It is always interesting to hear how a particular soundtrack was put together and that most definitely effects the way you look at the soundtrack when you do eventually listen to it. There have been many stories about how much thought director Chandan Arora and actor Siddharth put into the soundtrack of Striker and that it was not until the completion of the film that they decided to go with not one but six composers. So, naturally from this behind the scenes information, our expectation for the Striker soundtrack are definitely very high. Set against the backdrop of Mumbai in the 1980s, the film promises to be a gripping tale of a carrom player, played by Siddharth. Along with the fabulous Siddharth, the cast includes Aditya Panchole, Anupam Kher, Padmapriya, Nicollette Bird, Ankur Vital and Seema Biswas and looks to be packed with powerful performances. The music of the film has been touted to be not the usual song and dance numbers but rather to aid and in fact narrate the story. Now it is D-day and it’s time to see if musical team of Striker delivered all that they promised.
The album kicks off with rapper Blaaze’s composition Aim Lagaa. It’s a fast paced and foot tapping track, as is expected from Blaaze. It surely will work like a gem in the carrom playing scenes as a background musical piece. The instrument mixture is rather interesting including the introduction of Indian instruments harmonia and dhols at one point. Lyrics by Nitin Raikwar and Blaaze are catchy and highly quirky yet clever at the same time, so you’re surely to discover one interesting line every time you listen to the track. Remix of the same track by Blaaze kicks the energy level up a notch and in fact may be more of a favourite of the audiences than the original. At the end of the day this track is one for specific taste, you will either love it or hate it so be sure to at least give it one listen to decide for yourselves! However, if you’re a Blaaze fan than you will def love it because it’s a true blue Blaaze track out and out!
Up next is Amit Trivedi’s composition Bombay Bombay sung by none other than Siddharth himself. This one is going to get you singing along in no time. The composition is catchy and once again a clever mixture of instruments – what starts off a rock styled number gradually changes into many shades. Lyrics by Prasant Ingole set the scene perfectly and there is no second guessing about what the makers want you to understand about the city of Mumbai! As for Siddharth, he shines more than ever in this track. If you’ve listened to all his songs from down South, you’ll definitely agree that his work in this one outshines all his Telugu tracks and is without a doubt his most well sung work till date! His Hindi speaking audience are in for a surprise because the song of this genre perhaps is not what they expected him to sing, yet he rocks in every way in the track. This one is not to be missed, kudos to brilliant composition of Amit Trivedi!
Sonu Nigam comes along next with Cham Cham, a track that has already stolen the hearts of the audience from just the 30 seconds that aired in the promos. Shailendra Bharve’s composition is beautiful in a whole new way and in fact find yourself asking how on earth can something be so beautiful! For those who thought that perhaps the new talents in the music industry were outshining Sonu. this one is a reminder that this man is a musical icon of the nation and his talent is unmatchable. Clearlywhen you listen to this track you know that composers have not been giving him songs that do full justice to his voice. The wait is finally over with Bharve’s track and it makes Sonu sound like never before! If there were words more expressive than flawless and perfect they would belong to the description of this song.
After Bharve’s track we move on to southern musical maestro Yuvan Shankar Raja’s debut track in the Hindi music industry titled Haq Se. The track is sung by the composer himself along with Siddharth. The song starts off with a very “raw” feel, especially since you’ve just concluded listening to Sonu’s track. However as the track progresses into the chorus portion it definitely grows on you more and more. Yuvan’s voice is sensational and is the highlight of the track with Siddharth as the perfect voice to blend with him. The song tells the tale of a relationship between two best friends. High point of the album has to be when both voices are synchronised together! Yet another innovative and highly well composed track in the album.
Debutant composer and ace lyricist Swanand Kirkire comes in next with his track Maula which he has been sung, written and composed. This one in its composition is a very soft and classic sufi style and Swanand’s voice was the perfect choice. Tablas and harmonias are the highlight of this track and will strike a chord with all those who love this genre of music. At the same time it’s highly situational and will work more wonders in the film than it will in the CD. A must listen for all those lovers of this genre.
Sunidhi Chauhan comes in with the first female sung song of the album, Pia Savara. The track is soft and intricately composed and Sunidhi’s holds to the genre perfectly. One has to salute the versatility of this girl who gets us grooving to club numbers as well as melts our hearts with soft numbers like this. Shailendra Bharve once again is to be commended for such a innovative composition. It is will a perfect song to have on your iPod on those days when you want to just chill with music at its finest.
The lucky last composer on the CD is the man who’s music seems to create waves each time he composes, Vishal Bhardwaj. Yun Hua is another track that is perhaps similar to Pia Savare becasuse it’s as intricately composed and soft and romantic in its nature. At times it does remind you of the style of Kaminey title track. However, that’s not to say that Vishal is repetitive, not at all, this one has a soul that is unique in its own way. Vishal himself lends his voice for the track and sure enough it was the best decision. Gulzar saab’s lyrics are touching and subtle as they always are and one will surely find more wonders about the words every time they listen to this track.
As the album wraps up you can’t help but wish it had lasted longer because indeed each song is a discovery in itself thanks to the variety of composers. Creativity oozes in abundance from this album and that is because each composer had the time and energy to concentrate fully on just one song, which made that one song their best work. Multiple composers for one album surely will prove become a more and more popular way to put together a soundtrack in the near future given the height of the quality of Striker’s soundtrack.
Its extremely tough to say which one of the tracks will prove to be the biggest chartbuster of them all because each track has something unique to offer and depending on the taste of the particular music lover each track will find its audience. The public at large may not take an instant liking to the situational numbers of the soundtrack such as ‘Haq Se’ and ‘Maula’, however avid music lovers will. ‘Cham Cham’ is most likely going to be the shining track from the soundtrack as it is simply flawless in all ways. All in all this soundtrack is not to be missed!
