one, with rap by Raftaar.

Not sure whether Lambiyan Si Judaiyan had any involvement at all from Pritam, but the song’s melancholic sufi rock-ish sound is very much relatable to the composer’s style. Arijit Singh’s singing (with fine support from Shadab and Altamash Faridi in the sufi portions) too helps add to that feeling. Atif Aslam gets the best song of the lot – the pleasant, breezy melodic piece titled Darasal. Finally there is Main Tera Boyfriend, the track that led Pritam to walk out of the project. And I fail to see why the label had to go with the Sohrabuddin track’s remix which honestly just reminds me of Pritam’s older tracks. In fact, someone could replace that Main Tera Boyfriend Tu Meri Girlfriend hook with Love Mera Hit Hit Soniye and you probably would not find anything amiss. Arijit Singh leads the vocals on this one too, with Neha Kakkar, Meet Bros and rapper Roach Killa joining him at different points.

A soundtrack that, true to the movie’s theme, feels like a punarjanam of older Pritam songs. While I understand JAM 8 is Pritam’s company, they really need to move out from under his shadow, musically, and develop their own sound.

Music Aloud Rating: 2.5/5

Top Recos: Darasal, Raabta, Lambiyan Si Judaiyan

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

1. Song: Ik Vaari Aa
Singer: Arijit Singh
Music Director: JAM8
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Sound Design- Sunny M.R, Dj Phukan
Music Programmers- Sunny M.R, Dj Phukan
Mixed And Master By Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar
Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar
Vocal Conductor- Tushar Joshi
Production Manager- Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh
Musicians -Acoustic Guitar- Roland
Music Label: T-Series

2. Song – Raabta Title Song
Singer- Nikhita Gandhi
Music-JAM8
Lyrics- Irshad Kamil and Amitabh Bhattacharya
Sound Design- Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R
Music Programming- Rohan Chauhan
Additional Programming- Johan Folke and Stefan
Mixed and Master by – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant engineer- Abhishek Sortey& Dhananjay khapekar
Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar
Vocal Conductor- Tushar Joshi
Production Manager- Anupam Amod
Music Label: T-Series

3. Song: Sadda Move
Singer: Diljit Dosanjh, Pardeep Singh Sran
Music: JAM8
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya, Irshad Kamil
Rap: Raftaar
Music Label: T-Series
:::::Additional Song Details::::::
Additional Vocals: Ashwin Kulkarni.
Sound Design : Dj Phukan ,Sunny M.R
Music Programmers : Aditya Pushkarna.
Additional programmer: Dj Phukan.
Dhol &Tumbi Design: Tigerstyle.
Shot mix: Ashwin Kulkarni.
Mix & Master: Shadab Rayeen@Newedge.
Assistant to shadab: Abhishek Sortey, Dhananjay Khapekar.
Recording Engineers: Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar.
Vocal Conductor: Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant.
Production manager: Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh.
Musician: Tumbi – Tapas Roy.
Backing Vocals: Anupam, Amit , Manoj, Aaroh, Shloke,Shubham.

4. Song – Lambiyan Si Judaiyan
Singer- Arijit Singh ,Shadab & Altamash Faridi
Music – JAM8
Lyrics- Amitabh Bhattacharya
Music label- T-Series
:::::Additional Song Details::::::
Music Programming – Prasad Sashte, Sourav Roy.
Mixed and Master by – Eric Pillai (Future sound of Bombay).
Assistant engineer – Michael Edwin Pillai & Lucky @Future sound of Bombay.
Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar
Vocal Conductor- Tushar Joshi
Production Manager- Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh.
Musicians –
Acoustic Guitars – Arijit Singh and Roland Fernandes.
Bass – Roland Fernandes

5.Song – Main Tera Boyfriend
Singer – Arijit Singh, Neha Kakkar & Meet Bros.
Lyrics – Kumaar
Programmed By- Sourav Roy
Mixed And Mastered By- Eric Pillai( Future Sound Of Bombay)
Asst. Mix Engineers- Edwin Pillai & Lucky
Music- T-Series
Original Music: Director: Sohrabuddin
Original Lyrics: Jitendra Raghuvanshi

6. Song -Darasal
Singer- Atif Aslam
Music-Jam8
Lyrics- Irshad Kamil
Music Label: T-Series
:::::Additional Song Details::::::
Music Programming : Abhijit Vaghani
Mixed And Master By – Eric Pillai (Future Sound Of Bombay).
Assistant Engineer – Michael Edwin Pillai & Lucky @Future Sound Of Bombay.
Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar
Musician: Shomu Seal
Production Manager- Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh

7. Song: Ik Vaari Aa (Jubin Version)
Singer: Jubin Nautiyal
Music Director: Pritam
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Music Label: T-Series

Songs at the end.

Those who have watched the trailer of Bank Chor or caught any of its promos (there have been way too many for you to have missed them) would not be surprised by the tongue in cheek tone of the soundtrack. Song 1, Hum Hain Bank Chor, written and composed by Kailash Kher, starts with a parody of the Bande Hai Hum Uske verse from Dhoom 3, and generously throws around the bank chor phrase the way the expletive it resembles is used. Kher himself handles the lead vocals; Ambili (Menon?) joining him briefly with a rap cameo (written by her). The rapping is more extensive in two other songs of the movie. BC Rap Knockout: Mumbai vs Delhi has Naezy and Pardhaan trash talking each other over their respective cities, represented in the song’s video by the movie’s main man Riteish Deshmukh and boxing champion Vijender Singh. The rap is part smart and part silly, featuring some of the trademark phrases from the respective dialects. Shamir Tandon handles the music for this one. The other rap song sees the Bollywood return of Baba Sehgal after a considerable gap (the man has been fairly active elsewhere though – South Indian films, independent music and most importantly, Twitter). And the man continues to be as wacky as ever; Bae, Baba Aur Bank Chor is an absolutely random assortment of rhymes!

Rochak Kohli – a man who has regularly been part of multi composer lineups since his debut, and yet managed to produce a good portfolio of songs – creates two of the better songs from this soundtrack too. Tashreef is funnily written (by Adheesh Verma) and set to a pleasant, guitar-led arrangement. Kohli himself delivers the song in its original version and the Cups Version where the percussion is replaced with plastic cups and claps while the rest of the arrangement remains largely the same. Nakash Aziz rules the folk infused Jai Baba Bank Chor with his exuberance. The lyrics are once again all over the place, it is the song’s energy that makes it tick. Given the soundtrack’s general light heartedness, the darkness of the instrumental theme song comes as a surprise. Mela: The Bank Chor Theme is composed by Shrikanth Sriram (more famous by his stage name Shri, British Asian multi-instrumentalist who has been associated with  Badmarsh & Shri and his solo act Shrilektric among others; you might have noticed him in Dewarists Season 1, employing a violin bow on a fretless bass guitar). Passable listen; the track does not have enough variation to justify its length of over five and a half minutes.

Bank Chor. Random, mindless, fun soundtrack. Which is pretty much what the movie promises to be as well.

Music Aloud Rating: 2.5/5

Top Recos: Tashreef, Jai Baba Bank Chor, Hum Hain Bank Chor

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Songs and credits at the end.

