Updates
on November 1, 2007
With as many as 4 composers (Gourov Dasgupta, Shafqat Ali
Khan, Anand Raaj Anand, Bappa Lahiri), two lyricists (Virag
Mishra, Panchhi Jalonvi) and six directors (Sanjay Gupta,
Apoorva Lakhia, Hansal Mehta, Jasmeet Dhodhi, Meghna Gulzar,
Rohit Roy) coming together, Dus Kahaniyaan, as
claimed by publicity brochures, is 'The Biggest Album Of The
Year'. Is that true? At the face level yes, since it is
world's first 3 CD soundtrack with a Lounge version, Club
version and a special CD that has a Gulzar penned poem for
each of the 10 stories in the film which is recited by stars
from the film.
Does the album live up to the tall claims? Indeed yes as
Sanjay Gupta does it again. Kaante, Musafir or
Zinda - Pick up any of the films directed by him and
what is bound to stand out is not just some technical
wizardry but also the film's soundtrack. The filmmaker seems
to have the formula for getting just the right balance of
rock, pop and Sufi melodies and Dus Kahaniyaan is not
an exception.
As expected, it is a rocking
beginning to the soundtrack with the title song 'Dus'
composed by Gourov Dasgupta that carries its punch
throughout it's six minutes duration. A track, which would
be a delight for any live performance on stage in a packed
stadium, ‘Dus’, brings with it an adrenaline rush
which cannot go wrong. Also refreshing is to hear the voice
of newcomer Anchal who crooned the English portion for 'Ganpat'
[Shootout At Lokhandwala]. There is a Westernized accent
to her voice which works for a song belonging to this genre.
KK is reliable as always and enjoys his stint behind the
mike for this Virag Misra written track which boasts of some
excellent chorus effect. It has that extravagant feel about
it which is the hallmark of Sanjay Gupta
soundtrack/background score and promises to make its
presence felt in the film as well. DJ Aqeel's club remix
version makes 'Dus' further spicier and promises to
make you go 'high on a highway' once the track is played in
a repeat mode. Go for it!
Gourov Dasgupta, Virag Mishra and Anchal come together
again, this time with Sunidhi Chauhan for company, for 'Jaaniye'.
If you liked the sound of Shibani Kashyap's 'Zinda
Hoon Main’, [Zinda] then you would appreciate the
setting of 'Jaaniye' too. The sound belongs to the
same genre though the mood changes to love and romance with
all the zany feel intact. Anchal and Sunidhi enjoy a
seamless outing together and ensure that Dus Kahaniyaan
has yet another potential chartbuster in the making.
It would be criminal if a music video for the song is not
created pronto. Especially so, after one is through hearing
the remix club version by Gourov and Roshan Balu. The pace
increases a wee bit here though the essence of the track is
kept intact with no major intrusions from unwanted
arrangements.
If you thought that Dus Kahaniyaan was all sound and
fury all this while then catch on 'Aaja Soniye’,
which changes the course of the album. Sheer melody is
the epicenter of this well written track by Virag Mishra who
incorporates the poetic feel of Javed Akhtar's words in 'Aaja
Soniye'. Club remix version by Gourov/Roshan is created
for 'Aaja Soniye' as well and though it is not heavy
on ears, one would still want to go back to the Lounge
version due to its overall simplicity.
However, the title of 'Aaja Soniye' indicates yet
another Punjabi-influenced composition, there is a pleasant
turnaround as Gourov Dasgupta along with singers Sudhanshu
Pandey and newcomer Shweta Vijay let melody dictate terms
and bring on a heartwarming number.
Well, for those who were missing the Punjabi beats all this
while, there is 'Nach Le Soniye' for them
which has Mika returning for a Sanjay Gupta film after 'Ganpat'
[Shootout At Lokhandwala]. In Mika's voice, one can
sense sheer confidence which comes after earning some
success as the singer comes up with one of his best rendered
tracks in recent times.
Fourth song in succession, which has Gourov holding the
baton along with Virag, ‘Nach Le Soniye’, is a
Western-Bhangra-Indian melody mix number, which just cannot
go wrong with the listeners. Hear the stylishly remixed club
version and you know that this is going to be yet another
popular song from the album.
