Agneepath 2012 Music Review

Hrithik Roshan aka Vijay Dinanath Chauhan

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Dharma Productions have a brand value for providing some elegant and class music in their movies, their last venture 'We Are Family' was ordinary in all aspects which also raised questions about their regular musicians Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. This time, for a cult classic remake, Agneepath, they choose National Award winning musical duo of Ajay-Atul, who recently produced a good score in 'Singham' alongside some good tunes in 'My Friend Pinto'. If one looks at the past record of the composer duo, they have not lived upto the expectations in the various cameos before 'Singham' but this time with 'Chikini Chameli' being promoted aggressively (it was released digitally a week prior to the official music release) and Katrina Kaif making her fans go wild and bizarre, immense hype and expectations have been built around the soundtrack, so does the Marathi Jodi delivers? Well, let's check out in the six beautiful compositions which are written by immensely talented Amitabh Bhattacharya (lyricist).

Katrina Kaif aka Chikini Chameli

No surprise, the much hyped item number, "Chikini Chameli" blasts a dynamite as an opening track which will shatter all records soon and if 'Munni' and 'Sheila' stirred the nation, then expect this 'Chikini Chameli' to rule at least the first half of 2012. It's high on Nagada and Dhol beats with Shreya Ghoshal, known for her sugary-sweet vocals, surprising once again after some 'O La La' in 'The Dirty Picture' recently. Take special notice how seductively and at the same time beautifully she renders the line 'Aayi Chikini Chameli, Pahua Chada Ke Aayi'. Although Ajay-Atul has reconstructed their Marathi composition of 2006 into 'Chikini Chameli', it has superhit written all over it with Katrina Kaif doing some electrifying latka's and jhatka's, agreed that the choreography by Ganesh Acharya will receive criticism for some loud steps but it's the beats and the pace that he has made Katrina to dance on, Brilliant Stuff! Apart from this, it's the new age lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya who takes the cake away with some hat-ke cheeky lines that definitely deserves an applaud, especially the mukhda and the first antara, need to say more!

Gehre Paani Ki Machli Hoon Raja, Ghaat Ghaat Dariya Mein Ghoomi Hoon Main,

Teri Nazro Ki Lehro se, Haar Ke Aaj Doobi Hoon Main!

The soundtrack takes a complete U-Turn with "O Saiyyan" with minimum/soft arrangements where Roop Kumar Rathod casts a magical spell on the listeners with his voice alongside some quality Sitar and Tabla Jugalbandi in the interlude. It certainly demands full attention and few hearings to settle down but once it does it will be hard to resist. It defines the state of mind of a girl (Priyanka Chopra) after falling in love and Amitabh Bhattacharya as usual is effervescent with his lyrics. An impactful composition!

"Gun Gun Guna" has a Rahman touch right from the start. Listen carefully how it starts in the first 30 seconds with layers of instruments adding on after each line, real quality stuff from the composers. It's easy on ears with a hummable tune and becomes highly addictive in just few hearings. Sunidhi Chauhan perfectly brings on the fun/positive mood which has an Amitabh Bhattacharya stamp all over it. The conversational lyrics are the highlight of the composition which makes one think and throws light on how to live life to the fullest. Hear some pretentious instrumental from 2.28 to 2.52 with Udit Narayan doing a small cameo at the end which even raises the bar an inch higher. Sing along Gun Gun Guna Ye Gaana Re!

Sukhwinder Singh, Krishna Beura and Anand Raj Anand, three artists known for their high pitched octave notes, brings forward a qawwali, "Shah Ka Rutba" that will surely be the highlight of the movie and will make up for a grand visual extravaganza. It's more on the lines of 'Azeem-O-Shaan-Shehanshah' from 'Jodha Akbar' and the starting arrangements refreshes the memory of the epic composition 'Yaari Hai Imaan Mera' from 'Zanjeer' back in 1973. I loved the way Krishna Beura (voice behind 'Soniyo' from Raaz 2 and 'Main Jaha Rahoon' from Namastey London) vocals are used in tandem with Sukhwinder Singh. Anand Raj Anand enters the scene after three minutes when the song picks up some pace and it’s a musical treat for listeners to hear these three artists together in a single composition. Amitabh Bhattacharya does real well for some Urdu/sufi lyrics that make this number a winner all the way!

Sonu Nigam is still the master and he proves it yet again in "Abhi Mujhe Mein Kahin", a six minute composition where the musical arrangements are more or less same as in ''O Saiyyan'' but the result is even better this time and certainly will strike an instant chord with the music enthusiasts resulting in a high 'repeat' value. The instrumental Jugalbandi of Sitar, Piano and Violin in both the interludes create a peaceful ambiance where vocals and lyrics dominate the proceedings. While one waits to see it rise in popularity in days to come, one can be sure that this is one song that has in it to enjoy a long shelf life. Ajay-Atul: You are Beauty!