With Tubelight, Pritam’s “versioning” habits seem to have returned in full strength – the soundtrack has five original tunes, but ten tracks in all. There also seems to be a kind of correlation between the song lineup of this movie and the team’s previous work. While for Selfie Le Le Re there is a Radio, Naach Meri Jaan can be classed in the same genre as Kuk-Doo-Koo. Then there is the staple melodic set of course. I could not figure out any particular difference between Radio and its film version, even the singers are the same (Amit Mishra, Kamaal Khan). Sprightly song that clearly draws from Pritam’s own Balam Pichkaari, the song soars during the interludes where it takes on a more pronounced European flavour, riding particularly on Jeff Taylor’s accordion and Eli Bishop’s fiddle. Naach Meri Jaan, the only single entry in the soundtrack, also belongs to familiar Pritam territory but is fun all the same. The jolly tune is delivered very well by Kamaal Khan, backed by an able chorus that also sings the occasional Kumaoni phrases to go with movie’s geographic setting. The song’s arrangement features some highland-ish incorporations even otherwise (like Naveen Kumar’s flute), adding to the track’s appeal.

Tinka Tinka has a pretty ordinary melody, made to sound even more so by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s repetitive sounding rendition. It is the atmospheric backdrop that deserves your focus for its finely employed chorus and strings (interesting to see a nyckelharpa credit). The song becomes more world musical in its sound towards the final 1.5 minutes or so, with the chorus’ outlandish chants et al. The singing by Jubin Nautiyal works slightly better for the song in the film version. The haunting arrangement suits the melancholy of Main Agar quite well. The song would have fared even better if instead of Atif Aslam, the song had been delivered by KK who sings the faster paced and less appealing film version. The opening line of Main Agar reappears in flute form in the soundtrack’s weakest track that incidentally also gets the most versions – Kuchh Nahi. The song does however feature some fine singing in each of the three versions – Javed Ali, Shafqat Amanat Ali and Papon.

Pritam once again delivers a decent soundtrack for Kabir Khan and Salman Khan. A good start to what appears to be a busy second half of the year for the composer.

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

Top Recos: Naach Meri Jaan, Tinka Tinka, Main Agar

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

Naach Meri Jaan

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Amitabh Bhattacharya

Singer- Kamaal Khan, Nakash Aziz,Dev Negi, Tushar Joshi

Additional vocal: Akashdeep Sengupta

Sound Design Music Production – Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R

Music Programming : Hyacinth D’souza

Additional Programming and arrangement :Anurag saikia

Kumaon parts : Dev Negi , Anurag Saikia, Tushar Joshi,Akashdeep Sengupta.
Mixed and Master
by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant engineer
Abhishek Sortey
&
Dhananjay khapekar
Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, Rahul sharma
Vocal Conductor- Tushar Joshi
Musicians : Tapas, Deepesh, Naveen Kumar,Rhythm Shaw
Production Manager- Anupam Amod,Manoj Harsh

Tinka Tinka

Music :Pritam
Lyrics :Kausar Munir
Singer: Jubin Nauityal
Video Director : Rocky Khanna
Music Production And Sound Design :Dj Phukan,Sunny M.R.”
Mix And Mastered By :Eric Pillai @ Future Sound Of Bombay
Music Programming :Ramone Fernandes
Additional Programming And Arrangement :Dj Phukan, Sunny M.R.,
Tanuj Tikku

Special Thanks To Viviene Pocha And Dj Phukan For The Traditional Shepherd Calls

Chorus And Voices Designed By :Vivienne Pocha
Chorus :Viviene Pocha , Shazneen Arethra , Marienne D Souza
V Chandana Bala
Nykel Harpa Performed By :Emelia Amper

String Section Conducted By :Eric
Nykelharpa And String Production Supervised By Johan Folke

Recording Engineers Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar

Vocal Supervision :Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant

Percussion And Rhythm: Dipesh Varma, Omkar Salunkhe &
Backtracks

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh

Recording Studios And Engineers :Enzy Studios, Mumbai – For Percussion Dub: Recording Engineer – Julian Mascarenhas

Main Agar

Music-Pritam
Lyrics- Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer- Atif Aslam

Sound Design Music production – Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R
Music Programming : Tanuj Tikku

Mixed and Master
by Sunny M.R and Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant engineer
Abhishek Sortey
&
Dhananjay khapekar
Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar.
Backing vocals: Vivienne Pocha, Shazneen Arenthra, Niesha, V Chandana Bala
Guitars: Warren Mendonsa and Oscar Foreleg Storm
Drums and Rythem:Backtracks
Drums and Guitar production supervision Johan Folke
Production Manager- Anupam Amod,Manoj Harsh

Radio

Music : Pritam.
Lyrics : Amitabh Bhattacharya.
Singer : Kamaal khan,Amit mishra.
Additional Vocal : Akashdeep Sengupta.
Music Programming: Sourav Roy.

Sound Design : Dj Phukan, Sunny M.R.
Additional programming : Prasad Sashte

Additional Rhythm Programmer : Nitin shankar , Parikshit sharma
Additional Live Rhythm : Nitin Shankar and Dipesh Varma

Mix & Master : Shadab Rayeen@Newedge.
Assistant to shadab: Abhishek Sortey, Dhananjay Khapekar.

Shootmix : Ashwin Kulkarni.
Recording Engineers : Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar.

Vocal Conductor : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant.

Musicians:
Fiddle : Eli Bishop
Dobro : Wanda Vick
Banjo : Matt Menefee
Accordion:Jeff Taylor
Trumpet and Euphonium : Samuel Ewens
Conducted by Nikhil Paul
Backing vocals : Tushar Joshi

Production manager: Anupam Amod,Manoj Harsh

Songs and credits at the end.

Despite the outlandish screams that keep popping up through the song, Raakh Baaki is a captivating listen, largely for that pulsating rhythm punctuated with the intermittent guitar usage. Jonita Gandhi’s whispery rendition adds to the song’s intrigue, while also taking me back at times to the title song of Warriors of Heaven and Earth. Freaking Life starts off sounding like it might continue along the same lines, but instead turns out to be of a lighter kind. The umpteen repetitions of “freaking” can get annoying after a while, but the breezy nature of the song and the exuberant singing by Raja Kumari (who debuted for A R Rahman earlier this year with Kaatru Veliyidai), Rianjali and Suzanne D’Mello make the song worth your while. Kooke Kawn starts with a cawing sound, kind of like Rahman’s own Petta Rap (Patti Rap in Hindi) from 1994 did. The track unfortunately isn’t anywhere as interesting as that composition; following a middling Punjabi infused dance track format. Even Sukhwinder Singh’s singing does not help much in spite of the energy. Incidentally, even the last couple of party tracks from Rahman (both in Tamil – Achcham Yenbadhu Madamaiyada and 24) have been unimpressive.

Shashaa Tirupathi is the star of the lullaby O Sona Tere Liye, outperforming her fellow vocalist, composer Rahman. The song itself is reminiscent of ARR’s older tracks of similarly soothing nature, but the genre saves it from being a tedious listen. The composer’s best song from the soundtrack is Shashaa’s solo act. Chal Kahin rides on a fabulous melody that goes through multiple unexpected yet seamless turns, all of which the singer handles with finesse. The violins that dominate the backdrop add to the song’s allure, especially by conveying the exhilarating feel around the Chal Kahin Doora Chale refrain. Another fine vocal performance follows in Muafi Mushkil – Darshana KT the singer this time. One of the most interestingly constructed ARR songs in recent times, Muafi Mushkil has an a cappella style first half, and the backing vocalists give way to a piano in the latter segment. Final song of Mom is a traditional piece titled Be Nazaara. Once again the arrangement is very offbeat (T Series has missed crediting the arrangements for this one; but it is ARR as per a quote by the director) leading to a curiously interesting electronic-classical fusion. The classical part of the equation is presented by Sudeep Jaipurwale with an incredibly nuanced rendition set against the ambient backdrop.

Coming on the heels of a sports bio (Sachin: A Billion Dreams) and a mostly remade soundtrack (OK Jaanu) before that, Mom is the best that A R Rahman has sounded this year. The unorthodox arrangement in some of the songs is an especial standout.

Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5

Top Recos: Chal Kahin, Be Nazaara, Muafi Mushkil

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

Song: – O Sona
Singers: – AR Rahman, Shashaa Tirupati
Music Director: – AR Rahman
Lyrics: – Irshad Kamil
Music Label:- T-Series

Song :-Kooke Kawn
Singer :- Sukhwinder Singh
Rap By Blaaze
Backing Vocals By Suzanne D’mello
Music Director :- Ar Rahman
Lyrics :- Irshad Kamil, Traditional
Music Label:- T-Series

Song:- Raakh Baakhi
Singer Name:- Jonita Gandhi
Music Director:- A.R. Rahman
Lyricist:- Irshad Kamil,
Music Label:- T-Series

Song:- Freaking Life
Singers :- Riyanjali, Rajakumari & Suzanne D’mello
Music Director:- A.R. Rahman
Backing Vocals By Darshana Kt
Lyrics:-Riyanjali, Rajakumari & A.R. Rahman
Music Label:- T-Series

Song:- Chal Kahin Door
Singer:- Shaasha Tirupati
Music:- AR Rahman
Lyrics:- Irshad Kamil
Music Label:- T-Series

Song:- Muafi Mushkil
Singer:- Darshana Kt
Music:-AR Rahman
Lyrics:- Irshad Kamil
Music Label:- T-Series

Song:- Be Nazaara
Singer Name:- Sudeep Jaipurwala
Music Director:- Traditional
Lyricist:- Traditional
Music Label:- T-Series
Backing Vocals By Abhay Jodhpurkar, Nakul, Shenbajgaraj, Santosh Hariharan,Nivas, Deepak, Saicharan, Narayanan, Deepthi Suresh, Veena Murali, Maalavika, Soundarya, Anu Subhaiya, Aishwarya A Kumar

Musicians
Bass – Keith Peters
Guitar – Keba Jeremiah, Rashid Ali
Flute – Naveen Kumar, Kamalakar
Rhythm & Percussions – Taufiq Qureshi Feat. Arun Solanki, Deepak Bhatt, Dipesh Varma, Omkar Salunkhe, Gautam Sharma, Shikhar Naad Qureshi
Recorded At Enzy Studio, Mumbai, By Camille Alex Polycrap
Chennai Strings & Sunshine Orchestra – Conducted By Vj Srinivasamurthy, Recorded At Am Studios, Chennai

Additional Programming – Ishaan Chhabra, Jerry Vincent, Tr Krishna Chetan, Pawan Chilamkurthi, Parag Chhabra, Kumaran Sivamani, Gulraj Singh
Music Supervision By Rianjali, Srinidhi Venkatesh
Mixed By Ishaan Chhabra & Tr Krishna Chetan
Mastered By Suresh Permal

Sound Engineers
Panchathan Record Inn, Chennai
Suresh Permal, Ishaan Chhabra, Santhosh Dhayanidhi, Tr Krishna Chetan, Karthik Sekaran, Jerry Vincent, Pawan Chilamkurthi, Vinay Sridhar, Srinidhi Venkatesh
Ar Studios, Mumbai
Dilshaad Shaikh, R Nitish Kumar, Hari Krishna
Am Studios, Chennai
S.Sivakumar, Pradeep Menon, Kannan Ganpat, Manoj
Musicians Fixer – R Samidurai
Musician Coordinators – Vijay Iyer, Noel James, Tm Faizuddin

Songs and credits at the end.

After singing with his father last year for Prashant Pillai’s Anuraaga Karikkin Vellam, Govind Menon once again gets behind the mic for a different composer in Thondimuthalum Dhriksaakshiyum – this time for Bijibal. And the brooding folk-flavoured Aayilyam is perfect fit for Govind’s and fellow singer Sithara Krishnakumar’s singing styles. Bijibal’s arrangement is on point, putting to brilliant use Rajesh Cherthala’s flute and an assortment of ethnic percussion – chenda most prominently (not live I guess, I see no credits). Composer himself dons the vocalist role for the breezy Varum Varum and does that job commendably. The song itself follows a familiar format, especially the flurry of guitar activity (Sandeep Mohan) around the Varumo Ee Vazhi Vettam hook, but is a pleasant listen all the same. For a third consecutive movie, Bijibal delivers his best in a yesteryear-evocative melody that he packages in a delightfully variegated arrangement. Some fine writing by Rafeeq Ahammed too, and handling the singing are the very competent Ganesh Sundaram and Sowmya Ramakrishnan. The song has a lovely video to go with it too (linked at the end of the review)

Given how Maheshinte Prathikaaram turned out, expectations are quite high of director Dileesh Pothan’s Thondimuthalum Dhriksaakshiyum. At least on the musical front, Bijibal ensures there are no missteps. Wish it were a longer soundtrack though.

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

Musician Credits

Kannile Poika
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed
Music: Bijibal
Vocals: Ganesh Sundaram, Sowmya Ramakrishnan

Aayilyam
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed
Music: Bijibal
Vocals: Sithara Krishnakumar, Govind Menon

Varum Varum
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed
Music: Bijibal
Vocals: Bijibal

Keyboard : Madhu Paul, Justin Varghese, Bibin Ashok, Aby Alvin
Strings : Francis Xavier, Herald, Josekutty, Francis, Jain
Flute : Rajesh Cherthala
Guitar: Sandeep Mohan

All songs mixed and mastered at Bodhi

Songs and musician credits at the end.

Anirudh Ravichander’s singing shortcomings are the sore point of an otherwise fantastically realised romantic melody Yaanji Yaanji (pity a far skilled Sathyaprakash is relegated to backing vocals); his singing counterpart Shaktisree Gopalan does well though. Excellent use of strings throughout the arrangement, and composer Sam CS does particularly well in the interludes. The Nenjaathiye refrain is cleverly adapted by the composer into the short, soulful instrumental piece titled Idhu Emosion, delivered by Chennai Orchestra. Karuppu Vellai derives its eerie charm big time from that folk refrain (a devotional tune, apparently, but also quite close to the snake song tunes in Kerala), but to Sam’s credit he builds a sleek thematic piece around it (featuring gunshots et al). Sivam’s rendition packs the right amount of attitude to go with the gangster song. The folk refrain appears twice more in the soundtrack. In Ghetto Chase a kids’ chorus (Meghavarshini, Avantika, Monisha) renders a vocal version amidst a thrilling instrumental piece that rides on violins and guitars (Chennai Orchestra). And in Oru Katha Sollatta, composer lays it over a waltz-y European backdrop; a somewhat discordant combination.

MLR Karthick, Mukesh and Guna rule the folky drinking song Tasakku Tasakku with their energy, even as Sam’s deft work elevates the song from being garden variety kuthu (I also noticed a bit of Malayalam in there at one point!). It is perhaps Pradeep Kumar’s presence behind the mic that gives Pogaatha Yenna Vittu a Santhosh Narayanan/Sean Roldan-ish vibe in my head. And the man is in fine form as usual, joined by an equally competent Neha Venugopal. The composer adorns the folk-flavoured melody with some fine strings usage once again; that second interlude in particular is beautifully done. Of the remaining three instrumental pieces – Yethu Dharmam? Yethu Nyaayam? Sangu Sattham – the third one impresses best, though it is also the shortest. All of them should be effective background pieces though.

I am not particularly familiar with Sam C S’s previous works, but Vikram Vedha is excellent work from the man!

Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5

Top Recos: Pogaadha Yenna Vittu, Yaanji, Tasakku Tasakku

Musician Credits

Song: Karuppu Vellai
Singers: Sivam & Sam C S
Lyrics: Vignesh Sivan

Song: Yaanji Yaanji
Singers: Anirudh Ravichander & Shakthisree Gopalan
Backing Vocal: Sathiya Prakash
Lyrics: Mohanraj

Song: Tasakku Tasakku
Singers: Mugesh, M L R Karthick, Guna And Chorus
Lyrics: Muthamil

Song: Yethu Dharmam?
Chennai Orchestra

Song: Pogatha Yennavittu
Singers: Pradeep Kumar & Neha Venugopal
Lyrics: Sam C S

Song: Ghetto Chase
Singers: Meghavarshini, Avantika & Monisha
Chennai Orchestra

Song: Idhu Emosion
Chennai Orchestra

Song: Yethu Nyayam?
Singers: Sam C S
Chennai Orchestra

Song: Sangu Sattham
Singers: Sethu Thankachan, Kannan M, Ravikumar

Song: Oru Katha Sollatta?
Singers: Sam C S, Sethu Thankachan, Kannan M & Ravikumar
Chennai Orchestra

All Tracks Composed by: Sam C S
Keys: Sam C S, Onasis Mohan – Hentry Kuruvila – K P – Lijin Bambino
Accustic Guitar: Keba Jeromiah – Onasis Mohan – Babu
Electric And Bass Guitar Keba Jeremiah & Babu
Ukulele: Keba Jeremiah & Seenu
Mandolin, Oud, Pipa, Sandoor, Harp, Sarod, Banjo & Lute: Seenu
Solo Violin: Balaji – Manoj
Whistle: Deva Rajesh
Flute: Kiran
Rhythms And Percussions: Shruthi – Deric – Ashwin – Raju
Chorus: Sethu Thankatchan – Lijin – Kannan – Ravikumar – Anitha – Nega Venugopal – Avanthika – Haritha – Aishwarya – Meghavarshini – Avantika
Strings Arrangements And Programed By: Hentry Kuruvila
Violins: Hemanth – Sampath – David – Palani – A Selvaraj – Siva – Vijaya Baskar – Kannan – Balu – Samson – Dhana Sekar – Himam – Narayan Rao
Viola: Murali – Sasi – Selvaraj – Rex – Grijan – Balaji – Baskar – Gopi – Vinay Kumar
Cello: Sekar – Viji; Double Bass: Bithu
Orchestra Conducted By: Yensone
Song Mixed And Mastered By: Balu Thankachan (Track 1,2,3 & 5)
Additional Tracks Mixed By: Thiru And Sabin Jose
Additional Tracks Mastered By: Abin Pushpakaran
Recording Engineers: Avinash Satish (20db Sound Studios) –
Sujith Sreedhar (Krimson Avenue Studios) Thiru (G Sharp Studios) Raju (John Studios)
Music Supervisor: Sethu Thankachan – Nizamudeen H
Music Co-Ordinator: B Velavan

Songs and musician credits at the end.

There is something very Shaan Rahman-esque about Janah Meri Janah, and I am not even referring to the fact that Vineeth Sreenivasan is behind the mic (though that helps). The melody is nice, though familiar, and more effective in the minimal reprise version because of more soulful singing (Adheef Muhammed), and the fact that Roopa Revathi’s fine violin rendition (same as in the original version) gets more prominence here due to the reduced backdrop. Composer does even better in his remaining two songs. Engane Paadendu Njaan harks back a few years with composer Hesham Abdul Wahab’s semi-classical treatment and P Jayachandran and Manjari’s practised singing (Hesham pitches in with some improvisations in the interludes). The melody lends it equally well to a lounge-ish Electro Dream Version that is sung beautifully by Anne Amie Vazhapilly (who made her debut last year with the reprise version of Ethu Megha Maari from Kochavva Paulo.., the main version of which was incidentally sung by Hesham) and Uday Ramachandran. Nivas owns with his impassioned and nuanced singing the melancholic Kathorthu whose only drawback is the template percussion.

Over two years since his indie music debut (Qadam Badha) and an average film debut in Salt Mango Tree, Hesham Abdul Wahab makes a promising comeback with Cappuccino that scores high on its melodic content. Nothing here to beat my favourite song from his debut album though.

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

Musician Credits

Janah Meri janah
Composed, arranged and produced by Hesham Abdul Wahab
Singer: Vineeth Sreenivasan
Lyrics: Haseena S Kanam

Guitars and Bass – Sumesh Parameswar
Violin – Roopa Revathi
Female Adlips – Divya S Menon
Chorus – Adheef Muhamed and Alsabith
Recorded at Octaves Studio (Chennai), Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin) and NHQ Studio (Cochin)
Engineered by Manoj Christy, Sujith Hyder and Binil Eldhose
Mixed by Hesham Abdul Wahab at Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin)
Mastered by Vishnu Raj at VR’s Sonic Room (Dubai)

Engane Padendu Njan
Composed, arranged and produced by Hesham Abdul Wahab
Singer: P.Jayachandran & Manjari
Lyrics: Venu V Desom

Bass – Josy
Flute – Rajesh Cherthala
Tabla – Anand
Mritangam – Kammath
Strings – Cochin Strings
Veena – Biju
Harmonium – Berny
Female Adlips – Anne Amie Vazhappilly
Male Adlips – Hesham Abdul Wahab
Recorded at Bhairavi Studios (Trivandrum), Praveens Workstation (Thrissur) and Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin)
Engineered by Shabit Rs, Praveen Iyer and Manoj Christy
Mixed by Kiran Lal at NHQ Studio (Cochin)
Mastered by Vishnu Raj at VR’s Sonic Room (Dubai)

Kathorthu
Composed, arranged and produced by Hesham Abdul Wahab
Singer: Nivas
Lyrics: Rafeeq Ahammed

Percussions – Jino
Flute – Rajesh Cherthala
Additional Vocals – Hesham Abdul Wahab, Zia Ul Haq
Recorded and Mixed by Manoj Christy at Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin)
Mastered by Vishnu Raj at VR’s Sonic Room (Dubai)

Janah (Reprise)
Composed, arranged and produced by Hesham Abdul Wahab
Singer: Adheef Muhammed
Lyrics: Haseena S Kanam

Guitars and Bass – Sumesh Parameswar
Violin – Roopa Revathi
Engineered by Binil Eldhose and Manoj Christy
Recorded at NHQ Studio (Cochin) and Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin)
Mixed by Hesham Abdul Wahab at Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin)
Mastered by Vishnu Raj at VR’s Sonic Room (Dubai)

Engane Electro Dream Version
Composed, arranged and produced by Hesham Abdul Wahab
Singer: Uday Ramachandran & Anne Amie Vazhappilly
Lyrics: Venu V Desom

Engineered by Manoj Christy
Mixed by Hesham Abdul Wahab at Sneham Digital Studio (Cochin)
Mastered by Vishnu Raj at VR’s Sonic Room (Dubai)

Songs and credits at the end.

Composers Gourov-Roshin deliver what would probably rate as their best work yet, in Dil Dhadke Louder Louder. Nothing ground breaking, to be sure, just a traditional Punjabi folk tune (which we have heard in different forms in the past) adapted without any annoying accoutrements, and sung neatly by Rinku Giri and Puja Basnet. The composers include an interesting instrumental coda in the final 30 seconds of the song. Given that Hassan Jahangir’s singing in the original Hawa Hawa was not exactly top drawer, the inclusion of Mika Singh and Prakriti Kakar for the Mubarakan version is a definite improvement on that front. The remix (with modified lyrics by Kumaar) achieves nothing much outside of this, Gourov Roshin actually might have done better to just reuse the original song replacing vocals with Mika and Prakriti’s. The composers attempt the sufi-ish melancholy template with very limited success in Haathon Mein Thhe Haath; the song quickly descends into a daunting listen. The little success it has is mostly contributed by a competent vocal lineup, led by Papon and Altamash Faridi (Aditi Singh Sharma and Arpita Mukherjee being the other two singers).

