Malaal/ Hindi film

By NARENDRA KUSNUR

Film: Malaal

Music: Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Shreyas Puranik, Shail Hada

Genre: Hindi film music

Label: T-Series

Rating: *** ½

One always looks forward to music coming out of the Sanjay Leela Bhansali camp. One also tends to compare each new release with the music of his Khamoshi – The Musical, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and Devdas, and often ends up with a negative remark or two.

The fact, however, is that Bhansali is one filmmaker who has given due weightage to songs, their choreography and picturisation. In Malaal, a romantic drama co-produced by him and directed by Mangesh Hadawale, he has composed five of the seven numbers himself. What’s noteworthy is his emphasis on soothing ballads, with Prashant Ingole writing six songs. A few of them have been influenced by Maharashtrian folk music, and one finds a lot of newer singers here.

The soundtrack, as is the fad, begins with a peppy number ‘Aila Re’, sung by Vishal Dadlani and Shreyas Puranik. Yes, it has vibrant rhythms and loads of energy, but the main effort seems to be to outpace Shankar Mahadevan in ‘Breathless’. It misses the soul, and the only lyrics one figures go ‘re re re re’. If one figures out some lines, they go, “Sehra hoon, paani hoon, main bhi tsunami hoon, gehri kahani hoon, re re re re.” Whatever that means. Symbolic words just for the sake of using them.

Thankfully, the other songs compensate. ‘Udhal Ho’, sung by Adarsh Shinde, has a catchy lavani flavour, and begins with the lines “Aarraa! Asa kaay karte, do haath bolta aa, hai dil mein kya kya shuru, lup chup dekhe ankhon mein jhaanke, hai dil mein kya kya shuru.” Mediocre lyrics again, but they go with the song’s mirthful folksiness.

The next song ‘Naad Khula’ is a beauty marvelously composed and sung by Shreyas Puranik. It goes, “Besure dil ne sur khanka diye, ishq ke moti hai chanka diye, ab ud raha hoon jaise rangeen bulbula, naad khula, naad khula, haay haay lag gaya hai ishq ka nadkhula” and its expression, melody and Ingole's verse are just right, with Tejas Vinchurkar shining on the flute. The Marathi lines at the end provide a nice twist.

‘Aai Shapat’ is a simple and catchy tune, reminding you of the early 1970s Rajesh Khanna songs. However, one wishes singer Rutvik Talashilkar didn’t try to sound so much like Shaan. The same thought comes to mind after hearing the Shail Hada-composed and Vimal Kashyap-penned ‘Zara Suno’, where co-singer Aanandi Joshi outclasses him with her melodious voice. In both songs, Talashilkar seems to be striving too hard, often sounding flat and forced.

The ever-dependable Shreya Ghoshal appears on ‘Kathai Kathai’, whose mukhda instantly reminds you of ‘Kathai Ankhon Waali’ from Duplicate. The string arrangements and Paras Nath’s flute form the backbone of this tune. Ghoshal does a wonderful semi-yodelling stretch on the antara “Baat badalta hai toh, mausam bhi badal jaata hai, chhupta hua sooraj bhi, phir se nikal jaata hai,” co-written by Ingole and A.M. Turaz.

The final song ‘Ek Malaal’, sung soulfully by Shail Hada, takes you back to the 1980s Pankaj Udhas days, and is one of the clear highlights here. Ingole is brilliant on the lines “Soch ke deewaron pe, taarikh likh ke chala hai, saanson ke meenaron pe, khwahish rakh le chala hai, reh gaya gardishon mein, yeh sawaal kaisa." Add to that a haunting tune, and this one grows on you.

One observation is that the overall effort has been to keep the songs short, often sticking to only one antara. You wish some of them, specially ‘Udhal Ho’, ‘Naad Khula’, ‘Kathai Kathai’ and ‘Ek Malaal’, were longer. In an era where one often complains of songs being too lengthy, this reverse trend also keeps you a tad disappointed.