An Album to Remember

By: Movietalkies.com

Saawariya is a film which has many firsts, many newcomers and yet is burdened with so many expectations. Saawariya marks the foray of one of the most renowned Hollywood productions companies, Sony Pictures, into the realm of Indian Cinema, making Saawariya their first co-production. The film also launches Ranbir Kapoor and Sonam Kapoor, who themselves are also burdened with expectations, he being a fourth generation Kapoor, son of Rishi and Neetu, and she being the daughter of the supremely talented Anil Kapoor. The music is also composed by a debutant, Monty Sharma, who has worked on the background score of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Black and Devdas, but for the first time has been entrusted with the responsibility of an entire film’s soundtrack. Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s films have always boasted of superlative music and for those who have loved the music of Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, Saawariya will not disappoint you either. There are some songs which make you start singing along, while other songs make you only want to keep listening to them, which is what makes the songs of Saawariya so mesmerizing. We may not find people singing or humming the tunes, but people will definitely want to listen to these numbers again and again, in appreciation of great compositions, complimentary lyrics and a mood which transports the listener into another world. The first song, is the title track, Saawariya, sung by debutant Shail Hada. The use of the guitar to compliment the singing of Shail is perfect and the song has a very young, peppy feel to it with a great composition. Shail has good range and superb control over his voice which he exhibits throughout. This is a song which will make you want to get up and sway to the music and the only disappointment is that it ends way to soon, as you want the song to continue beyond just one verse. The song has a certain freshness to it which will only further be exemplified on the big screen when we see it picturized on Ranbir and Sonam. The lyrics are very simple, and Monty keeps the musical arrangements also very simple, allowing the guitar, vocals and lyrics to merge together in perfect harmony. The second number, Jab Se Tere Naina, maintains the youthful, fresh mood established by the title song. Shaan’s voice is perfectly mellow and romantic and the transition of the music and vocals from a soft quiet sound to a louder dhol based sound is perfect. This number is a soulful romantic one which is reminiscent of the music of the 70s without sounding dated at all. Again it is the simplicity of the song and the transition in mood which makes this a song you want to keep hearing. Masha-Allah has a very serene feel to it, right from the onset. Whether it be the "Allah" marking the beginning or the quiet piano or even Kunal Ganjawala’s singing style, this song stirs something inside the listener, making you want to close your eyes and lose yourself in this number. Shreya Ghoshal’s voice is mostly for the background, but it does add to the serenity and Monty has managed to keep the song simple in spite of using the orchestra before the first verse, mostly because throughout, he only uses the guitar and soft percussions while allowing Kunal’s voice to mesmerize. The song is very different from Kunal’s usual singing style and he does full justice to the composition. The shennai towards the end adds to the overall romantic mood of the song After being relegated to the background in Masha-Allah, Thode Badmash is a Shreya Ghoshal solo. Initially the song reminds you of Bairi Piya from Devdas, but as the song progresses, you realize it’s a completely different composition. The piano and ghungroo have been combined, something which is quite unique, and the composition allows Shreya to take over the song completely, which she does aptly. The soft tabla is the only support she needs for this classic based song. Until now all the songs had been from the boy’s side, and so this is the first number which has the lady thinking of her love, which will surely be picturized on Sonam. What’s interesting to note is that Sanjay Leela Bhansali has been given credit for composing this song! Looks like there is a very talented musician also within the maestro director. The moment Yoon Shabnami begins, you realize that it’s the number which Bhansali used for a bit of the first teaser trailer of the film. Monty again uses the guitar and his musical arrangement so well in this number which features Parthiv Gohil, another debutant singer. He sounds like an experienced singer and carries the solo number off confidently. There is a bit of qawali in this piece as well, which gives it a bit of a different feel from the other numbers. The lyrics again are very simple "Yoon shabnami pehle nahin thi chandini" which compliment the composition and mood perfectly. The musical composition of the last 30 seconds of the song is absolutely soul stirring. Daras Bina Nahin Chain is the other number which is used in the teaser trailer as Richa Sharma is the voice behind the "Saawariya" that we hear in the promo. Richa, who is known for her powerful voice, along with Shail and Parthiv, is absolutely flawless. This song essentially seems to be the theme of the film, and for the first time we hear a bit of the Devdas grandeur in this number. It is mostly musical with bare minimum vocals and is the one number which will give you goose bumps as you hear it. Shreya Ghoshal is back with Sawar Gayi, another solo with a classical flavour. "Sawar gaye chand sitare dekho. Sawar gaye saare nazaron dekho"; simple, beautiful poetry which Shreya’s voice suits to the tee, transforming this into an truly enchanting musical number. The first real duet final arrives with Jaan-E-Jaan with Kunal Ganjawala and Shreya Ghoshal teaming up in a piece which begins with a grand strings orchestra, reminding you of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. This is the first track in the album which is just average, probably because all the songs before this are so outstanding. But the orchestra does add grandeur, while the piano is used beautifully and the song will surely be enhanced with its picturization. Kunal Ganjawala takes over again for Pari and one truly appreciates how in all the songs, Monty never attempts to make the music more powerful than the vocals. In this song as well, he lets Kunal carry it on his own, allowing the composition and the vocals to compliment each other. This is the first number which also has a bit of a mystic feel to it, and the soft whistling in parts of the song, adds to this. A completely different mood is established with Chhabeela which explains why Alka Yagnik has been brought in for this song. "Cheel Chhabeela, Rang Rangeela, Badan Katila, Honth Rasila…."sets the tone for a little "masti" in this number, which remains quite melodious as well. Chhabeela too is reminiscent of the 70s-80s style of music and yet still offers something new which is a compliment to music director Monty. Alka is the perfect choice for this composition and she carries it off beautifully. Saawariya Reprise is the closing track, fulfilling the wish of the listener to hear this song again as it ends to quickly the first time around. This one is a little more like an unplugged version with just Shail and the guitar, and it’s at this point you realize how amazing Shail’s voice really is. One interesting point is that all the songs, except Jaan-E-Jaan are less than 5.5 minutes which leaves you just wishing the song would go on a bit longer which is actually quite surprising because in the past Bhansali’s films have always had lengthy songs, some going into 8 minutes. Saawariya is an album for those who love to listen to great music, even if they are not of the sing-along genre. The songs all grow on the listener and it is one of those albums which people will remember years from now.