Sikandar Music Review
EXPECTATIONS
Frankly,
one
doesn't
have
many
expectations
from
the
music
of
Sikandar
primarily
due
to
the
film's
offbeat
theme
and
a
'hatke'
genre.
Moreover,
the
film
isn't
one
of
those
routine
Bollywood
flicks
and
brings
to
fore
the
life
of
a
teenage
boy
who
happens
to
stumble
upon
a
pistol
in
the
valley
of
Kashmir.
With
expectations
of
a
soundtrack
that
will
mainly
be
played
in
the
film's
background,
one
puts
on
Sikandar.
MUSIC
'Dhoop
Ke
Sikke'
sets
a
sweet
beginning
to
Sikandar
as
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
come
up
with
a
tune
which
is
quite
easy
on
ears
and
makes
for
a
relaxed
hearing.
One
can
instantly
visualize
the
valley
of
Kashmir
in
the
background
as
this
soft
rock
number
plays
on.
Bringing
with
a
fresh
appeal
which
makes
Sikandar
an
outing
which
is
positive,
full
of
life
and
looks
forward
to
better
days
ahead,
'Dhoop
Ke
Sikke'
makes
you
look
forward
to
the
songs
that
follow.
It's a similar lyrical flow that one experiences in 'Gulon Mein' which is composed by Justin-Uday [who were last heard in Hijack]. This time around, the composer duo give an altogether different account of themselves as they move away from creating conventional Bollywood compositions and instead choose to create a song which brings with it a thematic approach. The song first comes in a slower 'serene version' and later an 'upbeat version'. Though one expected a 'remix' version here, thankfully that is not the case as the tune has been reworked a little with Sandesh Shandilya arriving on the scene.
It's
a
teenage
voice
for
the
song
'Arzoo',
a
traditional
devotional
track.
A
two
minute
track
that
would
be
appreciated
by
the
followers
of
Muslim
religion,
it
comes
sans
any
musical
instrument
in
the
background
and
would
most
likely
play
during
a
situation
in
the
film
where
prayers
are
being
offered.
On
the
similar
lines
is
'Allah
Hoo'
which
has
Justin-Uday
coming
up
with
a
conventional
tune
that
one
has
heard
in
number
of
tracks
belonging
to
this
genre
before.
However,
to
the
credit
of
the
composers,
they
keep
the
flow
of
the
song
steady
and
do
not
spoil
the
final
results
by
playing
unnecessary
musical
instruments
in
the
background.
With a Kashmiri background to it, 'Manzaraat' is a bona fide item number that is completely off the mood and genre of the album that was set so far. With a 70s feel to it, this one is nothing better than being ordinary, due to which the listener's interest only keeps going down in this album. Finally comes 'Chaal Apni' which is meant to be a playful feel good number between the two teenagers. However, it turns out to be yet another ordinary song which doesn't quite make you go 'wow' even after a couple of hearing.
LYRICS
Prasoon
Joshi
shows
once
again
that
he
could
well
be
the
Javed
Akhtar
of
the
21st
century
if
his
poetry
in
'Dhoop
Ke
Sikke'
is
any
indication.
He
is
one
of
the
few
lyricists
today
who
bring
a
poetic
narrative
through
their
words
and
'Dhoop
Ke
Sikke'
further
validates
that.
Later
Neelesh
Mishra
too
follows
a
similar
poetic
approach
while
writing
'Gulon
Mein'
which
is
a
poignant
but
positive
and
hopeful
tale
of
life
coming
back
to
normalcy.
Kumaar's
lyrics
for
'Manzaraat'
gets
lost
due
to
the
tune
being
totally
ordinary
while
'Allah
Hoo'
is
conventional.
However,
he
unleashes
the
child
in
him
while
writing
'Chaal
Apni'.
VOCALS
Anusha
Mani,
who
has
made
an
impression
in
both
the
songs
that
she
has
sung
in
the
recent
times
-
'Dil
Mein
Jaagi'
[Dev
D]
and
'Lazy
Lamhe'
[Thoda
Pyaar
Thoda
Magic],
makes
it
three
in
a
row
as
she
comes
up
with
a
very
good
rendition
in
'Dhoop
Ke
Sikke'
as
well.
Shankar
Mahadevan
as
her
singing
partner
only
makes
it
a
competitive
platform
for
her
to
perform
and
she
does
doesn't
disappoint
at
all.
Mohit Chauhan sings in a style that goes with his name and ensures that 'Gulon Mein' maintains a similar quality to it. However, KK sounds a lot different from his characteristic upbeat self even as he sings the 'upbeat version' (quite ironically) of 'Gulon Mein'. Mehrajuddin's voice is unconventional but goes with the mood which is required to be created for 'Arzoo'. Yash Narvekar and Hrishikesh Kamerkar are decent as they sing 'Allah Hoo' but the genre of the song restricts them from doing anything beyond that.
Shlipa Rao has been making a rapid progress in the Bollywood playback singing world but with 'Manzaraat', she proves that she too can make wrong choices. In the song 'Chaal Apni', Hrishikesh Kamerkar is average though Hamsika Iyer does sound pleasant.
OVERALL
In
the
end,
Sikandar
turns
out
to
be
an
average
album
with
'Dhoop
Ke
Sikke'
making
the
best
impression
with
'Gulon
Mein'
doing
decent
as
well.
Beyond
that,
the
tracks
are
primarily
situational
with
not
much
shelf
life
beyond
the
film's
narrative.