Prakash Jha’s upcoming political saga, Raajneeti, has been making the news since the moment of its conception. The film features a host of actors from various walks of life, namely, Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Arjun Rampal, Ajay Devgan, Nana Patekar, Manoj Bajpai and Hollywood actress Sarah Thompson. Pritam, Shantanu Moitra, Aadesh Shrivastav and Wayne Sharpe come together to provide a musical touch to the political thriller, and so as tradition dictates it’s time to see just how does this soundtrack panned out.
Prittam brings in a beautiful romantic duet to open up the album in the ‘classic’ Prittam style track titled Bheegi Bhaagi Si. Mohit Chauhan (‘Masakali’ – Delhi 6) who is stealing audiences’ hearts one song at a time endorses the track with his magical vocals. He’s joined by Antara Mitra who seems to be Prittam’s latest favourite, and we’re certainly not complaining about the composer’s choice as the singer has a fresh voice that seems to suit a variety of genres be it the quirky ‘Kuke Kuke’ from Life Partner or the chirpy ‘Yeh Ishq Hai’ from Jab We Met. The track is nothing too innovative but rather your good ‘ole’ romantic number that will be definitely enjoyed by all the lovers of the genre. Irshad Kamil spins his magic with words and captures the essence of an out and out romantic number quite well. This one will be a crowd pleaser for sure knowing Prittam’s rapport with the audiences!
An Aadesh Shrivastav composition comes in next sung by the composer himself (with supporting vocals from Shashi and English vocals by Nicholson) and is titled Mora Piya. The track is an interesting fusion as the lyrics are Indian folk whilst the music is quite contemporary and absolutely in contrast to the music you would expect to accompany such lyrics. Shrivastav has a uniquely brilliant voice that holds the song together. Lyrics by Sameer impress and are emotionally packed. This one is not a crowd pleaser perhaps but definitely give it a listen to see if it is your cup of tea.
If you miss a female touch to the album then skip a few tracks ahead and have a listen to the Trance Mix of ‘Mora Piya’ endorsed by Kavitha Seth of ‘Iktara’ (Wake up Sid) fame. The trance mix features techno sounds predominantly and brings you a new type of fusion from what you heard in the original number.
But wait the track has yet another version which is basically a remix of the original. Deep and DJ Chantz are to be credited for the remix. One can’t help wondering if we really needed the remix or was it just an album filler.
Shantanu Moitra, who’s still basking in the success of his work in 3 Idiots, comes in next with Ishq Barse. Shantanu does a sensational job with the composition which is a mixture of several genres and remains utterly innovative. Hamsika Iyer is the highlight of this track and instantly makes you fall in love with her voice. The singer extensively sings down South and has had only a hand full of songs in Hindi with the most noted of them being ‘Chanda Re’ from Eklavya: The Royal Guard. Pronod Biswas and Swanand Kirkire are the male vocals of the track and sadly are the reason why the track is not flawless. Swanand also puts on the lyricist’s hat for this track and thankfully impresses more in that department than the singing one. Give this one a listen for sure as it’s definitely something to try out at least once!
There’s also an alternate version of ‘Ishq Barse’ included in the album titled the Bombay Bounce Club Mix. Definitely a must listen for all those who were itching to turn up the tempo when they were listening to the original.
Wayne Sharpe comes in next with Shankar Mahedevan as his chosen weapon. And boy does Shankar strike! The singer shines as always and reminds you that he’s indeed one of the most brilliant voices of the industry. Dhan Dhan Dharti is lyrically rich thanks to Gulzar and is patriotic in nature. This one is the most soulful track of the album. It may not appeal to the masses but will definitely be a favourite of the serious music lovers.
Sonu Niigaam gives the song a whole new touch in the alternate version titled Call of the Soil. One doesn’t have to choose between him and Shankar because they both bring a unique touch to the track that cannot be replaced by the other. Sonu’s talent is done complete justice to with this composition without a doubt! This alternate version is definitely not an album filler but rather the showcase of the same track in a new light. One often hears that composers try out various singers for one song and only release the final choice but we’re quite glad that they didn’t choose between Sonu and Shankar for this track.
All in all the album is filled with brilliant compositions and vocals. Every number has been very thoughtfully crafted and thus one knows that songs won’t be pushed into the screenplay forcefully but rather incorporated intelligently. The only issue one could possibly have with the album is the lack of tracks and the incorporation of ‘album fillers’ which in the days of recession may just not warrant the listeners’ hard earned money. Having said that, one definitely shouldn’t forgo the chance to listen to the wonderful compositions provided by the host of composers.