Composer no. 2, Amaal Mallik, has two songs in the soundtrack, both once again following the Punjabi dance route in a hackneyed fashion. The Goggle Song fares relatively better among the two, featuring Sonu Nigam as an interesting entry among the singers (others being Armaan Malik, Neeti Mohan, Tulsi Kumar, Amaal Mallik); have not heard him sing such a song in a while. Jatt Jaguar starts with a promising folk prelude by Navraj Hans before turning the other way. Energetic rendition from Vishal Dadlani and Apeksha Dandekar, though not adequate to infuse enough spunk into the song itself. Bollywood’s new remix favourite Rishi Rich joins hands with resident remix favourite Badshah (and singers Yash Narvekar and Sukriti Kakar) to produce the title song which isn’t exactly a remix of any song, but does attempt to incorporate some Pancham evocative sounds here and there. And the end result is rather forgettable.

Mubarakan. Typical dance numbers with a dominant Punjabi flavour making up a middling soundtrack. Which is par for the course in an Anees Bazmee movie.

Music Aloud Rating: 2/5

Top Recos: Dil Dhadke Louder Louder, The Goggle Song

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

1. Song: The Goggle Song
Singers: Sonu Nigam, Armaan Malik, Amaal Mallik, Tulsi Kumar & Neeti Mohan.
Music: Amaal Mallik
Lyrics: Kumaar
Music- T-Series
Song Arranged & Produced By : Sourav Roy & Abhijit Vaghani.
Additional Music Production : Birgiveerz & Amaal Mallik.
Song Mixed & Mastered By : Eric Pillai At Future Sound Of Bombay.
Music Supervision & Vocals Conducted By Azeem Dayani.
Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged & Conducted By : Dipesh Varma.
Percussions Performed By : Dipesh Varma & Satyajit Jamsandekar.
All Live Instruments Recorded At Amv Studios By Rahul Sharma.
Vocals Recorded At :
T Series Studios By Datta Narvekar & Edward Norona.
Sound Ideas Studio By Pramod Chandorkar.
Amv Studio By Rahul Sharma.
Music Assistants : Krish Trivedi, Shishir Samant, Zaiyd Patni, Yash Narvekar, Gaurav Sanghvi
Anvay Patil, Rujul Deolikar.
Mix Assistants – Michael Edwin Pillai & Lucky

2. Song – Mubarakan
Singers: Juggy D, Yash Narvekar, Badshah, Sukriti Kakar
Composer: Rishi Rich, Yash Anand
Music Produced By Rishi Rich
Lyrics: Kumaar
Rap Lyrics: Badshah
Music- T-Series
Recorded At Rishi Rich Studios Mumbai.
Mixed And Master By – Eric Pillai (Future Sound Of Bombay).
Assistant Engineer – Michael Edwin Pillai & Lucky @Future Sound Of Bombay.

3. Song: Jatt Jaguar
Singers: Vishal Dadlani, Navraj Hans & Apeksha Dandekar.
Music: Amaal Mallik
Lyrics: Kumaar.
Music- T-Series
Song Arranged & Produced By : Sourav Roy.
Additional Music Production : Birgiveerz, Riz Shain & Amaal Mallik.
Song Mixed & Mastered By : Eric Pillai At Future Sound Of Bombay.
All Live Instruments Recorded At Amv Studios By Rahul Sharma.
Vocals Recorded At :
Yash Raj Studios By Shantanu Hudlikar, Abhishek Iyer & Mansi Tare
Paresh Music By Chakir.
Music Assistants : Krish Trivedi, Shishir Samant, Zaiyd Patni, Yash Narvekar, Gaurav Sanghvi
Anvay Patil, Rujul Deolikar.
Mix Assistants – Michael Edwin Pillai & Lucky.

4. SONG-HAATHON MEIN THHE HAATH
Singer-Papon, Altamash Faridi ,Aditi Singh Sharma, Arpita Mukherjee
Music-Gourov-Roshin
Lyrics-Kumaar
Music- T-Series
Backing Vocals-Rinku Giri
Mixed & Mastered by Kohinoor Mukherjee

5. SONG-HAWA HAWA
Singer-Mika Singh And Prakriti Kakar
Music-Gourov-Roshin
Lyrics-Kumaar
Music- T-Series
Programmed By-Aditya Dev
Mixed And Mastered By Aditya Dev
Live Rhythms And Percussions By Dipesh Varma
Musicians-Dipesh Varma,Keyur Barve,Omkar Salunkhe
And Shikhar Naad Qureshi

6. SONG- DIL DHADKE LOUDER LOUDER
Singer-Rinku Giri And Puja Basnet
Music-Gourov-Roshin
Lyrics-Kumaar
Music- T-Series
Mix And Mastering By Aditya Dev

Songs and musician credits at the end.

Two of the three songs Zebunnisa Bangash has composed the soundtrack of Lipstick Under My Burkha derive from her past works, but with Bollywood friendly variations. Le Li Jaan appeared previously as Laili Jaan in the sixth season of Coke Studio (last one with Rohail Hyatt at its helm). For the show then, Zeb (and her partner Haniya) had done a gipsy jazz take on the Afghan folk song originally sung by Ahmad Zahir. While Zeb (and arrangers Patrick Ferrel and Michael Winograd, both Zeb’s partners in her world music band Sandaraa) strips down the arrangement for this version, she still retains the groovy base and the song will still make you want to swing along. While Patrick Ferrel’s accordion and Ankur Mukherjee’s guitars and double bass form the song’s backbone, clarinettist Michael Winograd and rabab player Sadiq Sameer (who has collaborated with Zeb and Haniya on Coke Studio too,though not in Laili Jaan) go to town with their improvisations, even as Zeb’s practised rendition sits comfortably above all this. Anvita Dutt who writes the Hindi lyrics (retaining some smart references to the Afghani original) also writes Hindi lyrics for the other Afghan song adapted for the soundtrack, Jigi Jigi (Zeb’s band Sandaraa has performed the Afghan original Jegi Jegi earlier). Malini Awasthi makes a fine choice for vocals, her folksy style giving the song a new flavour, while Zeb too makes some neat variations in the arrangement, aided by Ankur Mukherjee. The composer takes the disco route for her original track – Ishqiya – and produces engaging results here too, helped on its way by Neeti Mohan’s singing prowess (and a trippy bass line from Karl Peters).  

After a fine (though infrequent) run as playback singer in Bollywood, a commendable composing debut from Zeb Bangash with Lipstick under my Burkha!

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

SONG – JIGI JIGI
Singer: Malini Awasthi
Lyrics: Anvita Dutt
Music: Zebunnisa Bangash
Music Label: T-Series
Music Production/ Arrangement: Ankur Mukherjee
Musicians:
Dholak/Tambourine: Sharafat
Rabab: Siddiq Sameer
Harmonium/Keyboards: Ankur Mukherjee
Brass Band: Shyam Raj And Friends
Recorded At: S.B. Studio
Recording Engineer: Siddhanath, Amrut
Mixed And Mastered: Amrut Mahajan

SONG – ISHQUIYA
Singer: Neeti Mohan
Lyrics: Anvita Dutt
Music: Zebunnisa Bangash
Music Label: T-Series
Music Production/ Arrangement: Ankur Mukherjee
Keyboards Programmed By Chris Masand
Additional Programming By Ankur Mukherjee
Drums: Kami Paul
Bass: Karl Peters
Guitars: Ankur Mukherjee
Backup Vocals: Neisha & Marianne
Recorded At Kailasa /Audio Garage Studios
Recording Engineers: Niraj, Amrut, Ameya
Mixed And Mastered By Amrut Mahajan

SONG – LE LI JAAN
Singer: Zebunnisa Bangash
Lyrics: Anvita Dutt
Music: Zebunnisa Bangash
Music Label: T-Series
Music Arrangement: Patrick Ferrel/ Michael Winograd
Additional Music Production/Guitars, Ethnic Strings/Upright Bass: Ankur Mukherjee
Drums: Kami Paul
Accordion: Patrick Ferrel
Clarinet: Michael Winograd
Rabab: Sadiq Sameer
Recorded At S.B. / Audio Garage / Kailasa Studios
Recording Engineers: Amrut / Siddhanath / Ameya /Niraj
Mixed And Mastered By Amrut Mahajan

Songs and musician credits at the end.

Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal almost equally divide the song Hans Mat Pagli between them – while Sonu delivers the first half of the song, Shreya makes her entry midway. And both the singers ace the immensely hummable melody from debutant composer Vickey Prasad. Vickey’s other song, Bakheda, has its high point in the mellower melodic portions sung by Sunidhi Chauhan. Rest of the song, though cheery, is rather familiar, Sukhwinder Singh’s singing too adds to the familiarity. Sachet Tandon and Parampara Thakur get behind the mic for their composition Subah Ki Train, and both prove to be competent singers. The composition itself is once again hindered a bit by the familiarity aspect, but the general feel good vibes help mitigate that to an extent. Gori Tu Latthmaar from Manas-Shikhar builds up almost like Tum Tak from Raanjhanaa until the Gori Tu hook where it goes more folksy, more dance-y, in keeping with the festive backdrop the song is set in. Sonu Nigam is the singer for this one too, joined by an equally commendable Palak Mucchal.

Toilet Ek Prem Katha. A bunch of promising debutants produce a pleasantly engaging soundtrack whose only drawback is the déjà vu.

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

Top Recos: Hans Mat Pagli, Subah Ki Train, Gori Tu Latthmaar

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

1. Hans Mat Pagli
Singer: Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal
Music: Vickey Prasad
Lyrics: Garima Wahal & Siddharth Singh
Music Label: T-Series
Music Producer/Programmer: Aditya Pushkarna
Additional Programmer: Rupak Iyer
Mix & Mastered By : Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer: Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar
Studios: Sound Ideaz@Urmila Sutar, Audio Garage@Amey Londhe, Amv@Raj
Jagtap, Rahul Sharma
Musicians :
Plucked Instruments: Tapas Roy
Guitar: Pawan Rasaily
Rhythm: Hitesh Prasad, Mustak Khan
Flute: Sudhir B. Khandekar

2. Bakheda
Singer: Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan
Music: Vickey Prasad
Lyrics: Garima Wahal & Siddharth Singh
Music Label: T-Series
Music Producer/Programmer : Aditya Pushkarna
Mixed By: Vijay Dayal @Yashraj Studio
Assistant Engineer: Chinmay Mestry
Mastered At: Hafod Mastering By Donal Whelan
Studios: Sound Ideaz@Kittu Myakal, Amv@Rahul Sharma, Raj Jagtap
Musicians :
Plucked Instruments: Tapas Roy
Guitar: Pawan Rasaily
Rhythm: Hitesh Prasad, Mustak Khan
Sarangi: Dilshad Khan

3. Gori Tu Latthmaar
Singers: Sonu Nigam & Palak Muchhal
Music: Manas-Shikhar
Lyrics: Garima Wahal & Siddharth Singh
Music Label: T-Series
Programmed By: Aditya Dev, Manas-Shikhar
Mixed By: Vijay Dayal @Yashraj Studio
Assistant Engg: Chinmay Mestry
Mastered By: Donal Whelan @ Masteringworld.Com
Recording Engineer: Rahul Sharma @ Amv Studios, Vijay Dayal @ Yrf Studios
Backing Vocals: Umesh Joshi, Vijay Dhuri, Swapnil Godbole, Karan Kagale, Rishikesh Patil
Musicians :
Dholak: Raju Sardar, Roshan Ali, Hafiz Khan, Arun
Tabla: Manoj Bhati, Sanjiv Sen
Dhol: Hanif – Aslam
Shehnai: Yogesh More

4. Subha Ki Train
Singers: Sachet Tandon, Parampara Thakur
Music Director: Sachet – Parampara
Lyrics: Garima Wahal & Siddharth Singh
Music Label: T-Series
Additional Vocals (Aalap) : Rituraj Mohanty, Sukriti Kakar
Arranger/Programmer: Bharat Goel
Additional Arranger/ Programmer: Dhirendra Mulkalwar
Associate Arranger/Programmer: Firoz Khan, Dev Arijit, Daniel Chiramal
Mixed By : Vijay Dayal @Yashraj Studio
Assistant Engineer: Chinmay Mestry
Mastered At: Hafod Mastering By Donal Whelan
Recorded At: Sound Forest Studios Mumbai
Recordist: Rahul
Additional Vocals Recorded At:
Amv Studios, Mumbai
Recordist: Raaj And Rahul @ Amv Studios
Guitars: Dev Arijit, Aking, Kanu
Backing Vocals: Dev Arijit

Songs at the end.

Oru Nokku doesn’t offer anything new by way of melody or arrangement, but the overall feel good-ness of the whole thing helps, as does Karthik’s fine singing. Composer Deepak Dev does better in his other melodic romantic piece. Mazha Paadum carries a whiff of Kharaharapriya raga about it – a raga in which the composer has created some brilliant pieces in the past (Swayamvara Chandrike, Picha Vacha Naal etc) – this one isn’t quite on that level, but serves its purpose all the same. On the vocal front are Aravind Venugopal and Aparna Balamurali, satisfactory job from both; nothing great. Aaro Kude and Kando Ninde are the faster paced tracks of the soundtrack. The trumpet makes for a neat addition to the breezy orchestration of Aaro Kude which is sung by Pradeep Babu and Jyotsna. Once again, the song is quite familiar in its sound aside of that nice touch. And in Kando Ninde, the composer channels the 80s disco vibe – this too is something Deepak Dev has done to commendable results in the past. And the genre’s appeal makes it an engaging listen here too, though the made-up words in the lyrics, presumably added for some comedic effect, irk at times. Anwar Sadath does well behind the mic.

Sunday Holiday. Average work from composer Deepak Dev, like his past few soundtracks, mainly owing to the lack of newness in sound. Hopefully he has better music in offer later this year, man’s got three more movies in the offing as per wiki.

Music Aloud Rating: 2.5/5

Top Recos: Aaro Kude, Oru Nokku, Kando Ninde

Songs at the end.

Maangaappoolu is composer Bijibal in his currently frequent retro mode, and yet again pulling it off in style, while singing it as well (something about the mentions of maangaappoolu and uppu that makes your mouth water like it says in the line after!). Rest of the soundtrack however, sees the composer in a totally different avatar. Carnatic musician Vivek Moozhikkulam aces the naattakkurinji raga based Oru Thari Asha while Bijibal creates a sleek fusion track around his rendition. Pushpavathi, who has in the past delivered two fine folk tracks for the composer, comes back for the very Thrissur-accented tribute to the town and its people, called Thrissooru. Very well sung by the lady, and the arrangement once again sees a smart fusion of sorts.

The experimentation on the traditional Thrissur Pooram song Kaanthaa (currently most famous through its cover by Masala Coffee) doesn’t really hit the mark though – the dark re-imagination of the melody didn’t work for me. Thaikkudam Bridge’s Vipin Lal does a good rendition of it nevertheless. Kada Thala Kola too yields similarly unimpressive results, though here the lyrics are the main culprit. Sannidhanandhan handles the folk-tinged melody neatly. The final track, Venne Vennakkal Penne, works largely for Sayanora Philip’s spirited vocals; once again the words are middling and the melody too is passable.

