This March, Vikram Bhatt brings you Shaapit, the third installment in his spine chilling horror trilogy, the first of two being Raaz and 1920. Horror is a genre that rarely impresses audiences except when made by specific directors, Vikram Bhatt being one of them, who never fails to deliver when attempting this genre. The film has been in the news for various reasons, one being that it marks the debut of legendary singer Udit Naryan’s son, Aditya Narayan. Aditya is no alien to the camera, having faced it for many prominent roles as a child artist (Pardes, Jab Pyaar Kisise Hota Hai & Rangeela) and having reigned on television screens for quite some time. Today, however, we are more interested in analyzing his musical talents as he’s not only sung but also composed tracks for the film. The album features compositions predominantly by Chirantan Bhatt and also one track by Nazam Sheraz..
Of course the question of the moment is just how good or bad Aditya Narayan is and thankfully the album kicks off with Kabhi Naa Kabhi (Rock) which features the young talent taking away all the suspense immediately. The track is an out and out rock number that will quickly find its way to the top of the charts with its catchy melody, credited to Chirantan Bhatt. Sameer’s lyrics give life to the love struck rock number and Aditya Narayan shines in all his glory. If you had to describe his voice you’d say that a he’s a mixture of Udit Narayan and Shaan, which gives his voice a lot of diversity that you’ll eventually get to witness as the album progresses. Many would have expected him to debut with the usual Bollywood styled number such as those his father is most loved for, however hearing him in such a genre definitely gives you a sense of relief as the singer is clearly paving his own path in his own way! This track has to be the highlight of the album.
After Chirantan’s absolutely rocking number comes Nazam Sheraz’s number, composed, written and sung by him. Tere Bina Jiya Na Jaye fails to impress greatly, especially in comparison to the opening number of the album. By the title you’d already have guessed that the lyrics are nothing innovative but are the usual broody romantic lines that we’ve heard over and over again. The composition, although not so upbeat, is not all that bad had it not been for the mediocre lyrics that overpower the composition. Nazam’s voice is without a doubt phenomenal, however sadly the talented singer/composer is not as a talented of a lyricist and has dampened a track that had great potential.
Ajnabi Haawayein which is the usual eerie horror flick song. Honestly, a bit of innovation never hurt and who said that all horror flicks need to have songs of this style with eerie beats and ‘come to me’ lyrics all in a slow paced tempo. Sameer’s lyrics are straight out of a 90’s flick and definitely don’t make the track any more listenable. Shreya Ghosal of course can’t be blamed for any of this because as always she’s magical, but honestly this is one track of hers that is going to be very easily forgotten.
You’re almost jumping with joy when the dreary ‘Ajnabi Haawayein’ ends and Aditya Naryan swoops in a techno styled intro for Chirantan Bhatt’s Chahata Dil Tumko. The chorus line “chahata tumko kitna dil tum nahi jante” is rather mediocre, however the middle portions thankfully impress more. Lyrics by Sameer could have been more innovative since they entail the same old cliches that lover boys have been uttering since the dawn of time! What does makes this track worth your time is Aditya Narayan’s vocals which have now transformed from the earlier rock number to be extra soft and sweet. Give this one listen for sure.
Love continues to swirl in the air with the Kabhi Na Kabhi (non-rock version), once again sung by Aditya Narayan. The rock version clearly outshines this one and you tend to start falling asleep instantly. Be sure to take this one off your iPod playlist and just stick with the rock version.
A very celebratory number comes up next titled Hayaati, composed once again by Chirantan Bhatt with vocals by Hamza Faruqui and the composer himself. This one is a track that will appeal to those who are fans of the genre so give it a listen and see if its for you, but one thing for sure is that this track will not be universally loved.
The best of the album is saved till the last and that without a doubt is Aditya Narayan’s own composition, Shaapit Hua, sung by Aditya himself along with the very scintillating Sunidhi Chauhan. The rock genre makes a comeback in the album with a bit of the usual horror eerie feel, however this time around the eerie feel is beautifully complimented by the rock theme and the vocals creating a mind blowing number that is another chartbuster to look out for. Aditya shines not just as a composer and singer but also as a lyricist! At the same time, he doesn’t steal all the limelight because Sunidhi Chauhan is equally mind blowing. The woman is just sensational and never fails to impress. Lyrics by Aditya also reveal the entire tale of the film from the perspective of both characters. Whats more interesting about the lyrics is that at several moments it encompasses what some would say is absolute ‘proper’ Hindi with hints of even sanskrit here and there, all that mixed in the rock genre. Goes to show that to make a stylish number, English lyrics aren’t the key to success! Kudos to Aditya for being an absolute one man army for this song and pulling it off with no difficulty!
At the end of the day, Shaapit‘s soundtrack is a very interesting journey filled with a variety of styles that will find their respective audiences. ‘Kabhi Na Kabhi (Rock)’ and ‘Shaapit Hua’ make the album an absolutely worthwhile investment, and we simply can’t wait to see them transformed into as rocking music videos, which is most likely going to be the case. ‘Chahaata Dil Tumko’ is perhaps the other number in the album that stands out. Give this album a listen for Aditya Narayan’s brilliant vocal, and its impressive compositions by Aditya and Chirantan.
