Katputhli - Music Review

By: Joginder Tuteja, IndiaFM
Monday, July 31, 2006

Sanjay Khanna, who is known for his action flicks like Anth and Ittefaq returns to direction with his upcoming flick Katputtli that is a Bro & Sis Productions [Mink and Punnu Brar] and is presented under the banner of Sahara One. Starring Mink in the central role along with Milind Soman, Yukta Mookhey and Sameer Dharmadhikari, the film has music by Bapi Tutul, Daboo Malik and Ishq Bector while lyrics are written by Punnu Brar himself.

The album begins on a good note with 'Mitra Nu' that is in the same style as the UK based 'bhangra-pop', a genre that has picked up in India especially in last couple of years. A well paced rhythmic number sung well by Punnu Brar himself with good rap'n'reggae support by Ishq Bector, 'Mitra Nu' is a track that deserves to be promoted aggressively. With the film's release just around the corner, one feels pity about the fact that this potential hit composed by Brar and Bector may just about go unnoticed. An item track that is currently been used for the promotion of the film, it marks a good beginning for the album.

Shweta Pandit, who has been consistently coming up with good songs over last few months, does quite well in 'Mann Mera' that just has a faint sound of guitar for company. A difficult song by all means since any flaw in the singing may be exposed due to all the focus on the voice itself, 'Mann Mera' is a melodious track composed by Bapi-Tutul who have been trying to make their presence felt in the Bollywood music scene for number of years now. A well written track with Gaurav Bangia giving good company to Shweta, it is short'n'sweet and makes you pretty content with the album so far.

Bizarre! That's the way to describe 'Wild Dreams', an English track that has a bizarre feel to it [that sounds intentional] and delves deep into the psychology of an individual [in this case the leading protagonist Mink] who has lost her identity, is unable to locate her past and is suffering from hallucinations and 'wild dreams'! Composed and sung by Punnu Brar, this is a song that would scare the sleep out of you if you are making an attempt to go to bed. It is fit for the background score of the film [it my turn out to be quite effective there!] but an absolutely no-no while listening to the audio.

Punnu Brar shows his range while singing 'Neele Aasmaan', which is quite a shift from the two tracks 'Mitra Nu' and 'Wild Dreams' sung by him earlier. In fact it is hard to believe that it's the voice of the same person as he goes quite subtle and mushy in this love song that is based on melody and has a slow pace. There is a slight intoxicated feel in his voice but that may be purely coincidental! While the musical arrangements are soothing and come quite easy on ears, the song overall is a fine hearing too, if not purely original or great. One misses Sunidhi Chauhan though who has just a minor role to play in this romantic number that could have only gained with her extended presence.

'Rafta Rafta' composed by Bapi-Tutul and sung by Runa Rizvi is another experimental number in the album after 'Wild Dreams'. A haunting rock track with entire look, feel and treatment derived from the West, 'Rafta Rafta' is a situational background track which has Runa singing in a highly husky voice. A kind of number that could do well in the lounge circuits and would be identified easily by those who follow non-film music. The album ends with a true blue fusion-lounge track by Ishq Bector that has been interestingly titled 'Snake Potion Instrumental'. A rhythmic instrumental that again fits the kind of musical description that Indian artists in UK create, it is foot tapping, haunting and exciting - all at the same time. One waits to see how does the instrumental fit into the film's narrative?

Katputtli is an album from which one didn't expect much at the very onset but on hearing it one realizes that there are a few tracks that do bring home some variety and turn out to be interesting. While 'Mitra Nu' and 'Mann Mera' are engaging hears, 'Snake Potion Instrumental' gives the album a befitting end. The album may not have a great reach commercially due to not-so-exciting promotion of the film's music but nevertheless works to an extent for those who may eventually give it a hear.