Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi?

Raat Gayi, Baat Gayi?
EXPECTATIONS There was a time when films coming from the house of PNC created decent buzz weeks before their arrival. The production house was quite active in film making circuit but then went low over a period of time. This is why they seem to be quite cautious around the release of their next - Raat Gayi Baat Gayi. The music promotion too has begun as recently as now which actually appears to be quite late in the day since the film is just a few days away. Nevertheless, since the film has an urban setting to it with a sex-comedy as its theme and composer/lyricist Ankur Tewari (Aao Wish Karein, Ek Chalis Ki Last Local) at the helm of affairs, there are reasonable expectations of something novel in the offing. Write your own music review of Raat Gayi Baat Gayi MUSIC There is an obvious R.D. Burman reference to the way title song ‘Raat Gayi Baat Gayi’ is composed. Right from the opening sound to the way this fun song is paced, you can very well experience an old world charm in ‘Raat Gayi Baat Gayi’ where Anushka Manchanda clearly seems to be enjoying herself. The orchestra is kept simple and the duration short which helps the song (later appearing in a ‘remix version’) in creating good impact at the very start of the album. Fun continues with ‘Love In C Major’ which takes you back into the 50s and 60s with jazz being the order of the day. Whether it’s the sound of the whistle, beats of the drums, or the coming in of guitar - everything just fits in well for this love track which also doubles up as a dance number when in mood for celebration. A young song where Ankur Tewari joins Sid Coutto behind the mike, ‘Love In C Major’ also appears in a pepped up ‘remix version’. Due to its urban setting, Raat Gayi Baat Gayi carries on the sound of jazz with Anushka Manchanda continuing her stint behind the mike with ‘Bade Shehar Ke Bade Nakhre’. A situational track which is seemingly placed in a party setting and could very well be playing in the background, ‘Bade Shehar Ke Bade Nakhre’ (which further appears in a quintessential ‘jazz version’) has an intoxicated feel to it and is a satirical take on people emotions in urban India. Similar sound continues for ‘Mohabbat’ which appears to be set as a Live performance. Since one can hear people talking and commenting in the background, it further establishes the fact that ‘Mohabbat’ has been created as a situational track. A decent song with Ankur as a solo singer, it is funny in the way it ends (’kya bakwaas band hai’)! There is a shift in the mood of Raat Gayi Baat Gayi at this point in time with a love song following next. Anurag Sharma and June Banerjee come together for ‘Yaari’ which has a feel-good appeal to it and is a good mix of conventional Hindi film music and Indi-pop. Sounding quite innocent with Western arrangements in the background and core Indian melody at the heart of it all, ‘Yaari’ is the kind of song that never fails to bring on a smile. A situational English track follows next in the form of ‘Don’t Flay Love’. Sung by Sid Coutto and Gaurav Kapur, it follows the theme of Raat Gayi Baat Gayi - jazz - and is set on a conversational mode with two men discussing their views on love. However, the album picks up again with ‘Kyon’ which really deserves to find a much better platform for itself. A nice soothing track which is again an all around Ankur Tewari show, it has a young and truly non-Bollywood feel to it. A pensive slow moving number that has the protagonist reflecting on the moments gone by, ‘Kyon’ is the kind of companion one would love to have on a long ride. OVERALL Raat Gayi Baat Gayi is a good, unconventional and staying-true-to-the-theme album. While this is a definite positive for this effort Ankur Tewari, the fact also remains that in the process of turning out to be the way it is, it is also restricted in its appeal when it comes to wider audience. Limited promotion would also hamper its sales. However, the album has far better chances if the film turns out to be a winner at the box office because wide of mouth would help it gain acceptance amongst its target audience i.e. urban youth. OUR PICK(S) Raat Gayi Baat Gayi, Love In C Major, Yaari, Kyon [Play Songs]
Source: www.bollywoodhungama.com

