EXPECTATIONS
Expectations?
Now
either
one
can
come
up
with
50
statements
detailing
the
expectations
that
one
has
from
the
music
of
this
film
which
brings
together
Mani
Rathnam,
A.R.
Rahman,
Gulzar,
Aishwarya
Rai
Bachchan
and
Abhishek
Bachchan.
Or
instead,
one
can
just
state
that
it
would
be
nothing
less
than
sacrilege
for
this
team
to
present
listeners
with
something
which
is
less
than
being
excellent.
The
choice,
it
at
all
there
ever
was,
is
non-existent.
So
without
much
ado,
let's
play
on
one
of
the
most
anticipated
albums
of
the
year
and
check
out
what
this
elite
team
has
to
offer.
MUSIC
It's
a
folksy-tribal
beginning
to
'Beera
Beera'
which
appears
to
be
the
introduction
song
of
the
character
played
by
Abhishek
Bachchan
Raavan.
In
a
routine
scenario
a
song
belonging
to
this
genre
would
have
immediately
fallen
into
Sukhwinder
Singh's
lap.
However,
expect
Rahman
to
do
something
different
in
each
of
his
outings
as
he
instead
ropes
in
Kirti
Sagathia
and
Vijay
Prakash
to
come
up
with
a
cracker
of
a
song
which
is
a
chartbuster
in
the
first
60
seconds
itself.
Whether
it's
the
lyrics,
a
massive
orchestra,
vociferous
rendition
by
both
the
singers,
or
the
overall
spirit
that
'Beera'
carries,
there
is
no
looking
back
once
one
moves
ahead
in
the
album
after
this
quick
3
minutes
outing.
What
follows
next
is
relatively
subtle,
in
fact
almost
oriental
in
appeal,
as
a
beautiful
amalgamation
of
different
sounds
come
together
to
make
'Behene
De'.
Once
Karthik
comes
on
scene
behind
the
mike,
it
is
crystal
clear
that
'Behene
De'
has
a
trademark
A.R.
Rahman
stamp
all
over
it.
The
song
sees
many
variations
when
it
comes
to
its
flow
right
through
its
six
minutes
duration
as
Karthik
sings
for
a
character
which
has
a
desire
to
break
free
and
live
life
on
its
own
terms.
Situational,
yet
the
kind
of
song
which
should
make
a
very
good
impression
on
screen.
However,
for
those
who
were
looking
at
yet
another
catchy
number,
there
is
'Thok
De
Killi'
which
instantly
reminds
one
of
the
spirited
encounter
that
listeners
had
in
Yuva.
Sukhwinder
Singh
puts
all
stops
as
he
brings
in
his
characteristic
singing
style
that
differentiates
him
from
the
rest.
Watch
out
for
Gulzar's
lyrics
here,
they
are
truly
different
and
something
that
one
has
never
heard
before
in
a
Hindi
film
parlance.
Rahman
too
just
lets
himself
loose
in
making
this
number
orchestra
heavy
and
ensures
that
audience
would
be
glued
to
screen
once
this
fast
paced
song
plays
in
all
its
fervour.
Just
when
one
had
thought
that
this
team
had
reached
its
peak
with
'Thok
De
Killi'
comes
'Ranjha
Ranjha'.
A
number
which
is
not
just
the
best
in
the
album
(or
even
the
best
of
the
month),
'Ranjha
Ranjha'
will
clearly
stand
out
as
one
of
the
best
that
2010
had
to
offer
this
year.
Clearly,
even
Subhash
Ghai
would
be
proud
of
this
song
which
reminds
one
of
many
a
terrific
song
that
his
Taal
has
boasted
of
years
back.
This
song
by
the
trio
of
Rekha
Bhardwaj,
Javed
Ali
and
Anuradha
Sriram
is
a
killer
to
say
the
least
and
has
all
in
it
to
reach
the
top
of
the
charts
within
a
fortnight
of
the
release.
With
a
folksy
base
to
it,
'Ranjha
Ranjha'
is
energetic,
sensual
and
exciting.
Reena
Bhardwaj,
who
has
sung
primarily
with
Rahman
during
her
limited
singing
career
so
far,
is
sweetness
personified
in
'Khilli
Re'
where
she
gets
an
opportunity
to
go
solo.
Presumably
picturised
on
Aishwarya
Rai,
the
genre
of
the
song
may
limit
its
popularity
due
to
its
situational
appeal
but
isn't
a
bad
fit
at
all
in
the
album.
A
poetic
track
which
yet
again
clearly
belongs
to
Rahman's
background,
'Khilli
Re'
is
almost
devotional
in
appeal
and
is
extremely
soothing
in
appeal,
hence
creating
a
good
balance
in
the
album.
The
ending
of
the
album
is
vociferous
though
with
a
grand
chorus
coming
together
to
sing
'Kata
Kata'.
A
song
which
is
about
a
man
getting
married
and
a
bunch
of
friends
teasing
him
on
his
last
night
of
bachelorhood,
'Kata
Kata'
sees
Ila
Arun,
Sapna
Awasthi
and
Kunal
Ganjawala
coming
together.
In
a
way,
the
song
is
an
antithesis
of
Rahman's
first
big
hit,
'Rukmani
Rukmani'
[Roja]
which
was
about
an
interaction
amongst
friends
post
the
first
night.
A
good
situational
track
which
should
find
good
prominence
coming
its
way
if
the
film
succeeds
at
the
box
office.
OVERALL
Raavan
delivers
as
expected.
Now
that's
a
good
sign
in
itself
since
to
begin
with,
the
expectations
were
huge
in
any
case.
There
are
number
of
gems
in
the
album,
most
notably
being
'Ranjha
Ranjha',
'Beera
Beera'
and
'Thok
De
Killi'.
Go
for
it,
this
one
is
not
to
be
missed
as
it
has
Rahman
coming
up
with
one
of
his
best
soundtracks
in
recent
times.
OUR
PICK(S)
'Ranjha
Ranjha',
'Beera
Beera',
and
'Thok
De
Killi'
Story first published: Tuesday, April 27, 2010, 10:39 [IST]