Nov 24, 2008 07:19 AM
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It must be said at the outset that I was not expecting much from Ghajini's music. I thought that this would essentially be a fast, typical commercial Bollywood soundtrack. I was in for a pleasant surprise.
Guzarish-Javed Ali, Sonu Nigam
A song with Sonu Nigam as background/guest vocals? Seemingly shocking, but Javed Ali rises up to the challenge to singing along with someone who he was compared with after Jashn-e-Bahara in Jodhaa Akbar. Effortless in the way he scales the high and low octaves, he infuses a rough, yet soulful tone throughout the song. The music may be simplistic on first impressions, but there's much to savour in the arrangements, whether it is the first interlude(Rahman picking up from where he left off in Yuvraaj), the addictive hummings and the catchy rhythm. Perhaps the only drawback is that these background vocals at times drown the main voice. Otherwise, a sheer delight of a composition.
Rating: 4.5/5
Kaise Mujhe-Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghosal
Benny Dayal may well be talented and hard-working, but he still has a lot to learn. In'Kaise Mujhe', his uncontrolled rendition is quite annoying, especially when contrasted with the silky voice of Shreya Ghosal, who teaches the former a thing or two about control and sweetness. To his credit, Benny does try and sing differently from'Tu Hi Meri Dost Hain' in Yuvraaj and he is as soulful as ever on the low notes, but for now, I prefer the instrumental, which is something given it is almost exactly the same as the original song.
A very earthly song, Kaise Mujhe reminds me of listening to Uyire Uyire on a starry night. It may be slow, it may be sad, but it certainly melts your heart like slow poison. Hats off to the filmmakers for incorporating such a song in what looks to be a fast-paced entertainer!
Rating: Original Song-4/5 Instrumental-4.5/5
Bekha-Karthik
Now in most AR Rahman albums there is a song that comes across as pathbreaking and innovative-in Jodhaa Akbar it was Azeem o Shaan Shahenshah, in Ada it was Meherbaan, in Jaane Tu it was Kabhi Kabhi Aditi Zindagi, in Yuvraaj it was Tu Hi Meri Dost Hain. Bekha rocks! It's a supercool song where the composer serves us a delightful mixture of jazz, lounge and rhythmic beats, leading the listener down an unpredictable roller coaster ride of emotions. Rahman truly has a ball with this one, with the song moving along a different direction every few moments. For example, I was simply bowled over by the entry of the saxophone halfway through the first interlude. Indeed, from the assortment of tunes you hear from this song Rahman could easily create a number of separate songs moving in a different direction from just this 1 song.
But the main reason this song works is the energetic and enthusiastic rendition of Karthik. He makes it all look so easy, though he has to change the pace and tone of his singing quite frequently! He absorbs the playful nature of Aamir Khan in song scenes(Chand Sifarish in Fanaa and Bheja Kum in TZP) and sings this song in a naughty, charming way. The song is special in that you almost imagine that Aamir is singing this song, and Karthik's sudden change in pace of the words at the beginning of the first stanza is amusing, it suits Aamir Khan's personality(on-screen) quite well.
Daring to experiment with an unconventional tune, Rahman delivers a most entertaining and unusual song, though I must admit, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea!
Rating: 5/5
Aye Bachoo-Suzanne
Probably an item song, and IMO the weakest song in the album. It starts off quite brilliantly but then gets too loud and out of control. On the positive side, Suzanne does a great job and sings this with some attitude!
Rating: 3/5
Latoo Latoo-Shreya Ghosal
The Shano Shano of Ghajini? Musically, it has nothing memorable but entertains all the way through. It is a refreshing change to see Shreya sing a fun, fast number and she is for the most part effective and instrumental in contributing to make this an entertaining, though ordinary song.
Rating: 3.5/5
All in all, Ghajini is Rahman's weakest album of the year(which does not mean much since all his albums this year have set such a high standard), but it is no less enjoyable, fun or innovative. Constrained within the limits of the genre as well as the nature and number of the songs in the Tamil version, he caters to commercial sensibilities while at the same time leaving his mark. Whether it is the interludes in Guzarish or the unusual structure of Bekha, or the soulfulness of Kaise Mujhe, this soundtrack has a lot of highlights. With Aamir Khan at the helm of affairs, weaker songs like Latoo Latoo and Aye Bachoo should be effective in combination with the visuals.
It takes a versatile composer to turn 360 degrees from a classical Yuvraaj to a modern and unusual soundtrack for Ghajini. That's AR Rahman for you. Take a bow!
Overall album rating: 4/5
