Kaminey — Music Review

Dhan Te Nan , the music is out and the first song is already a big hit . Expectations are on a high , regarding both , the film and the music . The Dhan Te Nan has left people asking for more and now we finally have the entire album . Vishal last worked on “U Me aur Hum” which was a long time back and music lovers like me would love to see more of him . He has always given an outstanding score for his own films and his jodi with Gulzaar works like something . After Omkara the expectations are really high from the duo for this one . Well this one is a completely different album and I also tried to give it an unbiased view keeping the past completely out of my perspective .

The soundtrack opens with a blockbuster track “Dhan Te Nan” by the super-hit machine Sukhwinder along with Vishal Dadlani . Do I even need to say anything about this track which is already a big hit . The music on this one is probably the best on the entire album and Vishal has done a fabulous job for this track . Sukhwinder sings in his impeccable style and Vishal backs him very well . Both of them together have sung it almost perfectly . The thing to notice is the lyrics that are there in this song . Its really amazing how Gulzaar Sir comes up with these wacky lyrics nicely blending english with hindi . He has written the songs in today’s language of India , the Hinglish . I mean take a look at this :

“Aaja ki One Way Hai
Yeh Zindagi ki Gali
Ek hi Chance hai

Aage Hava hi Hava hai
Agar saans hai to
yeh Romance hai”

This is just the first song and there is much more to come in the later tracks where his lyrics simply bowled me over . I mean this is the man who has written some of the finest Hindi songs ever and he can still come up with something new for our generation . Truly Brilliant . Overall , its a great track and has that 70’s music element to it .

Next comes a completely different track “Pehli Baar Mohabbat” by Mohit Chauhan . This one is soft romantic song which has a bit of Rock feel to it . As a result it also has a western feel to it and it makes nice use of various musical instruments in it . Mohit sings this one in his usual style, the only difference being that he has never sung a song earlier which had a bit of rock feel to it . He does his job great and Vishal has also done his job good . The lyrics here are also very beautiful and innovative . A bit different but a good different . The song in all has a good combination of melody and lyrics and has been sung well by Mohit . Would look great in the film backed up by the chemistry between Shahid-Priyanka which is evident even in the still pictures from the film .

Then comes a song “Raat Ke Dhai Baje” which is in a way extension to the prior track and has a whole lot of singers in it . It has a more commercial tune and is completely different than the previous track . It has been sung by Sunidhi,Rekha,Suresh Wadekar and Kunal Ganjawala . The entire soundtrack is pretty much male dominated and if last time both Sundihi and Rekha got some great tracks in form of Beedi and Namak , this time they had to settle for this very average track which also had two other male singers in it . This song is more commercial in nature and has nothing much to offer . It would probably make much more sense in the film . This song is there in a wedding sequence probably as far as I could make out from the album graphics .
There is also a remix version of the same track towards the end of the soundtrack which is also pretty much the same with some more beats and effects in it .

Then comes a track which completely blew me and now I am thinking that why no one thought of this concept before , especially the NACO (National AIDS Control Org.) . This song , “Fatak” , talks about AIDS and in a way that is so creative and appealing . By the way the “Fataak” is the sound of the whip that symbolises how people need a whip sometimes to understand some things in life. Gulzaar sir has once again proved in this track that he is a true genius and he deserves a special award for this track alone . The entire track refers to AIDS as a ‘Bhanwra’ which comes in and doesn’t leave so easily . Take a look at these lyrics :

“Jitna Bhi Jhoot Bole Thoda hai ,
Keedon ki basti da Makoda hai”

It also makes the use of the famous quote by Ghalib – “Yeh Ishq nahi aasan … ek aag ka dariya hai …aur dub ke jaana hai” . Gulzar sir has modified this famous shayari of Ghalib and made it into a social message of having safe sex .”Ek the Ghalib aur ek hai Gulzaar Saahab , dono ka koi jawaab nahi ” . The modified version goes something like this :

“Yeh Ishq Nahi Aasan
Aji AIDS Ka khatra hai
patwaar pehan jaana
yeh aag ka dariya hai”

The music in the song is also great and it very well encapsulates the lyrics and the “Fatak” does its job well .Kailash Kher and Sukhwinder Singh sing it in a style which makes sure that the message goes out loud . Last time they were together was for the track in Mangal Pandey (Mangal Mangal) in which they did wonders along with Rehman . Here also they both do the same alongwith Vishal . Both Vishal and Gulzaar need to be complimented for coming up with such an innovative and socially relevant track .

