Guzaarish – Music Review

By By: Joginder Tuteja, <a Href="http://bollywoodhungama.com/" Target="_blank">bollywood Hungama</a>

EXPECTATIONS
Two huge albums in quick succession - now that doesn't happen quite often. Close on the heels of Action Replayy that boasted of as many as none tracks arrives Guzaarish which goes a one up and carries as many as 10 original tracks. Thankfully, there are no remixes which is always a positive sign and also conveys the confidence that the makers have their songs. What also makes Guzaarish special is the fact that it is Sanjay Leela Bhansali himself who has taken over the charge of being a composer. In a way, this is not surprising since in each of his major albums so far - Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas or Saawariya - one senses the Bhansali touch more than that of an individual composer. Turaz and Vibhu Puri contribute with lyrics and promise to make Guzaarish something special. Does it meet such high expectations? Well, let's find that out.

MUSIC
It's the sound of raindrops that mark the opening of title song Guzaarish. While there are some brief cries heard in the background for a few seconds, one forgets that soon after K.K. arrives on the scene. A song with a hint of sadness to it and the 'guzaarish' to get love back in life, this title which is written by Turaz carries the required pathos to turn into something special. As the song moves ahead, one again hears some haunting sounds in the interspersing portions. Nevertheless, the song gets back on track soon after with K.K. continuing his trademark rendition that turns 'Guzaarish' into the kind of song that totally gets on you after you have heard it a few times. Shail Hada too can be heard faintly in the background of 'Guzaarish' that does send out vibes of something really special round the corner in rest of the album to follow.

To begin with, Vibhu Puri's lyrics for 'Sau Gram Zindagi' makes one wonder if the lyrics here are meant to be really taken seriously. However, as one concentrates hard and listens to the song carefully, 'Sau Gram Zindagi' turns out to be a track with philosophical undertones and conveys the importance of life which is available in small measures. It is good to witness Kunal Ganjawala get into the kind of mood which is hardly expected from him and the much mellowed singing sans any variation in pitches coming in makes 'Sau Gram Zindagi' a soothing number to hear.

It's a slow and haunting start for 'Tera Zikr' which makes one wonder for close to 45 seconds around what really would entail next. As it turns out, 'Tera Zikr' contains itself in the mood of the songs heard so far and doesn't even try to take a tangential approach. A love song in appreciation of one's lady love, 'Tera Zikr' has Shail Hada and Rakesh Pandit coming together for this slow moving number that would be loved by the connoisseurs of quality music. So far, each of the songs in Guzaarish manage to make an impression and though it becomes hard to distinguish one from another, what is definitely assured is that there is a definite 'sur' that composer Sanjay Leela Bhansali has adopted for the music of Guzaarish.

After three slow moving numbers arrives 'Saiba' which seemingly has a Portuguese setting to it. First song in the album which has a female voice chipping in, 'Saiba' has new entrant Vibhavari Joshi getting a platform for herself. This one too is a situational track and as has been the case in the album so far, 'Saiba' by Vibhu Puri too doesn't leave the basic 'sur' of 'Guzaarish' behind. One waits to see though if this song would eventually manage to cover a big distance due to its restricted appeal.

One of the best tracks is reserved for a little later though with K.K. coming up with 'Jaane Kiske Khwaab'. In fact Turaz's lyrics pretty much remind one of Gulzar's style of writing since it brings in simple words like 'takia', 'khwab' and more to spin a number that should fit in perfectly well with the situation in the narrative. This one is yet another haunting melody and is an almost unplugged effort by K.K. who shows tremendous control over his vocals. In fact this is one track which despite its intrinsic sadness makes one play it on all over again.

After a track like 'Jaane Kiske Khwaab', it's slightly criminal to have a celebration track soon after, more so because it disturbs the mood that was created so far. Yet another slow number would have been a better flow in the album but one nevertheless play on 'Udi'. A track with exuberance written all over it, this Turaz written number which is rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan has a carnival feel to it and turns out to just about passable. Though as a standalone number it is still okay, one would have lived without it in the context of the album.

Shail Hada gets a solo for himself in the form of 'Keh Na Saku' which brings the album back on track. This one is a love song written by Vibhu Puri where the protagonist expresses his love and desire for someone he has come across and fallen for. This is yet another track that goes with the graph that has been created in Guzaarish so far.

It is back to Gulzar inspiration though, this time for lyricist Vibhu Puri, as evidenced in 'Chaand Ki Katori'. Harshdeep Kaur, who has practically delivered every time when summoned to do the job, is impressive once again as she gets into the 'raga' mode for 'Chaand Ki Katori'. A slow moving pensive track which fits in perfectly well with the flow of the album and the mood created so far, this one is yet another good addition to 'Guzaarish'.

K.K. returns to the scene soon after though with 'Daayein Baayein' which is yet another beautiful piece that can't be ignored. The instruments take a back set here as Sanjay Leela Bhansali allows his tune to do the trick with K.K. taking care of the rest. A love song by Turaz which could well have been seated at the very beginning of the album, 'Daayein Baayein' is clearly one of the best that the album has to offer and deserves to be promoted pronto.

Shankar Mahadevan, who has been known for singing with practically every established (or not so established) composer, lends his vocals for a Sanjay Leela Bhansali album. He comes behind the mike for 'Dhundhli Dhundhli' which is about loneliness and desire for love. With the right orchestraisation aiding the cause, 'Dhundhli Dhundhli' by Turaz doesn't sound like a bad inclusion at all and brings Guzaarish to the kind of end that one would have expected from it the moment it's title song was heard at the very beginning.

OVERALL
Composer Sanjay Leela Bhansali makes a very good impression as the first time composer for a complete album. His agenda behind the soundtrack is clear - he wanted the entire album to work when listened to in entirety rather than one single song being picked up and hammered around to become a chartbuster. Slow nature of the songs coupled with the fact that it takes as much time to fetch audience's attention means that Guzaarish won't quite have a bumper sales to begin with on its arrival. However, the word should spread soon amongst those who want their music to have a quality touch to it. Also, once the film releases and in case it turns out to be successful at the box office, the music of Guzaarish should register very good sales for itself and also enjoy a long run beyond the film's stay in theatres.

OUR PICK(S)
Jaane Kiske Khwaab, Guzaarish, Tera Zikr, Daayein Baayein

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