Rangoon (2017)- Music Review by Shoby
It is not possible that we can hear a movie from Vishal Bhardwaj and it does not have lyrics penned by legendary poet/ lyricist Gulzar sb. They have given us gems of the songs in past and some of the tunes are truly unforgettable. Apart from many others, I personally love O Saathi Re (Omkara), Tu Mere Rubaru (Maqbool), Bekaran (7 Khoon Muaaf). So now they are back with the new product called Rangoon, a period drama. Lets see, what the album has in it for us.
Bloody Hell (Sunidhi Chauhan)- When you see the name of Sunidhi Chauhan attached to a song, the bars of expectation increase up so many times and she has crooned this Vishal Bhardwaj's groovy composition in the mood which was just perfect for this type of track. Gulzar sb's lyrics gets your attention right from the very beginning and see how beautifully they go throughout the sound... Us ne do ankhon se mera naam liya angrezi mein... Khulam khula do honton ka jaam piya angrezi mein. This one song is a must have in my car's music collection. Girtey girtey us ne mujh ko thaam liya... A sure short instant hit.
Yeh Ishq Hai (Arijit Singh)- For all the lovers of soothing melodious tunes just like Bekaran, O Saathi Re & many more, this one is surely for you. Arijit Singh was the ideal choice for the track or should I say, this was a tailor made composition for him. This composition takes you into a nostalgia. Sahil pe sir rakh ke darya hai, soya hai... Sadiyon se behta hai, ankhon ne boya hai... Yeh Ishq Hai Re... Near the end, the songs turns into pure Sufi tracks with lyrics Jaagey to Tabrezi, boley to Rumi hai (perhaps referring to the famous saints Shah Shams Tabrez and Jalal-ud-Din Rumi)
Mere Miyan Gaye England (Rekha Bhardwaj)- It is Vishal's take on Mere Piya Gaey... This time, "miyan" has gone to Englaaand and this peppy track sets your mood accordingly. It apparently looks like such a track which will be included in the live stage performance somewhere in the film's heart. I loved the use of Shehnai & trumpet in the song. The song had a huge feel of 7 Khoon Muaaf's track Darling.
Tippa (Sukhwinder Singh, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sunidhi Chauhan, O.S. Arun)- Well I was waiting for some real unorthodox lyrics, something that is trademark of Gulzar and this is probably what I was looking. It is an interesting sweet challenge to catch the lyrics of this very unconventional track.
Ek Dooni Do (Rekha Bhardwaj)- This one is yet another situational track that has been created to take the script's proceeding ahead. This might help the story to move further.
Alvida (Arijit Singh)- Just like Omkara had "Naina" sung by maestro Ustad Rahat fateh Ali Khan, Rangoon features this gloomy slow melody sung by Arijit. Some lyrics that has the penchant to modify your mood right away.
Julia (Sukhwinder Singh, K.K., Kunal Ganjawalla, Vishal Bhardwaj)- Jeem Pesh Laam Wow... Aen Sheen Qaaf... A typical Gulzar's way of projecting a phenomenon important for the situation of the movie. It introduces us with the main character, the much powerful "Julia" in a style.
Chori Chori (Rekha Bhardwaj)- It is a naughty track in which the girl is seriously teasing the boy as she has caught him red-handedly while he might have been having a sneak-peak to his beloved. Looks like this one will work as another stage performance in the film.
Yeh Ishq Hai (Female Version) (Rekha Bhardwaj)- More slower than the original version at the beginning, this one is a sad, gloomy track that takes the pace after few moments. Use of tabla & harmonium gives it a feel of qawali in the middle of the track.
Rangoon Theme- This is an instrumental just more than one & a half minute track, which will go along with the movie.
Be Still (Dominique Cerejo)- Lekha Washington has penned this English lyrical track and it is a nice track that takes you down the memory lane.
Shimmy Shake (Vivienne Pocha)- This one is also penned by Lekha Washington. This song has also the same feel as the other songs of the album, groovy & foot tapping.
Final Words: This album contains huge number of songs, twelve in total and it is not false to say that Vishal & Gulzar sb has become quite successful in providing us the product which not only goes well with the theme of the movie but also works good for the listeners especially for the fans of Gulzar's poetry & Vishal's compositions. Few of the songs are brilliantly penned and splendidly composed. My picks are Bloody Hell, Tippa, Alvida and Yeh Ishq Hai.
