Zanjeer: Music Review

Music Directors: Chitrantan Bhatt, Anand Raj Anand, Meet Bros Anjan and Ankit

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Ram Charan, Sanjay Dutt

"Not so most comfortable with this hug"

The Zanjeer remake's marketability is off to a rough start with the introduction of the Telegu actor Ram Charan, however Priyanka Chopra will absolutely be the the saving grace when it comes to bringing in the audiences. The three music composers have a lot on their hands with the Zanjeer soundtrack, as it will be compared to the original. 

Zanjeer begins with Mumbai Ka Hero featuring Mika Singh and Talia Benson. This Chitrantan Bhatt
composition the typical roguish hero song that Mika Singh is popular for with bits and pieces of rap and speaking verses tossed in the middle. Its reminiscent of "Udd Udd Dabangg".  I'm sure that Talia Benson is responsible for the horrible female rap intrusion in the middle. Here's a lyric from it, "Oh my god is that your gun?!! Can I hold it pleeeease???" This song offers nothing new and certainly nothing listenable. 2/5

Pinky: Lesser than Munni
Greater than Sheila

The soundtrack continues with the item number Pinky featuring Mamta Sharma and the Meet Bros. This song falls into the Sheila-Munni item number craze. It lacks anything special and almost sounds like a leftover nineties composition. The lyrics are tasteless. [The song picturized on the left] This Meet Bros Anjan Akit composition is a loser. 2/5

Chitrantan Bhatt composes another song in Zanjeer called Lamha Tera Mera. This romantic song by Wajhi Farooki and Palak Muchhal separates itself from the soundtrack with its lighthearted upbeat flavor. These two are a great duo and work so well together to create a special, uplifting song. 5/5

We have another Ankit Bros composition Kochey Pathan Ki Zubaan (Qawaali). It contains all the necessary elements of a qawaali and even features Sukhwinder Singh along with Shabaab Sabri and the Meet Bros. It sounds very similar to Agneepath remake's qawaali number, Shah Ka Rutba. However, it is a mediocre composition that had the potential to be so much more 3/5

Kaatilana is another item number from Zanjeer, but more retro sounding than the traditional Pinky. Shweta Pandit sings her heart out against the disco beats. This song is situtational could definitely danced at a critical part of the movie and compares to Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai's Parda Hai Parda.  2.5/5

The Proper Way to Catch Criminals
Dance In  High Heeled Boots and Shorts

The third item number is Shakila Banoo exclusively features Shreya Ghoshal. Composer Anand Raj Anand knows how to bring in a unique flavor while blending old school with new school, and urban with rural. Ghoshal's voice is naughty enough to pull off this number. Shakila Banoo is high in spice, bringing in various instruments like the tabla and harmonium  and really distinguishes itself from the other two item numbers in Zanjeer. 4/5

Thankfully, there is only one remix in Zanjeer that is Kaatilana M.B.A Club Mix. The song is definitely better this time around due to the extra beat that the other version was lacking previously. Who knows what M.B.A stands for here? Hopefully not a degree.3/5

In the end, the Zanjeer soundtrack is mediocre. The plethora of item numbers overwhelms the soundtrack and lowers its quality as a whole.  The composers seem as if they weren't trying to produce anything special and they certainly didn't except for the two outliers below.

My Picks: Lamha Tera Mera, Shakila Banoo 

Check out my other reviews!
Shuddh Desi Romance: Music Review
Grand Masti: Music Review
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D-Day: Music Review

Starring: Arjun Rampal, Rishi Kapoor, Irrfan Khan, Huma Qureshi, Shruti Hassan

Music Directors: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

The Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio is famous for catchy music that is reflective the overall theme of the movie, and  D-Day's music is no exception. D-Day is a Bollywood film that crosses over the border and into Pakistan, when Irrfan Khan is sent to Karachi on a spy mission. After viewing the trailer, it seems what follows is a chaotic, political thriller entangled with romantic trysts. Here we see many of our favorite singers come forward, such as Javed Ali, Shankar Mahadevan, and Sukhwinder Singh.

Mika Singh opens D-Day with the qawwali Duma Dum. This song is a remake of the popular Lal Meri Pat, that we have heard from popular Pakistani artists like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, and Junoon. The instrumentals are rich and distinguish this song , however this song doesn't compare with the other others vocally. It would have fared better if another singer was put behind the mike. A good attempt, but nothing really new. 3/5

Alvida features Loy Mendonsa, Sukhwinder Singh, Nikhil D'Souza and Shruti Hassan herself . This mellow song has mostly delicate vocals and light instrumentals. Hassans' vocals are whispery and ghostly, but she is able to add a nice touch to the song. Singh and D'Souza's voice really takes this song to a higher level and really highlights the song. 4/5

"Exactly how much curry did you get under
your fingernails"

D-Day has another qawwali-esque song called Murshid Ke Holi. Shankar Mahadevan, Javed Ali, and Munawar Masoom voices blend well together with this traditional beats. The instrumentals are also rich here, as they are throughout D-Day. But what really distinguishes this one from any other fantastic qawwali? Nothing really. It runs over seven and a half minutes, and its so repetitive that its difficult to get all the way through. 3.5/5

Rekha Bhardwaj returns in a solo, Ek Khadi. The tabla is very soothing when used in unison with other instruments, but this song isn't really unique in any way. Not much to say about this one. No repeat value. 3/5

D-Day ends with the short track Dhuaan with Siddharth Madhadevan and Rahul Ram's gritty vocals. The orchestra instrumentals give the song a perilous touch of beautiful doom. It almost sounds like a some type of church prayer and chant. There are not many dark Bollywood songs like this, so something like this is very special.  4/5

If you are a die hard Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy or qawwali fan, just take a few of these songs from D-Day and be on your way.