With immense expectations, one lands on the last track, "Deva Shree Ganesha", a devotional forte that belongs to the composer duo of Ajay-Atul. It starts with some usual enchants, Nagada sounds and enters Ajay Gogavale (earlier gave backing vocals in 'Saathiya/Badmaash Dil' from Singham) with his graceful voice and the result is an elegant composition which is creative, devotional and may be used for a climax sequence in the movie. The last one minute is opulent and has the power to provide an adrenaline rush with the Aarti enchants. Majestic!

Sanjay Dutt aka Kancha

Ajay-Atul delivers a terrific soundtrack for Dharma productions and will soon join the elite class of musicians in Bollywood. The soundtrack encompass a wide array of themes, ranging from dance, romance, qawwali to  devotional and the extensive use of instruments gives the soundtrack tremendous scale and impact. Amitabh Bhattacharya lyrics are a class apart and elevates an ordinary tune to great levels. The choice of singers, especially in 'Shah Ka Rutba' will be applauded for sure. To conclude, all six tracks are must hear and pure musical masterpieces! Strongly Recommended!

I rate it 4 out of 5

Music Review:Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

The wait is over,Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy(S.E.L) are back with a bang with the music of Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara. When a movie has Farhan Akhtar named to it,S.E.L is a must,be it Dil Chahta hai,Lakshya,Don,Rock On. S.E.L hardly disappoints.For this movie they have composed a total of 9 tracks,including 7 massive originals and 2 remixes.Keeping in mind the theme of the movie,all the songs are young and fresh and will for sure be chartbusters in the coming days.

If you think that the title song of Rock On was the best,comes Dil Dhadakne Do crooned by Shankar Mahadevan,Suraj Jagan,Joi Barua.Its fresh,energetic,motivational(in parts) and starts with some perfect rock beats.It matches perfectly with the title of the movie Zindagi Na Milegi Dubara and will click at the first go,however the song has a feel of Rock On attached to it due to its care-free lyrics but it will top the charts neverthless in the coming days.

Next is Ik Junoon (Paint it Red),a Fast-Pacy HingLish dance number, which is making roars at present due to the tomato holi being played in the song,is sung by 5 singers,Shankar Mahadevan,Vishal dadlani,Ehsaaan Noorani,Alyssa Mendonsa,Gulraj Singh.Its a trademark S.E.L tune which will take some time to settle in,and once it does,you will get addicted to it and will be hard to keep away.Brilliant work again.

After 2 brilliant tracks,comes a slow ordinary composition,Khaabon Ke Parindey which has Alyssa Mendonsa and Mohit Chauhan behind the mike.A song close to 4 minutes will make you impatient for the first 3 minutes as there is no Mohit chauhan in the 1st 3 minutes,he is heard only in the last 1 minute,that made me a bit disappointed,not that the song is bad,but more of Mohit could have make it even better.An average track which will find little space in between such fantastic charbusters.

Next track,Senorita, will leave you SpellBound.Its a salsa number in S.E.L style for which Farhan Akhar,Hrithik Roshan,Abhay deol has lend their voice with ample support from spanish singer Maria Del Mar Fernandez.All the 3 actors will make you fall in love with the song with their innocence and naughtiness.Hrithik and Farhan have already sung in Kites and Rock On but the surprise element comes in form of Abhay Deol,he is fantastic in the few lines he has been given.The song is a pure gem and Kuddoos to S.E.L for composing such a masterpiece.I am dyng ro see the the picturisation of the song where all the 3 actors will be seen doing salsa.A glimpse of the song has alreay been seen in the trailor.Marvelleous.

Variety is the U.S.P of a S.E.L album,thats what Der Lagi Lekin provides.A song close to 6 minutes for which Shankar Mahadevan comes behind the mike.Its a bit philophical from the lyrics point and looks a track straight out of his previous venture,Taare Zameen Par.The song is high on lyrics and will require multiple hearings to grow on you.All in all a good track.

Loy Mendonsa,Dominique Cerejo,Clinton Cerejo are the names you read for the next track Sooraj Ki Baahon Mein,and with the fusion of these 3 singers one expects a Techno,Soft-rock song and thats what this song is all about.A decent hear which will be popular once the video is released.

The last original composition,To Zinda ho Tum, is nothing but a narration of few lines by Farhan Akhtar(mere 50 seconds,rest 50 seconds is instrumental)I was not happy as it ended too soon making me wanting for more.The way it started,I was expecting another Tum Ho Toh(Rock On) from the Farhan Akhtar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy combination.

A remix of each Ik Junoon(Paint it red) and Senorita gives a perfect ending to the album.Both the remixes are good and provides something different from the originals.

Zinagi na Milegi Dubara is a treat for music lovers,best of 2011 till date.Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy made some fabulous tunes that will be remembered for a long time.Again Hats off to them for portraying pure music where munni,sheila,shaalu ke thumke,jalebi bai and many more exists.

A must hear album,guys don't dare to miss this one!!