Ishqiya
EXPECTATIONS This is one team that is always ready to bend the way Hindi film music is perceived, conceptualised and presented. Time and again Gulzar and Vishal Bhardwaj have created a kind of musical outing which sounds absolutely fresh and yet bears their trademark quality stamp. Also, the power of soundtrack which is made as a result of their collaboration belongs to the kind that doesn’t just loose itself amongst all the noise created by beats but also has a lyrical tale to tell. One doesn’t expect anything lesser from Ishqiya. MUSIC Ever since the release of Kaminey, it has been established that Vishal Bhardwaj is a strong admirer of Quentin Tarantino. This is evidenced once again in the opening sound of ‘ Dil To Bachcha Hai’ (first in the original and more prominently in the ‘remix version’) with clear influence of Tarantino. Due to the country flavour of the film, the music too carries a similar mood. One can be assured that even Rahat Fateh Ali Khan would have been challenged by the way he is required to render ‘Dil To Bachcha Hai’ since it is a complete departure from the sufi numbers that he has been singing (on a rather successful note) off late. Gulzar’s lyrics make you play the track repeatedly to get the crux of the matter while the music reminds one of the kind of songs that Mukesh used to sing for Raj Kapoor in his earlier days. The only track in the album which has it’s eye on the commercial sales is ‘ Ibn-E-Batuta’, which pretty much appears to be kind that would gain an entry during the early part of the film. One has to a Google search though to explore the real meaning of ‘Ibn-E-Batuta’. While one of the links indicates a namesake mall in Dubai, the top search result indicates that ‘Ibn Battuta’ is the name of a Moroccan Berber Muslim scholar and traveller who is known for the account of his travels and excursions called the Rihla (Voyage). Going by the theme of the song which has Sukhwinder Singh and Mika pairing up for Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi, one makes a fair assumption that the song takes the viewer through their bird like journey in the free world where they are living life on their own terms. A rhythmic track that appears in as many as two ‘remix versions’, ‘Ibn-E-Batuta’ is no ‘Dhan Te Nan’ [Kaminey] but still the most ‘commercial friendly’ number that Ishqiya has to offer. Also, there is this intrinsic ‘desi’ touch (which unfortunately looses it’s way in the ‘remix version’) in the song that strikes most. However, if one is really looking for something magnificent musically, it’s the two songs that follow next - ‘ Ab Mujhe Koi’ and ‘ Badi Dheere Jali’. Sung by Rekha Bhardwaj, these are sheer gems and while they have a class appeal prevalent from first till the last note, they boast of that quintessential Vishal Bharadwaj and Gulzar which is as much uncompromising as a Bollywood soundtrack could promise. ‘Ab Mujhe Koi’ is a beautiful laidback track which moves at such a smooth pace that one can hardly sense any ups and downs. That’s the beauty of ‘Ab Mujhe Koi’ that it can be kept in repeat mode and you won’t even realise when it has begun, come to a conclusion and started all over again. ‘Badi Dheere Jali’ has a slightly more classical appeal to it and begins with a brief ‘alaap’ by Rekha before she embarks on a musical journey (with a hint of Western fusion to it) that lasts for as long as 7 minutes. This one would of course not come on lips of a regular Bollywood follower but would be grabbed by the connoisseurs of quality Indian classical music. OVERALL What would immediately attract a music lover to Ishqiya is the credit details that include Vishal Bhardwaj and Gulzar. However, even their hardcore fans would have to be cognizant of the fact that Ishqiya doesn’t promise a popular soundtrack a la Kaminey (which had ‘Dhan Te Nan’ as it’s anchor) or Omkara (which picked up beyond the rage created by ‘Beedi Jalaile’). Instead Ishqiya is more rooted in it’s appeal and maintains a classical touch for most it’s part. OUR PICK(S) Ibn-E-Batuta, Ab Mujhe Koi   [Play Songs]
Source: www.bollywoodhungama.com

Bolo Raam
EXPECTATIONS One has nil expectations from the music of Bolo Raam, primarily because the film’s title is truly offbeat, there is absolutely no clue around what the film is all about, the star cast is entirely new while the buzz is completely absent. Since the film’s genre (murder mystery) doesn’t quite indicate much scope of music, one doesn’t get any excited about listening to what Bolo Raam has to offer. The only silver lining is composer Sachin Gupta, who has earlier made widely popular ‘Doorie’ (with Atif Aslam), due to which one still is hopeful of something decent in the offering. Sajan Agrawal and Ajay Jhingran write for this album which includes just three songs. MUSIC Opening song ‘Tere Ishq Mein’ has a rather different start to it since the ‘mukhda’ belongs to the kind which could well have been an ‘antara’ in a regular song. There is a classical base to this track which basically becomes catchy only at the point where Sunidhi goes on to croon the catch phrase ‘Tere Ishq Mein Kya Kya… ‘. Other than this part of the song, there isn’t much that really impresses in this fusion track with Sufi undertone to it. Written by Sajan Agrawal, ‘Tere Ishq Mein’ later arrives in a ‘remix’ version with Mahinder Singh Mahi beginning the track. This time around the results are far more impressive as there is further authenticity lent to the song which (rightly) begins with the sound of ‘Tere Ishq Mein’ Kya Kya… ‘. Theme track ‘Maa Tere Jaisa’ comes next and is expected to arrive at numerous junctures in the film’s narrative as a part of the background score. Sukhwinder Singh goes solo for this Sajan Agrawal written theme track which is about a young man praising his mom and hailing her as the best in the entire world. There is a lounge feeling to ‘Maa Tere Jaisa’ which is different from the 80s style overtly melodramatic songs that carried the same theme. Nevertheless, the song (which also arrives in a - surprise surprise - ‘remix version’) is strictly situational and doesn’t quite qualify as the one that would make you form a beeline at the music stores. Monali Thakur and Soham come together for the love song ‘Do Dil Hai Janwa’ which has a club setting to it. A track that has the maximum commercial appeal to it (when compared to the other two tracks), it has surprisingly not been promoted at all! No, it isn’t any great shakes and is actually one of the many dozen tracks belonging to this genre that have been heard before. However, given the fact that it at least is conventional and could have been a quick way to attract one’s attention towards the film, non-promotion of Ajay Jhingran written ‘Do Dil Hai Janwa’ so far is surprising. OVERALL Bolo Raam was never meant to be a musical and that reflects in the way this album eventually turns out to be. The music isn’t bad but doesn’t have anything that stands out enough to make a huge impression. No buzz around the music will further have a telling on the album sales. OUR PICK(S) Tere Ishq Mein (remix) [Play Songs]
Source: www.bollywoodhungama.com

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