Gundon ki sureeli entriyaan!. Review on Gunday Songs

Yash Raj productions come up with their new venture Gunday starring Arjun Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra and Ranveer Singh after the highly successful Dhoom3. Ali Abbas Zafar dons the director's hat for the second time, and it is Sohail Sen, the promising youngster who is entrusted the responsibility of music, while ace lyricist Irshad Kamil handles the lyrics department. Not quite sure of what to expect from this musical score, lets jump straight into it and hope that the end result is good.

Jashn-E-Ishqa begins the proceedings and Javed Ali and Shadaab Faridi get behind the mike. This is a celebratory song, and quite a nice way to kick off a soundtrack. The singers get into the vibe of the song very well and ensure that the listeners are hooked on at the first hearing itself. The music arrangements gel well with the upbeat mode of the song and this one is surely a song to watch out for on the big screen, where it will work even better.

My Rating: 3/5

Next up is the well publicized track Tune Maari Entriyaan which has an ensemble cast of singers in Bappi Lahiri, K K, Neeti Mohan and Vishal Dadlani. This is such a track which has chart-buster written all over it. Special mention must be made of the lyrics here, which is innovative with words like entriyaan, warrantiyan, countriyan! Each singer has a great time rendering the song and Sohail Sen's upbeat composition keeps the interest level high throughout with a whole lot of desi tadkas. The choreography on screen will surely add to the popularity of the song.

My Rating: 3.5/5

Haunting music begins the next track Jiya and Arijit Singh's entry vocals surprise the listeners as he sounds quite different. The mukhda of the track is impressive and the music is definitely the high point of this track, with some good lyrics too. One can expect the picturization of the song in some exotic locales, which would add to the popularity of the song. Arijit's voice conveys just the right kind of emotions needed for this song and he can safely add one more chart-buster to his already growing kitty, and it is the third straight potential'hit' of the album.

My Rating: 3.5/5

The'goldman' Bappi Lahiri and Neha Bhasin get behind the mike for the next song Assalam-e-Ishqum. After 3 good songs, it seems like the law of averages catches up with Sohail Sen as he composes a routine song, which is situational in nature. The music in some parts is quite similar to Badtameez Dil of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Bappi Lahiri is quite mechanical in his singing, and Neha Bhasin tries hard to add some spice here with mixed results. This one goes down as a plain average track.

My Rating: 2/5

Shahi Mallya of Mausam fame returns after a long time in the next track Saaiyan. The composition and the musical arrangements are more in the indipop genre, and it is quite surprising to listen to such a track in a film supposed to be set in the 1970's. Nevertheless, the song is appealing and Shahid is in good form here and makes it an enjoyable listen. Sohail Sen too deserves a pat on the back, as he seems to have a lot of variety and can be a front line composer, if he continues in this vein. The soundtrack receives a boost again from this track.

My Rating: 3/5

It is Sufi time now with Mann Kunto Maula. The composer dishes out a good variety of musical instruments and Althamash Faridi and Shadaab Faridi are very impressive in their rendition. One thing which might go against the song is that it never settles down and keeps changing tracks quite often, but once a listener gets a hang of the song, it is a good experience. This one is definitely one of the best tracks of the album, which deserves repeat hearings and it is a refreshing change from the monotony of a Bollywood score. Sohail scores high yet again with his lovely treatment to this melody.

My Rating: 4/5

Sohail Sen turns singer for the title track Gunday, which has introductory rap by Kinga Rhymes. One cant miss the Rahman influence in this track, and if not looked into the credits, people might even mistake it to be a A R Rahman composition. But Sohail Sen holds his own in the singing department in this brief track, which can be expected to play mostly in the background in the film. it does leave a good impression even in its short duration.

My Rating: 3/5

Rythm of Jashn-E-Ishqa begins with a lot of bass and drums before Shadaab Sabri begins his rendition. This is more of an instrumental piece which conveys the theme of the song, and can be expected to be played in key moments of the film, but it is too short to carry any significance for a music listener.

Altamash Faridi and Shadaab Sabri return once again to croon Mann Kunto Maula-classical and this time, the arrangements are more in the classical range with the dholaks taking center stage throughout. This is more in a conventional Sufi mould, with very little experimentation in sounds. Nevertheless, it still impresses largely due to the rustic singing by the duo which is truly proficient. Full marks to the composer for this soulful, fervent song which will stand the test of time for quite long.

My Rating: 4/5

Bappi Lahiri and Gautam Susmit write the next track Tune Maari Entriyan-Bangla version. As the story is set in Bengal, the inclusion of the track is understandable. This time, it is only Bappi Lahiri and Monali Thakur behind the mike and they have fun all through. Even though many listeners cannot make the head or tail of the lyrics, the lively music and the engaging singing will carry the song forward. A nice way to end the soundtrack!

My Rating: 3/5

Sometimes minimal expectations can really help a soundtrack and in this case, the music hits boundaries at ease when the people were expecting singles and two's! The music of Gunday begins 2014 on a very good note with as many as 5-6 very fine songs.Jashn-E-Ishqa, Tune Maari Entriyaan, Jiya and Saaiyan are definite chartbusters while Mann Kunto Maula enthralls in both the versions. Nowhere in the album do we get to see gimmicks and it is quite a pleasure to listen to a wholesome'Indian' album. Sohail Sen delivers yet again in his short career so far and makes it loud and clear that he is in for the long haul and this album stands testimony to his talent. With such a good album in their hands, Yash Raj have won the first battle and the music coupled with the interesting star cast will ensure a strong opening for the movie. As far as the music is concerned, it is a WINNER.

Overall Rating: 3.5/5