Soundtracks composed by classical exponents tend to be in most cases a bittersweet experience, more so when such tracks happen for movies of a parallel nature. On the one side while they ensure the highest quality of music, the compositions bear a heavy influence of their regular line of music and hence they invariably get listened to by very few people owing to the esoteric nature. Scored by grammy-nominated sitarist Ustad Shujaat Hussain Khan and Shaarang Dev Pandit, son of Pandit Jasraj, the soundtrack of Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta is yet another one in that league.
The two ghazals that start off the playlist are both beautifully arranged. First one, Ai Khuda, has been delivered perfectly by Ustaad Shujaat Hussain himself, bread-and-butter stuff for him. And the second one, Barhaan Dil, has two variants. The first one has Shreya Ghoshal doing the vocals and KK does the honours in the male version. The third song, Fariyaad Hai, is a melancholic folk ballad, fittingly sung by Richa Sharma who has in the past delivered quite a few such songs. The longest track of the album is Behoshi Nasha sung by Udit Narayan and Shreya. And the only track where the composers have tried to bring in a slightly filmy touch to the arrangement, producing a breezy melody characterised by its flute sequences. The final vocal track, Ajnabi Aankhein is also one with a ghazal flavour, sung by Roop Kumar Rathod. And this is the one I liked most, for its haunting tone and the surprise rock-ish twist in the first interlude.
The last four tracks are instrumentals all with heavy classical flavour. First one, called Nailpolish on the toes, has been composed in raag Sindhubhairavi I felt, and is dominated by flute and sitar. The second one, Losers Theme, seems to be in raag Abhogi, and has some splendid flute playing to a soft background of acoustic guitar and keys. Solitaire Blues is a continuation of Losers Theme with the flute playing on at a faster pace. A Shade of Red is for most part an alaap on the sitar, which is followed by unrelated bits and pieces, denoting the situational nature of the track.
The four instrumentals shall make for excellent background material, but having read the plot of the movie I doubt if anyone would be paying attention to the background! 😀
Music Aloud Rating: 7.5/10
Recommended Tracks: Ajnabi Aankhein, Fariyaad Hai, Losers Theme
Music Review – Mr. Singh Mrs. Mehta
