EXPECTATIONS
In
the
past
A.R.
Rahman
has
worked
on
international
collaborations
but
other
than
the
fact
that
his
soundtracks
make
big
news,
they
haven't
been
known
much
amongst
the
Indian
audience.
This
is
the
first
time
ever
that
one
is
hearing
a
lot
about
this
project
of
his
because
a)
it
has
been
set
in
India,
b)
all
the
actors
in
the
film
are
Indians,
c)
the
film
is
getting
a
mainstream
release
and
d)
there
are
awards
and
more
awards
that
are
coming
the
way
of
not
just
the
film
but
also
the
music.
A
score
which
was
relatively
unknown
till
a
few
months
back,
has
certainly
become
big
due
to
which
one
picks
up
the
CD
of
Slumdog
Millionaire
with
great
expectations.
MUSIC
This
one
is
not
just
a
versatile
album
but
also
a
teasing
one,
as
can
be
witnessed
from
the
opening
number
'Ringa
Ringa'
which
is
based
on
the
the
rhythm
of
'Choli
Ke
Peeche
Kya
Hai'.
Set
in
a
brothel,
'Ringa
Ringa'
hardly
leaves
anything
to
imagination
and
one
wonders
that
if
not
for
an
A-grade
project
set-up
as
that
of
Slumdog
Millionaire,
the
song
would
possibly
have
not
gone
beyond
the
censors.
In
the
league
of
'Choli
Ke
Peeche'
[Khalnayak]
and
'Mujhko
Raana
Ji
Maaf
Karna'
[Karan
Johar],
'Ringa
Ringa'
is
as
raunchy
as
it
gets.
'Jai
Ho'
is
the
flagship
number
of
Slumdog
Millionaire
and
Subhash
Ghai
may
certainly
have
been
cursing
his
luck
that
he
allowed
this
superb
track
from
Yuvvraaj
to
be
handed
over
to
Slumdog
Millionaire
after
he
felt
that
it
didn't
suit
the
mood
of
his
own
film.
Boasting
of
an
amazing
mix
of
melody
and
rhythm,
'Jai
Ho'
remains
Indian
at
heart
and
is
instantly
catchy.
No
wonder,
it
is
the
lone
promotional
song
of
the
film
and
also
sees
a
music
video
being
dedicated
to
it.
Gulzar
saab
celebrates
the
spirit
of
love
and
life
with
'Jai
Ho'
and
infuses
enough
power
in
it
that
justifies
all
the
nominations
it
is
receiving
today.
A
background
theme
piece
that
should
help
speed
up
the
pace
of
Slumdog
Millionaire
with
the
sheer
energy
it
brings
with
it,
'O
Saya'
has
an
African
sound
to
it.
Heavy
on
orchestra,
'O
Saaya'
moves
at
a
fast
paced
and
is
the
kind
that
has
to
be
heard
on
a
high
volume
on
a
good
music
system
to
get
the
right
effects.
A
few
theme
pieces
follow
next
with
'Riots'
getting
the
scare
factor
on.
Years
back,
Rahman
had
composed
'Bombay
Theme'
in
Mani
Ratnam's
Bombay
and
here
in
Slumdog
Millionaire
he
makes
it
dark
and
depressing
all
over
again.
On
the
other
hand,
'Mausam
-
Escape'
is
mainly
a
fusion
piece
that
amalgamates
Indian
and
Western
classical.
A
track
which
takes
has
quite
some
range
to
it
with
the
kind
of
ups
and
downs
that
it
sees;
it
should
heighten
the
impact
of
the
narrative.
Same
is
the
case
with
'Liquid
Dance'
which
lasts
for
three
minutes
and
has
unpredictability
written
all
over
it.
Yet
another
exciting
piece
that
makes
you
check
out
the
film
to
know
how
exactly
is
it
placed
in
the
film.
