It is always challenging to review the music of composers in whom you have so much faith that you truly hope they don’t prove you wrong. My sentiments were such when embarking on the journey to review Sachin-Jigar’s Faltu. The film marks the debut of Remo D’Souza as a director after years of wooing us with his choreography. It also marks Jackky Bhagnani’s second entry onto the big screen. Along with Jackky, the film brings with it many new faces promising to entertain us in this story about fultoo faltus. So does the two film old duo manage to strike the same magic that brought them into the limelight with Teree Sang? Read on to find out!
Perhaps the best move by the music team was to kick start the album with an Atif Aslam number! A sure shot crowd pleaser this one is. You may start listening to the number thinking you know exactly what to expect but thankfully the duo bring Atif in with a brand new feel, considering all Atif songs had started to blend into one. Le Ja Tu is a contemporary rock number with a strong support from acoustics. The song speaks about self realization and the need to break free and Sameer puts through the sentiments in a brilliant way that will definitely speak to the youth. Considering the film is about the youth, it was integral that the lyrics matched up to those sentiments.
After Atif, another crowd pleaser enters the album, Hard Kaur with Char Baj Gayi. Sadly unlike the Atif’s number this one doesn’t have too much innovation, as it’s the usual Hard Kaur Punjabi/English rap. It especially doesn’t seem innovative since we just heard an extensively Hard Kaur featuring album, Patiala House. This one is a love or hate kind of a number. If you’re a fan of the rap and Hard Kaur genre of music than you’ll surely love it, otherwise it may warrant a skip on the iPod.
The album takes a complete 180 turn after the loud and raw Hard Kaur number and brings in a beautiful romantic number, Rab Sab Se Sona. However, the musical duo don’t candy-floss it too much. They use the very hip and cool Neeraj Shridhar who brings his unique flavour to the song. Musically the song is a beautiful blend of contemporary, Punjabi and classic Bollywood. This one is another guaranteed crowd pleaser!
Composers Sachin and Jigar enter themselves next with a song that is undoubtedly the highlight of the album! Awaaz tends to leave you speechless upon completion. Sameer’s inspiring lyrics and the duo’s youthful voices bring in the exact feel that such a number required. Above all the beautiful fusion created with classical Indian instruments takes you by complete surprise, in particular the tablas and kartalas. This number is definitely one you want to listen to till the end as it’s a beautiful theatrical ending with a heavy presence of a string orchestra that takes the emotions to a whole new level! Awaaz is without a doubt an audition piece by Sachin-Jigar showing of their versatility as this was definitely a genre/style of music no one expected them to tackle, least of in Faltu.
Mika steals the limelight next with a hilariously written track that will grab your attention for sure. Fully Faltoo is entertaining, loud and absolutely fun! The song truly can’t be slotted into a particular genre. It’s primarily a pop and techno number however there’s Hard Kaur’s rap intertwined with the overpowering presence of a distinct shehanayi. In addition, Mika’s style is a genre in itself!
Things take a serious turn after the fully fun ‘Fully Faltoo’ with Gale Laga Le. After Awaaz this one is another highlight of the album that truly takes the entire album to a whole new level. The duo bring in the truly talented and underused Vijay Prakash (Beera – Raavan) who shines as always! Priya Panchal is a beautiful addition to the song, one hopes to hear more from her. A song of this nature works solely because of the emotions the singers bring in and it’s a pleasure to say that Vijay and Priya succeed in bringing in the inspiring feeling. An inspiring number in both music and lyrics.
A pop/rock number enters next titled Nayee Subha with Jigar himself at the mike. This one comes in the true college number fashion with a foot tapping beat and lyrics that speak about energy, courage, aspirations and a horizon filled with goals. Jigar, despite claiming that he’s no singer, shines in this one and brings the required energy to the track. The only problem with the number is that it is nothing too unique or fresh, it is merely a peppy, youthful college number. This wouldn’t have been a let down as much had the album up until now not been so impressive and innovative.
From a college number we move to a very comical number that will get your attention in the first listen. O Teri is endorsed by Jigar’s voice and one can safely say that the candidness and raw style of his voice is what makes this track work. It may not be a track that you listen for its melody or music but rather something that makes a whole lot more sense onscreen. Regardless it remains quite hilarious to listen to so one can only imagine how hilarious it will be onscreen!
The album goes onto a low note, and by ‘low’ I don’t mean a bad track but a track that talks about low percentages! Percentage is perhaps the theme song of the Faltus in the film as it talks about their low percentages, what they are to do now and how on earth are they to tell their Daddies! Neuman Pinto shines in this number and has to be commended on his ability to go through the various phases of the song be it the soft western portion, the South Indian part or the main rock portions. It surely would have been an interesting track to witness in recording!
Neeraj Shridhar rock n roll’s his way back into the album next with Beh Chala. You’ll be swinging around and tapping your feet to this one in no time! I give a big salute to the duo for attempting a genre of music that we tend to forget in Bollywood. In addition, we all have painful memories of the time this genre was attempted, which was when it was very brutally destroying an Elvis classic (‘Jail House Rock’ – We Are Family by Shankar, Ehsaan & Loy). Thankfully ‘Beh Chala’ is original, makes you want to rock ‘n’ roll with it! Although there is one slight downside of the track, and that is the extensive amount of English rap forced into the track! The contrast that had been created with Rock ‘n’ roll music, Hindi lyrics and Neeraj’s vocals was working quite beautifully by itself! Especially since we all know no one sings angrezi like our Neeraj, hence the addition of the additional vocals for the English rap segments seemed a bit of a track-spoiler.
The album ends on a crazy note to ensure you all anticipate just the amount of fun and craze that will be on screens this April the 1st! Bhoot Aaya starts off with the sound of a baby crying and them comes in hardcore rock and techno music, instantly you’re alert and want to know what will unfold next. Famous Bhangra singer Lehmber Hussainpuri endorses the song and it’s the unique mix of his Punjabi voice, Punjabi lyrics and fast paced music that make this track a total winner! In the first listen you may find it a bit odd but hold on because it’s definitely a track that will grow on you before you know it! After the immensely successful fusion of South Indian music and Punjabi vocals and lyrics in Amit Trivedi’s ‘Gal Mithi Mithi Bol’, one can truly see ‘Bhoot Aaya’ turning out to be quite the crowd pleaser in coming days!
The album sums up at a bouncy and energetic point and you’re left with a very pleasant feeling. Sachin and Jigar can definitely take a bow for creating eleven tracks that shine in their own individual ways. An additional bow can be taken for creating eleven original tracks and not succumbing to the trend of inserting remixes and reprised versions of original songs, all for the sake of track numbers on a CD. They manage to churn out some heart wrenching emotional numbers, techno/club numbers, a college number, comical numbers and so much more! The ability for Bollywood to bring together so many genres of music was very aptly used by the musical duo who didn’t hesitate from blending styles of music that otherwise may not have been combined. Awaaz, Gale Laga Le and Le Ja Tu are the highlights of the album however the rest remain impressive in their own ways. In conclusion, Faltu is a definite investment for any music collection!