Thrissivaperoor Kliptham has composer Bijibal going experimental with partial success. His retro game is still on point though!

Music Aloud Rating: 3/5

Top Recos: Maangaappoolu, Oru Thari Asha, Thrissooru

Songs and musician credits at the end.

The way the vocal portions of Poshampa starts it almost reminds one of Jee Karda from Singh is Kinng (wonder if it is some Punjabi folk standard). The song goes its own way soon after, and it is composer Amit Trivedi’s packaging that helps create a winner out of what could have been an ordinary tune – the sprightly arrangement evokes the 80s sound even while packing myriad elements. Matching the song’s liveliness at every step are Arijit Singh – the man has cleverly modified his voice to sound so close to the composer’s throughout the soundtrack that a lot of people (me included) have had a hard time getting convinced that it is indeed him – and Yashita Sharma (who has in the past rendered a bunch of songs for SEL). The combination of marching band style percussion and melancholic tune is something Amit has used to brilliant effect in the Lootera song Ankahee. In Phir Wohi he revisits that combo, and though not as effective (the percussion is more prominent here), it still is a fine listen, particularly for Yashita’s singing. Even more commendable is how the composer and lyricist (Kausar Munir) manage to give the same tune an upbeat makeover in Phir Nayi, once again with Yashita on vocals. The arrangement here features some lovely use of santoor (Tapas Roy) and flute (Naveen Kumar/Inapakurti D Rao). While invoking patriotic fervour, I am India is also an incredibly foot-tapping track carrying the composer’s trademark touches (that bass line especially, and I have always considered the use of harmonium a barometer of the man’s form). Arijit and Yashita deliver this one too in style (with great support from Keshia Braganza & Crystal Sequeira), the rhythm change in the final minute finishes the song on a high. Amit replaces Arijit in the Escape Version of the song which features some tweaks in the arrangement though without any dip in the energy levels.

Two of the soundtrack’s most intense songs also bring out the best vocal performances in the album from Arijit Singh and Yashita Sharma. While Hulchul has a regular but heady rock-flavoured arrangement, Junooni’s anthemic setting – also dominated by rock elements – is provided an additional flavour by the violins (Chennai Strings) and flute. Jag Mag doesn’t always work (found the rap written and sung by Peter Muxka Manuel to be weak) but the general light heartedness makes it an engaging listen all the same. The song I enjoyed the most from the soundtrack is Udan Choo, a track that in its boisterousness takes me back to Amit’s own Gulabo from nearly two years back. Fantastic singing once again from the Arijit-Yashita duo, while in the backdrop, the flute makes its presence felt amidst the finely realised rock arrangement.

Qaidi Band. Amit Trivedi starts his year late, but in style. Supremely engaging stuff from the man here.

Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5

Top Recos: Udan Choo, I am India, Phir Nayi

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

Music By Amit Trivedi
Lyrics By Kausar Munir , Habib Faisal

I Am India (Jail): Arijit Singh, Yashita Sharma, Keshia Braganza & Crystal Sequeira
Hulchul: Arijit Singh & Yashita Sharma
Phir Nayi: Yashita Sharma
Junooni: Arijit Singh & Yashita Sharma – Lyrics – Sidhant Mago & Kausar Munir
Udan Choo: Arijit Singh & Yashita Sharma
Jagmag Watan@ Arijit Singh, Yashita Sharma & ( Rap ) Peter Muxka Manuel
Poshampa: Arijit Singh & Yashita Sharma
Phir Wohi: Yashita Sharma
I Am India(Mall) Amit Trivedi & Yashita Sharma

Produced & Arranged by Amit Trivedi
Executive Producer – A T Studios: Krutee Trivedi
Head Of Production – A T Studios: Aashish Narula
Recording Studio A T Studios & YRF Studios – Mumbai
Recording Engineers – YRF Studios Shantanu Hudlikar Assisted by Abhishek Khandelwal & Manasi Tare
Recording Engineers – A T Studios Shadab Rayeen Assisted by Abhishek Sortey & Firoz Shaikh
Mixed by Shantanu Hudlikar at YRF Studios – Mumbai
Mastered by Chris Athens at Chris Athens Masters

Programmed by Amit Trivedi
Programmed by Gourab Dutta
Music Arrangement & Guitar: Warren Mendonsa
Drums: Jai Row Kavi
Bass Guitar: Ardeshir Mistry
Keys: Beven Fonseca
Percussion: Sanket Naik
Beatbox: Alan D’Souza
Flute: Naveen Kumar
Santoor , Mandolin, Rabab, Saz & Bouzouki: Tapas Roy
Guitar: Rhythm Shaw
Clarinet & Flute: Inapakurti D Rao
Trumpet: Kishore Sodha
Harmonium: Akhlak Hussain Varsi, Firoz Shah
Dholak: Bhagwan S Pushkarna, Pratap Rath

The Chennai Strings:
M. Kalyan – Conductor

Violin
REX ISAACS
KERALA KUMARAN.N.P
SASI KUMAR.K
P.S.NARAYANA RAO
K.MURALI
P.J.SEBASTIAN
B.VINAY KUMAR
P.SHIVA PRASAD
C.H.VIJAYA BHASKAR
T.BALAJI
R.VIJAY ANAND
P.V.RAMANA
JAMES DAVID LING
P.V.SUBRAMANIAM
G.SAMPATH KUMAR

Viola
GOPINATH SETT
HEMANTHRAJ MULIYIL
B.BALACHANDRAN
B.JAYACHANDAR
B.G.VENGATES

Cello
B.S.SRINIVAS
FRANCIS ROZARIO
R.SELVARAJ – Double Bass
N.RAMANATHAN – Strings Co.Ordinator

Backing Vocals
Rajiv Sundaresan, Suhas Sawant, Keshia Braganza ,Crystal Sequeira,
Arun Kamath, Rishikesh Kamerkar ,Lara Pinto, Priya Saxena & Roshni Saha

Songs and musician credits at the end (thanks to @chiranjeev100 for helping with the credits)

Hawayein is one of the rare instances in Jab Harry Met Sejal’s soundtrack where composer Pritam takes the tried and tested route for his composition. Not that the song doesn’t work – it is clearly the effectiveness that makes him dip into that pot from time to time – just that with 11 other songs, JHMS has a lot more to offer, both in quantity and quality. The song itself is presented better in its film version, and Arijit Singh delivers both versions. Arijit’s exceptional form is more evident in the finely crafted retro funk styled Beech Beech Mein. Arijit is joined by the equally skilled Shalmali Kholgade and Shefali Alvares, even as Warren Mendonsa and Ernest Tibbs’ guitar chops dominate the song’s groovy soundscape. The singer who possibly has sung the most number of Imtiaz Ali songs – Mohit Chauhan – gets two songs in the soundtrack. In Phurrr (lot of flying references in the song titles; even by Imtiaz Ali standards) he is joined by Tushar Joshi in delivering a melody that Pritam builds over a heady electronic base set by Diplo and Rocky Wellstack (from the remix of Agony by Pinchers, Rocky Wellstack and Jillionaire – thanks to @Prakshid for this info). In the gorgeously ambient Ghar, Mohit plays second fiddle to an ethereal sounding Nikhita Gandhi who also sang two other songs for Pritam earlier this year (including the delightful Ullu Ka Pattha from Jagga Jasoos). While on the subject of Ullu Ka Pattha, there are two songs in the soundtrack that ride on gorgeous acoustic guitars. The melancholic Yaadon Mein has Mohammad Irfan, Jonita Gandhi and Portuguese singer Cuca Roseta singing their heart out, while Mario Pacheco strums his Portuguese guitar in the backdrop (sounds quite close to a mandolin). And Safar where everything comes together just perfectly – a haunting melody that Arijit Singh absolutely owns, atop a sprawling guitar-led soundscape (Aditya Benia, Arijit, Raj Kumar Dewan) that goes perfectly with Irshad Kamil’s poetry about the protagonist’s metaphorical journey.

