Kaminey: Music Review

Vishal Bharadwaj. Gulzar. And a lot of Sukhwinder Singh. The compound product looks like the best in the world, and if Kaminey is not that, you will find some things at least near that. Some things for which we love Gulzar.

The album has total eight songs of which two are remixes and one theme piece. Two songs (and a remix) have Sukhwinder Singh in their credits. All the songs are written by Gulzar, and there is a lot worth the attention, in a good way as well as bad.

The first song, Dhan te nan, which is already quite popular, is probably the best song of the album, or at least you will feel so when you listen to the album for the first time. The song is catchy, sounding something like the old espionage tunes and with quite desi lyrics. Not one for long term, but the voices of Sukhinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani will surely give you have some good time. And yes, the song makes a good ringtone too.

As the trend is going, one song is sung by Mohit Chauhan and here the song happens to be Pehli baar Mohabbat ki hai. The song has some slow, soft music and Mohit renders Gulzar's words perfectly. Vishal's tune is good and sounds better on higher volumes as Mohit goes from low to high notes.

Rekha Bharadaj is back. And this time it's with Sunidhi Chauhan, Suresh Wadkar and even Kunal Ganjawala. And together make a wonderful song called Raat ke Dhai Baje. The song is somewhat like Genda Phool, but there is not much similar except the experimental nature of the song. Don't compare the two and you will like the song. Sunidhi singing with Rekha is good to listen and you need to identify their voices with every changing line. Suresh Wadkar and party sing some deeply beautiful lyrics as he croons Ek hi lat suljhane mein saari raat guzari hai. Seriously, it's Gulzar at his romantic best again.

The next song, Fatak, is sung by Kaikash Kher and Sukhwinder Singh. When I heard them singing I realized I had never heard them sing together. This comes out of the fact that Kailash Kher sounds a bit rough while singing with Sukhwinder. The song is OK and maybe liked in some time. Though the song can be categorixed as OK, you cannot take it as a normal song as the lyrics as well as the music is quite 'hatke'.

The fifth and last song is the one that is my favorite. The Kaminey Title track, sung by the soft-husky voiced composer Vishal Bharadwaj, is a treat except that the lyrics will sound a bit strange to your ears in the beginning. But as one graduates through the song, one falls in love with the song, the singer, composer, and lyricist too. At least I did.

Go Charlie Go, the theme piece is good and will work well in the background.

Overall, the music of Kaminey is good and probably so because of some different elements in it. All the songs of the album are good, at least beyond a certain minimum level, and at various points of time, many people will be loving them. So just go for it and take your pick. Until you decide, keep on listening to Dhan Te Nan!

Ummeed (Firaaq)

I wasn't really expecting any songs from Firaaq. But the deep rooted movie has some deep music too. Ummeed, a ghazal sung by Rekha Bharadwaj is a superb piece of work and music lovers, precisely those of poetry, will love it.

There is no need to tell how good Rekha has been on the slow paced ghazal composed by Rajat Dholakia/Piyush Kanojia. All I can help with is the lyrics, that is by putting the ghazal here. The only doubt I had with the lyrics was that the second line it should probably have been 'Jalne ke baad shama aur bolti nahi' but I felt it was shama aur bolti rahi. In the end, it reverts to bolti nahi again which created further confusion.

Though, in either case, the ghazal is a must listen from me.

Ummeed ab kahin koi dar kholti nahi,
Jalne ke baad shamma aur bolti rahi..

Jo saans le rahi hai har taraf wo maut hai,
Jo chal rahi hai seene mein wo zindagi nahi..

Har ek cheez jal rahi hai sheher mein magar
Andhera badh raha hai kahin raushni nahi..

Jalne ke baad shamma aur bolti nahi
Ummeed ab kahin koi dar kholti nahi..

International Attyachar: Ranaji (Gulaal)

Hail Anurag Kashyap.

Ranaji mhare gusse mein aaye
aiso bal khaye
agiya barsaye
ghabraye mharo chain
Jaise door des ke taawar mein ghus Jaaye re aeroplane

If Dev D had the emosanal attyachar, Ranaji is doubtlessly the internasnal attyachar. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it.

Ranaji, probably the next big thing, is a song in complete folk style, that too in the voice of Rekha Bharadwaj. But the (international) lyrics of the song bear references to 9/11, Iraq invasion, and Afghanistan attacks.

The USP of the song is not it's lyrics alone, but also the way those lyrics have been sung. Rekha has been indubitably wonderful. And so has been Piyush Mishra, as the composer, and as the lyricist.

While the international references attract attention, larger than life (read 'village life in Rajasthan') picturization of subtle differences between town and country lives is simply superb and is probably the best part of the song.

See an example.

Sajni ko dear bole,
Tharre ko beer bole,
Maange hai English boli,
Maange hai English choli,
Maange hai English Jaipur English Bikaner,
Jaise Bisleri ki botal pee ke ban gaye Englishman.

(Actually Inglis and Inglisman rather than English)

The song goes on in the same way, or even better when Rekha discreetly tells about Ranaji bringing home another girl.

Ranaji mhari sautan ko ghar le aaye
Pooche to bole friend hamari hai haaye

Interestingly, Piyush Mishra looks more from the advertising world than Prasoon Joshi as he puts in 'Thanda maane Coca Cola' and 'Ye dil maange more', without being partial to any side, of course. ;)

Overall, the song is an extreme thing, and you'd probably give it either one star or five. For me, it's Five.

Beedo (Gulal)

Anurag Kashyap surely knows well what he wants as music in his movies. And he knows who can create it for him. And so, after a Dev D full of variety, he comes up with Piyush Mishra composing for his next, Gulal.

The soundtrack of Gulal starts with Beedo, a beautiful song sung by Rekha Bharadwaj, in her well known style and proves once again that she IS an underused talent, even though with Rahman calling her for Delhi 6 and now Piyush Mishra bringing her up for some wonderful tracks.

Taking of the song, the song reminds me of Namak of Omkara as Rekha sings the song with the similar ups and downs, almost a trademark now, while the song belongs to the same genre. The lyrics are interesting and the Chakmak Chakmak is simply lovable.

Once again, there is not a lot I would like to say about this song. Just that it's a must check out. Go for Beedo.