Then comes the title track Kaminey by Vishal Bhardwaj himself . He alongwith Gulzaar have used the word “Kaminey” which is usually considered as a curse word in a really beautiful way . The lyrics might sound funny to a few but they have a very serious meaning to it . Vishal has composed this song beautifully and there is a part (from 4.15 to 4.40) in the song which is symphonic in nature and has been done beautifully by Vishal . I am wondering how this particular part would have been done on-screen . The entire song is a bit symphonic in nature but I loved this specific part the most . This track is also amongst the best on the album . Vishal is also a good singer apart from being a great music composer and director .

Then comes a theme music by the name of “Go Charlie Go” which is a full version of the “Dhan Te Nan” in the first track . It is a nice bit of music which would look great in the film . Since this is the main theme of the film it would play a vital role in the film and it is good enough to do the job . It is a fast upbeat music with all the “Dhan Te Nan” which gives it a Seventies feel very well .
The last time I heard a similar music was in Johnny Gaddar where Sriram Raghvan made a fabulous use of it .

Then lastly comes a remix version of “Dhan Te Nan” which has been done in a nice and different way . It is not like usual remixes and sounds really good . It has been remixed by Aftab Khan who does a great job . There are some extra English lyrics in this remix version towards the end which are by Dominique Cerejo who does a good job singing them too .

Overall , the album has delivered according to expectations and apart from “Raat Ke Dhai Baje” all tracks are good . One of the songs is already popular and some others would soon follow . Vishal and Gulzaar duo has worked again and this time it is a completely different album from the last time which sends a good signal that people need to move on from Omkara and give Kaminey a complete fresh look .

Album Rating : Four out of Five ; a very fresh and innovative soundtrack .

Billu Barber — Music Review

The long awaited film of Priyadarshan and SRK that starrs Irrfan Khan in the lead , Billu Barber , is finally ready for release and the music of the film is out now . The film has been produced by SRK’s Red Chillies Productions and that means this project means more to SRK than anyone else . This film is again a remake of a south film which has been already made twice in Malayalam and Telugu . The Telugu version called Kuselan recently released having Rajnikant playing the part which SRK is playing . The film still failed at the box office and its failure raised some concerns for SRK and hence this film also got delayed . The original Malayalam version , Katha Parayumpol and the telegu version both have been written by Sreenivasan . Billu Barber was first supposed to release before RNBDJ but got delayed and now it is releasing in February . The film also stars Lara Dutta and several other Priyadarshan’s usual like Om Puri and Rajpal Yadav etc.

Well ,Talking of soundtrack , it consists of Fifteen Tracks in total out of which Seven are original and eight being remixes . The remixes again outnumber the originals on the soundtrack but good thing is that some of those have been sung by different singers so sound a little different . This time it is Pritam who has done the job and lyrics are by various artists . The soundtrack is for its majority a commercial one and when it comes to commercial music there is no one better than Pritam for the job .

The first track on the soundtrack is , Marjaani , which is already on-air and generating the hype for the film . The song as you all now has Kareena in it along with SRK and has some usual fun and frolic . The lyrics on this one are by Gulzaar and are as expected good enough to make this song a hit . The lyrics and music together give it a popular feel and the song would work for sure among the listeners . Sukhwinder and Sunidhi do a good job as usual and Sukhwinder is one more reason why this song could get popular .

Next comes , Love mera Hit Hit , sung by Neeraj Shridhar and Tulsi Kumar . The lyrics on this one are by Ashish Pandit and Mayur Puri who do a good job and made the lyrics pretty catchy . Pritam also does a good job and gives it a commercial tune which makes the song even more catchy and makes it a potential hit . This one starrs Deepika Padukone and SRK , shaking legs together . Neeraj sings it in his usual style with Tulsi giving him good support .

The third and the final track which again has a guest appearance of Priyanka Chopra in it , You Get Me Rockin and Reelin , is a a little on the slower and sensual side . The song has Priyanka and SRK getting cosy and trying to set the screen on fire . If you don’t know then let me tell you that all these three songs are a part of a film which is shown to be shot in Billu’s village . Since these songs are shown a part of a film in the film itself the Director has made an effort to keep the songs as commercial as possible because SRK is shown as a commercial superstar in the film . Still , this song is pretty melodious and doesn’t sound like usual commercial songs . Neeraj does a fine job singing this one and makes sure that it sounds different . The lyrics on this one are by Sayyed Quadri who does a good job .

