Music: Vishal Bharadwaj
Lyrics: Gulzar
Singers: Sukhwinder Singh , Arijit Singh , Vishal Bhardwaj , Rekha Bhardwaj , Suresh Wadkar , Shraddha Kapoor ,Bashir Lone , Bashir Bhawani , Muzamil Bhawani , Aalaap Majgavkar , Vishal Dadlani
After giving us some wonderful cinema with films like Maqbool, Omkara andKaminey, Vishal Bharadwaj is back with yet another Shakespearean adaptation with Shahid Kapoor’s Haider. Not only has Bharadwaj helmed the film, but has also taken care of the film’s music. While three tracks – Aao Na, Bismil and Khul Kabhi Toh had already been released, the fans were eagerly awaiting for the entire album to hit the stores. On hearing the first three songs, we expect the album to be completely different from regular Bollywood soundtracks. Lets see what Vishal Bharadwaj, the music director, has in store for the music lovers.
Aao Na
The album starts off with the immensely popular song Aao Na, which has got every rock music lover hooked. Right from the beginning, the intense number grabs your attention with heavy electric guitar riffs followed by the edgy voice of Vishal Dadlani, who owns the song, bringing out all the right emotions which the song has to convey. Gulzar’s lyrics are deep and disturbing at times as it evokes a sense of pain. Full marks to Bharadwaj for starting off the album with a high intensity song like Aao Na. This number may even remind you of popular band Linkin Park due to its melancholic lyrics and hard rock music.
Bismil
As we move forward, we are greeted by a very folksy number, Bismil, filled with interesting sounds and musical arrangements. Sung by Sukhwinder Singh and written by Gulzar, Bismil will remind you of the Ek Haseena Thi from Rishi Kapoor’s Karz, as both the songs tell a similar story. Sukhwinder has done a commendable job as his heavy vocals lend to the feel of the song. Vishal Bharadwaj starts off the song with quaint, soulful sound of Sitar followed by unique vocals of Sukhwinder Singh along with growing percussion beats. The song quickly shifts gears as the folksy number becomes intense and dark with every passing second. While the song might not appeal to everyone, the one who understands music will regard Bismil highly.
Khul Kabhi Toh
The song Khul Kabhi Toh picturised on Shahid Kapoor-Shraddha Kapoor is not your typical romantic track which you hear in Bollywood today. Sung amazingly by Arijit Singh, the soulful number will kindle your heart with its poetic lyrics and soft warm music. Arijit Singh breathes emotions into the song with his mesmerising vocals, brilliantly supported by melodious musical arrangements by Bharadwaj. The orchestration of the song will give you the satisfaction of listening to a truly moving number, melting your heart in remembrance of your loved ones.
Gulon Mein Rang Bhare
Arijit Singh fans are in for a treat as the beautiful Khul Kabhi Toh is followed by yet another soft soulful track for which the prolific singer has lend his vocals. Backed by some mild guitar riffs and drums, the song belongs to Arijit Singh who shows his vocal prowess by pulling off a difficult song with such ease. Gulon Mein Rang Bhare is so easy on your ears that it might put you to sleep with its heart pleasing tunes.
Ek Aur Bismil
This song is a really wacky rendition of Bismil, which manages to impress you with an interesting collage of foot tapping sounds. Sung by Sukhwinder again, this number has a very middle eastern vibe to it with a barrage of instruments like drums, saxophone, mouth organ, accordion coming in to play. Vishal Bharadwaj has fused techno beats with the folksy middle eastern tune, creating a musical piece that is highly enjoyable.
Jhelum
Next is a melancholic track named after the river Jhelum, sung by Vishal Bharadwaj himself. While Bharadwaj has done a decent job crooning the song, it is the painful undercurrent hidden in the music which connects with the listeners. It has all the elements of a perfect sad song as the slow melancholic sounds pave way for intense music as the song progresses. One feels the music director might have gone overboard a little with sad tunes by keeping the serious tone of the film in mind.
So Jao
One of the album’s best songs is the haunting number, So Jao. The song shares its lyrics with the highly energetic rock number Aao Na and turns it around completely with lazy yet haunting vocals by the trio of Bashir Lone, Bashir Bhawani, Muzamil Bhawani, who make it sound like chants. The song opens with the sound of spade hitting the ice, followed by slow yet heavy guitar bass making way to some of the unusual vocals you have ever heard. If listened intently, the song will give you goosebumps for sure!
Do Jahaan
After listening to Do Jahaan, one thing is evident that the music of Haider has two major emotions to convey – love and pain. Do Jahaan is another soft romantic number sung with such fondness by Suresh Wadkar and Shraddha Kapoor, that you would fall in love with it. It is refreshing to hear Suresh Wadkar singing after such a long gap and Shraddha has done full justice to the song with her melodious vocals singing Kashmiri folk song. Once again, it is the beautiful vocals of the two singers that overshadow Bharadwaj’s music.
Aaj Ke Naam
With pain and sadness being the under lying tone of the film, it comes of as no surprise that the album is filled with sad numbers. Aaj Ke Naam is one such sad song, sung with emotions by Rekha Bharadwaj that her vocals bring life to the profound words of Gulzar. The song has a ghazal feel to it, with continuous sound of tabla giving able support to Mrs Bharadwaj’s melancholic voice.
Verdict: Out of all the soundtracks that have come out in the year 2014, Haider stands out as an unique album which isn’t scared of expressing pain and sorrow through music, contrary to the popular happy sounding songs that Bollywood usually churns. Also, the album achieves a mean feat as it never gets into manipulative mode and doesn’t try to invoke sadness in listeners. The music of Haider is raw and lets out the feelings of its title character with great panache
Our Pick: While it is next to impossible to pick the best in an album filled with little gems, if I was held at gun point and asked to pick the best, then Aao Na, So Jao, Khul Kabhi Toh and Ek Aur Bismil are the recommendations.
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