Rest of the songs all have a Punjabi connection to them, attributable to SRK’s Harry’s Punjabi background (interesting that there is no Gujarati flavoured track to go with Anushka’s character). First among the lot is Radha – Sunidhi Chauhan and a loud (because Punjabi farmers apparently sing over the sound of tractors, as said by SRK in the song video) but effective Shahid Mallya are the life of this sprightly piece. Raula is a finer composition belonging to the same genre, the arrangement is mellower yet on point, and singers Diljit Dosanjh and Neeti Mohan both on top of their game. And Butterfly is the least impressive dance track – despite a bunch of talented singers (Nooran Sisters, Sunidhi Chauhan, Dev Negi, Aaman Trikha) it just comes across as a noisy mishmash. Loved the way Dev (?) says “butterfalaay” though! The vocoded Jee Ve Sohaneya bit that opens the track is apparently from a traditional piece (raag bhupali based, possibly) written by Khwaja Ghulam Fareed, and gets presented in its proper and complete form in the Nooran Sisters’ voice and ladies present a soul-stirring rendition of the same. Incidentally when you search for Jee Ve Sohneya on Youtube, the first entry that comes up is a rendition of the song by Bibi Swarn Noora, grandmother of Jyoti and Sultana Nooran; quite fitting then that Pritam chose the sisters to sing this version. Finally, in Parinda the composer infuses rock elements into a Punjabi folk melody, once again with highly engaging results. While Josh Smith, Nyzel D’Lima (guitars), Ernest Tibbs (bass) and Alan Hertz (drums) constitute the former, Pardeep Sran takes care of the folk piece in style. The longer, alternate version titled Search has Tochi Raina replacing Pardeep, but he isn’t able to create the same magic. Nikhil D’Souza’s English phrases are a nice addition though.

Composing for Imtiaz Ali after a gap of eight years, Pritam returns with a vengeance, giving him the team’s biggest and best soundtrack yet in Jab Harry Met Sejal. The movie’s reviews however seem to imply that it isn’t worth such an effort. A pity, really.

Music Aloud Rating: 4/5

Top Recos: Safar, Parinda, Raula, Jee Ve Sohaneya

This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.

Musician Credits

RADHA

Music-PRITAM

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- Sunidhi Chauhan, Shahid Mallya

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : Sunny M.R., Arijit Singh, Utkarsh Dhotekar and Tony DB.

Vocal cuts: Rohan Chauhan

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Dev Arijit, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Percussions : Sukanto Singha, Sunny M.R.

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

BEECH BEECH MEIN

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- Arijit singh, shalmali kholgade, shefali alvares

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : rohan chauhan,

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING AND ARRANGEMENT : sunny m.r.

Backing vocals – arjun chandy, akashdeep sengupta

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha, alan hertz

Music assistants :Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Electric & bass guitar – warren mendonsa, ernest tibbs

Horns – andrew lippman (trombone), ludo louis (trumpet and flugelhorn)

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

SAFAR

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- arijit singh

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : Sunny M.R., Arijit Singh

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Dev Arijit, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Electric and acoustic guitars – arijit singh, aditya benia

Fretless bass – raj kumar dewan

Production Manager: Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

YAADON MEIN

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- jonita gandhi, mohd. irfan, cuca roseta

PORTUGUESE LYRICS – CUCA ROSETA

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : NIKHIL PAUL GEORGE, Ketan Sodha , ramon ibrahim, sunny m.r.

PORTUGUESE GUITAR PERFORMANCE AND ARRANGEMENT : MARIO PACHECO

PORTUGUESE GUITAR & CUCA ROSETA RECORDED BY PEDRO SERRANINHO @ ATLANTICO BLUE STUDIOS

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

BUTTERFLY

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- Sunidhi Chauhan, dev negi, nooran sisters, aaman trikha

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : prasad sashte

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING : sunny m.r.

backing vocals – laddi dhaliwal, jelly manjitpuri, neetu bhalla, babita, asa singh, amit, tushar, akashdeep, abhishek, manoj, shubham

Mixed and Mastered by eric pillai @ future sound of bombay

Assistant engineer : michael edwin pillai & lucky

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Ethnic strokes – tapas roy

Tumbi – jelly manjitpuri

Algozee – gurpreet singh

Dhol – naseeb singh

Sarangi – harpinder kang

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

GHAR

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- nikhita gandhi, MOHIT CHAUHAN

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : tanuj tiku,

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING : dj phukan

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Electric & acoustic guitars – warren mendonsa

Tabla – jeetu shankar

Sarangi – dilshad khan

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

PARINDA

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- pardeep sran

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : nyzel dlima, sunny m.r.

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha, alan hertz

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Drums – alan hertz

Electric & acoustic guitars – josh smith, nyzel dlima

Bass guitar – ernest tibbs

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

PARINDA (SEARCH)

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- TOCHI RAINA, NIKHIL D’SOUZA

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : nyzel dlima, sunny m.r.

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha, alan hertz

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Drums – alan hertz

Electric & acoustic guitars – josh smith, nyzel dlima

Bass guitar – ernest tibbs

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

RAULA PE JAANE DE

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- diljit dosanjh, neeti mohan

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : sourav roy, Sunny M.R., Abhijit vaghani, abhijit nalani

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Flamenco guitar dub conducted by – daniel garcia diego

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Ethnic strokes – tapas roy, chandrakant

Nylon guitars – ridu shaw

Flamenco guitar – josete ordoñez

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

HAWAYEIN

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- arijit singh

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : sourav roy,

ADDITIONAL PROGRAMMING : sunny m.r.

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Ethnic strokes – tapas roy

Electric & acoustic guitars – roland fernandes

Bass guitar – raj kumar dewan

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjeE

HAWAYEIN – FILM VERSION

Music-Pritam

Lyrics- Irshad Kamil

Singer- arijit singh

Music Production & Sound Design: Dj Phukan and Sunny M.R.

Music Programming : sunny m.r., Utkarsh dhotekar

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Ethnic strokes – tapas roy

Electric, acoustic & bass guitar – roland fernandes

Hang drum – sunny m.r.

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

JEE VE SOHANEYA

MUSIC – TRADITIONAL

LYRICS – IRSHAD KAMIL & TRADITIONAL

Singers – nooran sisters

MUSIC PRODUCTION & SOUND DESIGN : SUNNY M.R.

MUSIC PROGRamming : sunny m.r.

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Music assistants : Tushar Joshi, Amit Sawant, Shubham Shirule, akashdeep sengupta

Musicians :

Electric and bass guitars – roland fernandes

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee

PHURRR

MUSIC – pritam, diplo

LYRICS – IRSHAD KAMIL

singer – mohit chauhan, tushar joshi

MUSIC PRODUCTION : diplo, rocky wellstack

all hindi melodic compositions by pritam

pre mixing : sunny m.r.

Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge

Assistant engineer : Abhishek Sortey & Dhananjay Khapekar

Recording Engineers- Ashwin Kulkarni, Himanshu Shirlekar, Aaroh Velankar, aniruddh anantha

Production Manager : Anupam Amod, Manoj Harsh, supriti banerjee