After this comes a very very commercial track , Ae Aa O , which would look good in the film only and would make more sense in the film . The song would probably be featured when SRK first comes to the village and it would be somewhat of a introductory song . The lyrics on this one are by Neeraj Sridhar and it has been sung by KK ,Rana Mazumder & Suraj . The song in all is more film oriented and doesn’t make much sense apart from it . KK surprisingly has been offered such an average track which anyone could have done .

The fifth track , Jaoon Kahan , is completely different from the previous four and is a sad song which has been written by Sayeed Quadri who does a great job on this one . The song features Irrfan Khan who as we all know is a brilliant actor so he might make you feel really sad through his acting . The lyrics are really good on this and  reminds of “Jag Soona Soona Lage” from Om Shanti Om . Like that one this has been also sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who again does a great job . Pritam has also done a good job and given it a nice and simple tune . The song is a complete package of good lyrics , music and singing . Such songs gain popularity much more after the film releases and I am sure with the release of the film this one also would get much more popular .

Next comes a very different and Desi track , Billu Bhayankar . This one has some very interesting piece of lyrics written by Gulzaar Sir himself and he again proves his expertise in the “Thainth Desi” language after songs like Kajrare and Bidi Jalayle . This one though is not a item song like the previous two but that doesn’t mean that it lacks any fun . This one is a fun track from the word go and would be real treat on screen , I am pretty sure about that . The track talks about Billu Hajam the central character . This track would definately remind you of  Khaike Pan Banaras Waala which had a similar feel . Pritam has done full justice to the song and given it a very pure desi tune to it . The biggest role in such songs as you know is of the singer and his/her accent . And on that front Ajay Jhingaran , Raghuveer and Kalpana do a commendable job .

Next comes probably the most melodious and lyrically rich song , Khudaya Khair . This one has been written by Gulzaar Sir . This song and the third track on the album , You get me rocking , have somewhat same lyrics and I don’t know which one is the original one . Still , this one is much more melodious and some extra lyrics in this one that are there add much more to its beauty . If that one had a little western feel to it , this one has none . Pritam has done his best on this as compared to the other songs on the album . The female parts that have been sung by Akriti and Monali sound really good . Soham does a good job singing the male parts but for me Neeraj would have suited much more . This is the song that was there in the first trailer of the film and I am sure this one would be featured on Lara Dutta (my favourite) who is looking really beautiful in the promos . I am happy that she got the best track on the album .

Then starts the series of Remixes and first one is the Video Edit of Rockin n Reelin . I didn’t find this one any different from the original one in terms of music . This one though has Dominc Cezaro siniging some female parts . If you remember Dominic made her debut in Rock On with ” Yeh Tumhari Meri Baatein “. She does her part well . Rest all is the same .

Then come remix versions of “Love Mera Hit Hit” and “Marjaani” which have been remixed by DJ Amyth and Kilogram K&G respectively . Both the remix versions have usual fast pace tempo and some extra english lyrics . Nothing great about them as such and good for clubs and discs . The remix version of Mar Jaani has been sung by KK and Akriti Kakkar so KK fans won’t get disappointed .

Next comes a reprise edition of “Khudaya Khair” which has Abhijeet giving vocals and rest all is the same . The song doesn’t suit him that much as much it did to Neeraj and Soham . This one being a reprise edition is a little slow . If this was not enough there is one more remix of “You Get Me rockin n reeling” which again is a basic remix with higher tempo and usual DJing .

Then there is a remix of Ae Aa O , I don’t know why . The original track itself was a little weak so this one doesn’t make any difference . One more Marjaani by DJ Sunil and Spinz who remix the original track and do a good job . This is the pick among the remixes . Then there is a remix of Love Mera Hit Hit which is better than the previous remix of the same song .

In all , its a nice soundtrack with a mix of commercial tracks and good tracks like Khudaya and Jaoon Kahan . It also has very different tracks like Billu Bhayankar . The only thing that was a put off was the long list of unnecessary remixes that made me change my mind for rating the album . I was going to give it a four stars but the irritating remixes which are just too many made me change my rating . In all , the soundtrack has increased my curiosity for the film and I am now even more eagerly waiting for the film . The film in my opinion would be a nice film that would be liked by all .

Album Rating : Three and Half Stars out of Five ; Great soundtrack with a nice mix of different songs .

Blog by Saurabh is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 2.5 India License.
Based on a work at http:/bollywoodrated.wordpress.com.
Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at http:/bollywoodrated.wordpress.com.