Saawariya Music Review

My opinions are strictly from viewpoint of a person who loves various genres of Hindi film music. I don't claim to have great knowledge in music, but I do know how play the piano (off key) very well. ;)


Saawariya - Music Review

The soundtrack of Saawariya is easily one of the years most awaited. Whether its Khamoshi, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam or Devdas, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's movies have always boasted of melodious music. So expectations are bound to be sky high. This time around though, instead of Bhansai's favourite composer Ismail Darbar, we are treated to the tunes of debutant music director - Monty Sharma.

Usually I have to listen to a soundtrack two or three times before I can give my verdict on the music. But with Saawariya, I had to hear the soundtrack more then ten times before I could come to a conclusion.... whew!

The soundtrack begins with the title song Saawariya - An instant chartbuster! Besides being the best song of the album, its also one of the most catchy tunes of the year. Very well composed, from the brilliant guitar arrangements to the soft singing by chorus singers, with simple lyrics and of course, the breezy rendition by newcomer Shail Hada. My only complaint would be - why so short? 4.5/5

Jab Se Tere Naina - A solo by Shaan, which does match up to the high standards the title song has set....Shaan is simply brilliant in his rendition of this romantic song. Another classy composition, with heavy usage of tabla and dhol beats and meaningful lyrics. 4/5

Thode Badmash - A solo by Shreya this time. A nice tune, great singing, good lyrics. You can't help but compare it to Bairi Piya from Devdas, as the similarities are quite apparent. Shreya sweet vocals, and lyrics by Nusrat Badr impresses. Overall, its a pleasant song. 3/5

Masha-Allah - Haunting, melodious, poignant. Kunal's in full form, which is clearly evident right from the very onset. Shreya is awesome as she gives her vocals in the background. Find a dark, quite place in your home and hear this song.... and just get lost in the melody. 3/5

Yoon Shabnami - The third best track of the enterprise. Starts off beautifully as a romantic solo, which changes its pace later to qawalli style, only to end on a high note with a brilliant musical arrangement. All that in only 5 minutes! Parthiv Gohil, another debutant singer, does complete justice in his rendition of the song. Lyrics by Sandeep Nath are poetical and only enhance the song's mystical feel. A truly unique track! 4/5

Daras Bina Nahin Chain - Let me just say, I love the opening tune of the song! This one seems to be the theme of the movie, hence more emphasis has been given to music than singing. Richa Sharma, Shail hada and Parthiv Gohil team up for this background piece. Musically, it is grand, keeping in mind the theme of the film. Very fitting indeed. 3/5

Sawar Gayi - If Thode Badmash reminded me of Bairi Piya, then this song brings back memories of Silsia Yeh Chahat Ka from Devdas, specially the 'garajti hui badal' effects in the background. Shreya is great yet again. Lyrics are good. Music is ordinary, the constant usage of the classical tabla does get somewhat repetitive. 3/5

Jaan -e- Jaan - Surprisingly the only duet in the entire album. Sung by Kunal and Shreya. After some great melodies, this song ranks as the weakest in the album. Lyrics are somewhat corny, Kunal and Shreya don't exactly ooze romance into the song. By the eight song, one feels the composer is really stretching the whole 'classical feel' to breaking point. "Too much of a good thing....." 1.5/5

Pari - Starts off brilliantly! But as it progresses, the song descends to just an average fare. The melody seems bland, Kunal's singing is slightly below par this time. The lyrics are expressive and stand out in an otherwise average composition. Unfortunately, this one fails to create the same enchanting effect that the previous songs did. 2.5/5

Chhabeela - The start gave the impression of a long awaited change in rhythm. Alas, my excitement soon faded, as the song descended to the usual humdrum. Lyrics are weird - chail chabeela, rang rageela, badan kateela, hoth raseela, roop sajeela, ya hateela, tang paijama, kurta dheela...... what?! Alka gives her best to make this mediocre song work, and succeeds, only this much. 2.5/5

Saawariya Reprise - Just what the doctor ordered to recover from Chhabeela's mind numbing lyrics. Beautiful, ati sundaram! Thats all I gotta say about this unplugged version of the title track. 4/5

Comparisons are inevitable, and if I compare this product with SLB's earlier works, then its a disappointment. Apart from The title track, Jab Se Tere Naina, Yoon Shabnami, none of the other songs rate a 4 or above. Which is a notch down for SLB's standards, as the music of both HDDCS and Devdas were chartbusters from the word go.

The reason, in my opinion, is the repetitive songs. It does get very monotonous, as there are 4 to 5 songs sounding very alike in their musical arrangements, and that has hampered the album from being a 'very good' soundtrack to just a 'good' one. Which wouldn't be the case if there was some variety.

By variety I don't mean there should have been hip hop or rap, but maybe there wasn't a need for 9 tracks with similar classical flavor, barring of course, the title song.

Despite all the negatives, this is one product that has class written all over it. Its unlike any album released this year.

Monty couldn't have gotten a better launch pad for his career, and he has give a competent score for his first musical fare. Not to mention, this is definitely Sameer's best work to date as a lyricist.

Overall, I do not recommend this album to you if your favourite album of the year is Partner or Bhool Bhuaiya. But this is a treat to the lovers of slow, classical music! Saawariya OST should find more wide-spread audience acceptance after the much anticipated release of the film.

Bottom line, Saawriya is like fine wine, which will only get better with age.

Rating: 3.5/5

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