Songs and partial credits at the end.
At one point in Qarib Qarib Singlle’s trailer, Irrfan Khan tells Parvathy that theirs is not going to be a happy ending wali love story. Lyricist Raj Shekhar’s lines in Khatam Kahani seem to mirror similar sentiments (there is even a fairy tale reference in naa tu raja naa main rani..) in a humorous yet savage fashion. Composer Vishal Mishra packages the words in an energetic mix of folk and electronic elements (the former represented by a delightful array of instruments like khartaal, morchang, ravanahatha (possibly) etc) and assigns vocal duties to the powerhouse singing duo Jyoti and Sultana Nooran who do their part fabulously. Vishal and Raj Shekhar’s other song Jaane De however, is pretty much on the opposite end of the spectrum. The murderous hate is replaced by love, and its various dilemmas, conveyed beautifully by the lyricist. Composer keeps the melody simple (albeit déjà vu inducing), and the orchestration soothing. Even Atif Aslam does a soulful job, the occasional processing related tinniness notwithstanding.
Two more of the album’s songs have been composed by Rochak Kohli, whom I currently find to be the most consistent among the regular entries in multi composer line-ups. Here too his songs are pretty engaging. First of which is the breezy journey song titled Tu Chale Toh. Neat arrangement from the composer here, with some nifty touches like the change in tempo half way through. Star of the song is singer Papon though – his languid rendition of Hussain Haidry’s verse, with the falsetto et al, is perfect for the song. Tanha Begum is an interesting mod take on the raag bhairavi based thumri Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Hi Jaaye that, in its treatment, took me back to Saigal Blues from Delhi Belly. The ambient backdrop features some groovy use of guitars and electronic elements; Haidry supplies the additional contemporary lyrics (some really quirky quips here aimed at Parvathy’s single life), and Neeti Mohan and Antara Mitra do a fine job behind the mic, handling both the classical and modern bits with equal ease. Ali Merchant’s Qarib Qarib Singlle Mashup is the only sore point in the soundtrack. The mashup of bits from Khatam Kahaani and Tanha Begum is cacophonous and worse, off pitch; the only good thing about the track is that it gets over in under two minutes.
Qarib Qarib Singlle. Barring that totally avoidable mashup, very enjoyable fare from Vishal Mishra and Rochak Kohli that sees both composers in fine form. One that totally fits the movie’s narrative too I can confirm, having watched the movie over the weekend.
Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5
Top Recos: Tu Chale Toh, Khatam Kahani, Jaane De
This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
Musician Credits
1. Jaane de | Vishal Mishra feat. Atif Aslam
Credits :
Music Composer : Vishal Mishra
Lyrics : Raj Shekhar
Singer : Atif Aslam
Music Produced by :
Gaurav Vaswani, Abhijit Nalani
Mix and Master by Shadaab Rayeen @New Edge
Guitars by : Sanjoy Das and Vaibhav Pani
Clarinet and flute : I D Rao
Live Percussions : Raju
Backing Vocals : Vishal Mishra
Recorded @ : Audio Garage by Amey Londhe and Vincent Jospeh
Wow and Flutter by Tanay Gajjar
VM Studios by Shubhansh Tiwari
Play Back Lounge(dubai) by Atif Ali
Voice Design by Aman Aggarwal ,Amey Londhe and Vincent Jospeh
Shoot Mix by Vincent Jospeh
Music Assistants – Shubhansh Tiwari , Nikita Ahuja
2 . Khatam Kahani | Vishal Mishra feat. Nooran Sisters
Credits :
Music Composer : Vishal Mishra
Lyrics : Raj Shekhar
Singer : Sultana Nooran , Jyoti Nooran , Vishal Mishra
Music Produced by :
Himonshu Parikh
Live Bass – Mohini Dey
Synth Bass Played on The Moog by Himonshu Parikh
Mix and Master by Tanay Gajjar @Wow & Flutter
Guitars by : Vishal Mishra
Live Percussion (Dholak , Tabla and others percussion’s )- Sarbjeet Singh Sibhu (Chandigarh)
Sarangi – Harpinder Singh Kang
Harmonium- Sarbjeet Singh Sibu
Mouth Percussions : Vishal Mishra
Backing Vocals : Vishal Mishra , Akash Ojha , Misbah Ali , Rashmi Mishra , Raj Shekhar
Recorded @ : Audio Garage by Amey Londhe and Vincent Jospeh
VM Studios by Shubhansh Tiwari
Saffron Touch Chandigarh by Akash Bambar
Voice Design and Supervision by Vaibhav Pani
Shoot Mix by Vincent Jospeh
Music Assistants @VM Studios – Shubhansh Tiwari , Nikita Ahuja
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