My Picks: Alvida, Dhuaan

Check out My Other Reviews:

Chennai Express:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/chennai-express-music-review.html

Issaq:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-issaq_21.html

Boyss Toh Boyss Hai:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/boyss-toh-boyss-hai-music-review.html 

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Raanjhanaa: Music Review

Music Director: A.R Rahman

Starring: Sonam Kapoor & Dhanush

So if you didn't know, A.R Rahman is back in Bollywood with a new soundtrack. It's Raanjhanaa from the makers of Tanu Weds Manu. A.R didn't really leave us with much memorable tracks in Jab Tak Hai Jaan, so I'm hoping this time he fares better.

So Raanjhanaa stars Sonam Kapoor with the Tamil actor, Dhanush. Unfortunately, Abhay Deol makes an extended appearance in the film as well (not a fan). The movie is slated to be released on June 21st. So far the trailers for Raanjhanaa look good, though I am still unsure what the movie is all about. Anyway, lets get down to the music.

Our first song is Raanjhanaa by Shiraz Uppal and Jaswinder Singh- You may remember Uppal from "Roya Re" from Dhoka. It's great to see him back, especially in combination with Jaswinder Singh. It is a very triumphant traditional, feel good song. However, is the title song in the movie, so it does title songs, attachment have like "Jab Tak Hai Jaan" from Jab Tak Hai Jaan. 3.5/5

Next we have Banarasiya sung by mainly Shreya Ghoshal, with contributions from two other female vocalists: Anwesha Gupta, Meenal Jain. This is the sole female folk song with Shreya at the heart. Her voice is sweet and soulful through the highs and lows. The flute and drum instrumentals are beautifully done draw you in. However, the song doesn't have a hook till these instrumentals. 3.5/5

Our main Sufi song of the album is Piya Milenge by Sukhwinder Singh, Sufi Ensemble. A.R combined with Sukhwinder is always a magical combination. Surely everyone recalls Chaiya Chaiya.  Sufi pieces are beautifully laced through this song, while Sukhwinder focuses more with instrumentals for a slight rock feel. 4/5

Ay Sakhi features three female voices taking equivalent parts: Madhushree, Chinmanyi, Vaishali Samant.  This song consists group of women singing and talking with each other. It's not enjoyable to listen to in leisure, but it will probably make sense so where in the movie. I deleted this one. 2/5

Our romantic duet of Raanjhanaa,  Nazar Lagi sung by Rashid Ali, Neeti Mohan, Nakash Aziz. This is one of my favorites on this album. It is a laid back melody complete with slow guitar. I haven't heard Mohan's before, but her voice goes well with Ali's. Every Rahman soundtrack needs a number that really slow and dripping in love, this is it. 5/5

Rabbi Shergill is back in Tun Mun Shudi. The contemporary cool guy solo song, basically is the male counterpart of Banarasiya. It is uplifting and has interesting multilayers of vocals and instrumentals. 4/5

Our slowest number of Raanjhanaa is Aise Na Dekho is sung and composed by A.R Rahman himself. It comes as no surprise that this song sounds sounds good. In the background we have slow jazz beat, but at the same time the songs stays close to the traditional sounds with the instrumentals and the whistling. It almost sounds like an unplugged version. This one an old school charm. 4/5

Rahman loves his instrumental numbers. The Land of Shiva is able to measure up to his past ones. I've always been a huge fan of Rahman's instrumentals. "Ishq Dance" from Jab Tak Hai Jaan and "Liquid Dance" from Slumdog Millionaire were amazing. This one is great. Its suspenseful, with a lot of bell ringing and horn blowing. Its almost as if you were trapped in a chaotic mandir. 4.5/5

Another romantic number Tum Tak by Javed Ali, Keerthi Sagathia, Pooja Vadiyanath excels. Traditional instrumental all the way through, as well as lots of traditional singing techniques. The female voice works well with Javed Ali's in this instance, to give this romantic number a fun, playful feel. There are a lot of hooks and variety to this song. Every time I listen to it I notice something new. 4.5/5

Overall Raanjhanaa is a great soundtrack that gets better as we go through the tracks. Compared to the Bollywood music releasing these days, this is a gold. Good job Rahman!

My Picks: Nazar Lagi, Tum Tak, Tun Mun Shudi, Piya Milenge

Check Out my Other Reviews:

Issaq: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-issaq_21.html
Ghanchakkar: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-reviewsghanchakkar.html
Lootera:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-lootera.html
Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-yeh-jawani-hai.html

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