Songs and musician credits at the end.
This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
If you have heard Jau De Na Va from the 2018 film Naal (you must, if you have not!), composer AV Prafullachandra continues along the same vein with Lagliya Godi Tujhi – a similar delightfully whimsical soundscape that combines folk elements from multiple cultures. Shashaa Tirupati and Harshavardhan Wavare are given the duty of navigating the capricious tune and they do that splendidly, closing the song quite fittingly with what sounds like a short ad-lib segment. Interestingly, the song’s title appears exactly once in the song, nearly at the end of the second verse. Gondan Pirmach starts off slow, with an extended prelude of sorts from Rucha Bondre, before Jasraj Joshi (one part of the trio that delivered one of the best soundtracks of the year in Anandi Gopal) takes over and things get more fervid. Once again the arrangement is brilliant, going for a staccato-ed use of percussion rather than a full-blown intense employment, though the song’s tone suggests that. Joshi hands the baton back to Bondre briefly for another mellow bit towards the end (here too, this is the only place the song’s title finds a mention!) before closing the song on an anthemic note. Tula Futu De Kaagar carries on in the motivational vein and in a similar route to Gondan.., a mellow opening section leading up to a sprawling, spirited central segment. Love the delivery by Amruta Subhash and Manish Rajgire, and Sandeep Mishra’s sarangi too finds good use through the song.
Jazim Sharma – who was last heard in the wonderful Manmarziyaan – joins Amaan Khan for the album’s Hindi song, a filmi qawwali titled Shah-e-Makhdum Ali Vali. Rather conventional by the standards in display thus far, but an engaging affair on its own, particularly helped by the quality of singing. Nagin Dance is an intriguing piece; quirky lines from Vaibhav Deshmukh set to a snake-charmer style tune and a pulsating backdrop of Marathi folk beats infused with electronic elements – and the end result is thoroughly engaging. Adarsh Shinde and Prawin Kumar handle the vocals quite commendably on this one. Something about Darval Mavhacha’s folksy setting and the general mood takes me back at times to Rahman’s underrated Rasiya from Mangal Pandey. The orchestration is once again a brilliantly eclectic mix of strings and percussion, and leading the vocals in equally spectacular fashion is Kavita Ram, supported well by Vivek Naik, Rahul Chitnis and Santosh Bote.
The only complaint I had about Naal last year was that it had just two songs, of which only one was AV Prafullachandra’s. Kaagar’s soundtrack makes up for that quibble and how! Look forward to many more from the composer.
Music Aloud Rating: 4/5
Top Recos: Lagliya Godi Tujhi, Darval Mavhacha, Gondan Pirmach, Tula Futu De Kaagar
Musician Credits
Song – Darval Mavhacha
Singers – Kavita Raam, Vivek Naik, Rahul Chitnis & Santosh Bote
Music – AV Prafullachandra
Lyricist – Vaibhav Deshmukh
Sarangi – Sandeep Mishra
Bows – Neolin Meritha
Mixed by Harikrishnan.R – Paddyfield Studios, Mumbai
Mastered by Shadab Rayeen – Newedge Studios, Mumbai
Music Programming/Music Production – AV Prafullachandra @ AV’s Music Lab
Recorded By Rohit Patil – Amplitude Studio, Mumbai
Manager @ AV’s Music Lab – Prasad Shrimant
Production Associate @ AV’s Music Lab – Anand Deshpande
Song – Gondan Pirmach
Singers – Jasraj Joshi & Rucha Bondre
Music – AV Prafullachandra
Lyricist – Vaibhav Deshmukh
Mixed by Harikrishnan.R – Paddyfield Studios, Mumbai
Mastered by Shadab Rayeen – Newedge Studios, Mumbai
Music Programming/Music Production – AV Prafullachandra @ AV’s Music Lab
Recorded By Rohit Patil – Amplitude Studio, Mumbai
Manager@ AV’s Music Lab – Prasad Shrimant
Production Associate @ AV’s Music Lab – Anand Deshpande
Song – Lagliya Godi Tujhi
Singers – Shashaa Tirupathi & Harshavardhan Wavare
Music – AV Prafullachandra
Lyricist – AV Prafullachandra
Solo violin: Finix Ramdas
Wood Section – Onkar Dhumal
Mixed By Harikrishnan.R – Paddyfield Studios, Mumbai
Mastered By Shadab Rayeen – Newedge Studios, Mumbai
Music Programming/Music Production – AV Prafullachandra @ AV’s Music Lab
Recorded By Rohit Patil – Amplitude Studio, Mumbai
Manager @ AV’s Music Lab – Prasad Shrimant
Production Associate @ AV’s Music Lab: Anand Deshpande
Song – Nagin Dance
Singers – Adarsh Shinde & Pravin Kuwar
Music – AV Prafullachandra
Lyricist – Vaibhav Deshmukh
Rhythm – Satyajeet Jamsandekar
Mixed By Harikrishnan.R – Paddyfield Studios, Mumbai
Mastered By Shadab Rayeen – Newedge Studios, Mumbai
Music Programming/Music Production – AV Prafullachandra @ AV’s Music Lab
Recorded By Rohit Patil – Amplitude Studio, Mumbai
Manager@ AV’s Music Lab – Prasad Shrimant
Production Associate @ AV’s Music Lab – Anand Deshpande
Song – Shah-E-Makhdum Ali Vali
Singers – Amaan Khan & Jazim Sharma
Music – AV Prafullachandra
Lyricist – Jay Atre
Tabla-Dholak – Shivdas-Haridas
Mixed By Harikrishnan.R – Paddyfield Studios, Mumbai
Mastered By Shadab Rayeen – Newedge Studios, Mumbai
Music Programming/Music Production – AV Prafullachandra @ Av’s Music Lab
Recorded By Rohit Patil – Amplitude Studio, Mumbai
Manager@ Av’s Music Lab – Prasad Shrimant
Production Associate @ Av’s Music Lab – Anand Deshpande
Song – Tula Futu De Kaagar
Singers – Amruta Subhash & Manish Rajgire
Music – AV Prafullachandra
Lyricist – Vaibhav Deshmukh
Sarangi – Sandeep Mishra
Mixed By Harikrishnan.R – Paddyfield Studios, Mumbai
Mastered By Shadab Rayeen – Newedge Studios, Mumbai
Music Programming/Music Production – AV Prafullachandra @ Av’s Music Lab
Recorded By Rohit Patil – Amplitude Studio, Mumbai
Manager @ Av’s Music Lab – Prasad Shrimant
Production Associate @ Av’s Music Lab – Anand Deshpande
