Songs and musician credits at the end.
Sehmi Si Dhadkan’s intense, melancholic sound is a familiar one, made even more so by the presence of Atif Aslam behind the mic. Composer Vipin Patwa fares much better in his second offering that also features a Pakistani singer, Javed Bashir. Tain To Uttey is a Bulleh Shah poem that Patwa sets to a dark, nuanced melody (bairagi bhairav/revathi, the raga seems to be) that Bashir unsurprisingly aces. The frenzied folk rock fusion in the background orchestration accentuates the song’s allure. Bollywood gets another lady composer in Anupama Raag (nice to see that there have probably been more entries to this rather small list in the past couple of years or so, than the rest of Bollywood years combined!). Azaad Kar is a fine debut from Raag, setting Gaurav Solanki’s fabulously written verse to a simple and incredibly soothing melody and arrangement (can never get enough of that seven beat lullaby-ish cadence). And the lines find a perfect carrier in the earthy, sincere voice of Swanand Kirkire (who incidentally debuted with another Sudhir Mishra film fifteen years back). The weakness in the tune Shamir Tandon chooses for Sameer Anjan’s Marne Ka Shauk is mitigated to an extent by the general intensity in the song, thanks to the heavy arrangement (the esraj/sarangi in the interlude is a nice contrasting addition) and the singers Krishna Beura and Papon. Was pleasantly surprised to see Hindi rock band Sifar’s frontman Amit Yadav‘s named credited for mixing and mastering of the song.
Munir Niazi’s Kuj Shoq Si Yaar forms the basis of Arko’s Rangdaari, with the composer-lyricist supplying his own words for the song’s main melody. Standard melancholic rock, yet decent song that would have worked well had it – as is a usual problem with Arko songs – not been for Arko himself leading the vocals. More of a pity when you hear a superior singer Navraj Hans get a total airtime of just over 40 seconds, rendering Niazi’s verse. After Bulleh Shah and Munir Niazi, it is Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s turn to get a contemporary treatment in Raat Youn Dil Mein Teri. And among the three, Faiz gets the best pick. The perennially underrated Sandesh Shandilya is the man in this case, presenting the poem in a charming ambient package with some fab touches like the mellow use of saxophone. Papon and Shradha Mishra deliver this one. Even in his other song titled Challa Chaap Chunariya penned by Deepak Ramola the soundscape is similar, albeit a pacier one. Shandliya does a more brilliant job here, incorporating folk elements into the immersive electronic arrangement. Rekha Bhardwaj has always nailed folksy tunes, and delivers equally well here too.
Daas Dev. The Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay novel’s Bollywood adaptations have almost always been known for their music, even winning the composer a national award in the last one. This one doesn’t reach such peak levels, but is a mighty impressive soundtrack nevertheless, scoring more for its poetry than the music.
Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5
Top Recos: Azaad Kar, Challa Chaap Chunariya, Raat Youn Dil Mein
This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
Musician Credits
Song – Sehmi Hai Dhadkan
Music – Vipin Patwa
Singer – Atif Aslam
Lyrics – Dr Sagar
Produced by Aditya Dev
Mixed and Mastered by Shadab Rayeen
Song – Rangdaari
Singers – Arko & Navraj Hans
Music – Arko
Lyrics – Arko & Munir Niazi
Music Producer – Aditya Dev
Programming & Arrangement – Aditya Dev & Brandon Friesen
Mixed & Mastered by Tosief Shaikh
Song – Challa Chaap Chunariya
Singer – Rekha Bhardwaj
Music Director – Sandesh Shandilya
Lyrics – Deepak Ramola
Music Producer & Arranger – Meghdeep Bose
Mixed & Mastered by Abhishek Ghatak
Song – Raat Din Yunhi
Singers – Papon, Shraddha Mishra
Music Director – Sandesh Shandilya
Lyrics – Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Music Producer & Arranger – Meghdeep Bose
Mixed & Mastered by Abhishek Ghatak
Additional Arrangers – Kristian Terzic & Sanchit Balhara
Vocal Harmony Arrangement – Chris Masand
Recorded by Samiran Das at Ram Studios, Mumbai
Song – Azaad Kar
Singer – Swanand Kirkire
Music Director – Anupama Raag
Lyrics – Gaurav Solanki
Arrangers/Programmers – Aditya Dev
Mixed & Mastered by Shadab Rayeen
Song – Tain To Uttey
Singer – Javed Basheer
Music – Vipin Patwa
Lyrics – Bulleh Shah
Produced by – Aditya Dev
Mixed & Mastered by Shadab Rayeen
Song – Marne Ka Shauk
Singers – Papon & Krishna Berua
Music – Shamir Tandon
Lyricist – Sameer Anjan
Mixed & Mastered – Amit Yadav