What
makes
for
one
of
the
most
beautiful
theme
pieces
in
Slumdog
Millionaire
is
that
of
the
leading
lady
Latika
though.
Titled
'Latika's
Theme',
you
want
this
piece
to
go
on
for
longer
than
it's
three
minute
duration
due
to
the
lively
manner
in
which
it
unfolds.
From
being
lively,
the
mood
shifts
to
that
of
euphoric
with
the
track
'Millionaire'
coming
next.
With
a
hint
of
'Jai
Ho'
to
it,
it
is
a
club
track
that
you
could
play
out
loud
and
jive
along
with
all
the
fancy
lights
surrounding
you.
'Gangsta
Blues'
is
a
haunting
yet
intriguing
number
that
reminds
one
of
the
soundtrack
of
lesser
known
film
Snip
which
was
made
close
to
a
decade
back.
However,
though
not
much
is
remembered
of
Snip
today,
Rahman
ensures
that
his
'Gangsta
Blues'
would
be
identified
well
by
those
who
have
been
exposed
to
this
genre
of
music,
courtesy
MTV
and
Channel
V!
The
concluding
track
'Dreams
On
Fire'
is
a
soft
and
sensitive
number
and
Rahman
shows
once
again
that
why
he
is
a
preferred
choice
for
many
international
filmmakers!
VOCALS
It
would
certainly
have
been
the
Rahman
factor
that
would
have
prompted
Alka
Yagnik
to
come
behind
the
mike
for
a
number
like
'Ringa
Ringa'.
Even
though
she
has
sworn
off
singing
any
number
that
has
a
hint
of
vulgarity
to
it,
Alka
Yagnik
doesn't
mind
going
ahead
with
'Ringa
Ringa'
and
comes
up
with
good
results
all
over
again
in
company
of
her
'Choli
Ke
Peeche'
partner
Ila
Arun.
Sukhwinder
Singh
is
energetic
and
effortlessly
goes
ahead
rendering
'Jai
Ho'
where
he
is
accompanied
by
Tanvi
Shah,
Mahalaxmi
Iyer
and
Vijay
Prakash.
The
singer
can
comfortably
add
on
another
big
chartbuster
to
his
name.
Rahman
himself
comes
behind
the
mike
for
'O
Saaya'
along
with
M.I.A
and
sings
as
per
the
mood
and
setting
of
the
situation
in
which
it
is
placed.
One
of
the
most
difficult
tasks
behind
the
mike
is
to
get
the
right
pitch
on
when
all
that
you
are
required
to
do
is
hum
throughout.
Suzanne
does
it
well
as
the
crooner
for
'Latika's
Theme'
and
deserves
applause
for
the
way
she
approaches
the
three
minute
long
piece
and
keeps
it
all
subtle
yet
so
full
of
impact.
For
the
English
number
'Dreams
On
Fire',
she
is
yet
again
in
her
elements
and
goes
about
singing
it
the
way
a
girl
would
in
an
up
market
night
club
with
dim
lights
around
and
no
disturbance
whatsoever.
On
the
other
hand,
Blaaze
and
Tanvi
Shah
are
just
so
right
into
the
groove
for
'Gangsta
Blues'
which
has
to
be
one
of
the
very
few
'gangsta'
genre
of
tracks
that
have
been
composed
by
an
Indian
composer.
OVERALL
Slumdog
Millionaire
is
an
excellent
album
that
deserves
all
the
applause
and
accolades
it
has
been
collecting
internationally.
Basically,
a
theme
album
with
most
of
the
tracks
being
background
pieces,
it
never
makes
you
miss
the
need
of
any
spoken
words
for
most
of
its
duration.
And
even
for
those
who
look
want
their
music
to
have
full
song
and
dance
routines,
there
are
numbers
like
'Jai
Ho'
and
'Ringa
Ringa'
to
keep
them
entertained.
Play
this
one
on
for
a
long
ride
you
would
certainly
enjoy
the
sheer
variety
that
comes
along
with
it!