In the past Pritam and KK have come together to create
numerous melodious songs with Western arrangements. KK does
the same with Gourov for ‘O Maahiya’, which
has Shweta Vijay for company whose voice is digitally
modified to get an electronic feel. Her prime contribution
is to croon the punch line 'O Maahiya' although it is
KK, who drives the song from beginning to the end. Club
remix version gets a little innovative here as the sound of
'Dus' is merged with that of 'O Maahiya' at
the very beginning before KK takes over here this Panchhi
Jalonvi written number. This is a kind of number that cannot
go wrong when the man by the name of Emraan Hashmi is on
fray! Wish he was a part of Dus Kahaniyaan!
Kshitij Tare, who made a splash with 'Javeda Zindagi' [Anwar],
croons the best track in Dus Kahaniyaan so far -
'Mushkil Kushaa'. Written by Panchhi Jalonvi,
this Bappa Lahiri (son of Bappi Lahiri) composed track
boasts of excellent lyrics, soothing music and some
heartfelt rendition. Kshitij's voice is truly different from
numerous other singers around which makes 'Mushkil Kushaa'
a delight to hear. Most lightweight song in the album with
minimal arrangements around, 'Mushkil Kushaa' moves
at a slow pace and invites your attention throughout its
six-minute duration.
The album seems to be getting into a different zone
altogether, hence bringing on some welcome variety, with
Shaqat Ali Khan singing and composing two back to back
tracks - 'Vichodeya Ne'’ and 'Kaala
Peela'. Written by Ambar Hoshiyarpuri, 'Vichodeya
Na' reminds one of 'Yaar Mangiyasi' [Kaante] that
carried a pensive mood too. After all the rock and fun, it
is a delight to hear a song immersed with 'Sufi' melody in
the ear pleasing along with the vocals of Shafqat Ali Khan.
A smooth number, it is followed by even better 'Kaala
Peela' which carries a philosophical feel to it but
is still accessible to a regular listener due to it's
melodious feel and easy pace. For an album that started with
'Dus' and gets into a completely different zone with
'Kaala Peela', it is a wholesome experience for a
music lover.
Panchhi Jalonvi and KK return with 'Bin Tum’,
which has Anand Raj Anand at the helm who had given some
fabulous tunes for 'Kaante'. He delivers one of his
best for Dus Kahaniyaan too with 'Bin Tum'
turning out to be a quintessential Bollywood melody, which
cannot go wrong. A love song, which carries an Indian feel
throughout sans any Western influences, 'Bin Tum' is
for those who are lovers of soft music and 'Ghazals'.
Finale of Dus Kahaniyaan is endearing too with Anand
Raaj Anand taking it on himself to come behind the mike for
'Bhula Diya' along with taking charge of
composition. Ibrahim Ashq's lyrics are sheer poetry as they
delve into a different terrain and make even a sad track
entertaining. While there is a distinct Anand Raaj Anand
stamp on the song, what impresses most is the composer's
rendition which is quite balanced and controlled. Later he
also assigns himself the responsibility of remixing the
track for the club version even though one feels that the
original should have been just left intact.
So is the soundtrack through with 10 original songs with six
of them also arriving in the club version? No, not yet.
There is more to come in the form of Gulzar saab's poems
which Sanjay Gupta has dedicated to his wife Anu. What is
special about these 10 poems is that they are rendered by an
actor from each of the 10 stories with music accompanying
the delivery.
First, to come is Nana Patekar who is just perfect in the
way he recites 'Tere Utaare Hue Din' for the story
Gubbare. Gulzar saab must have been proud of the way
Nana goes about his recitation as he comes up with just the
right pauses and punches. The subtle music that plays at the
beginning of 'Der Aayad' instantly brings your
attention before another great artist, Naseeruddin Shah,
recites for Rice Plate. Hear the words in 'Der Aayad'
which has it's essence in timeless love and togetherness and
you can't help but bow down to Gulzaar saab's magic behind
the words. Naseeruddin Shah also ends the album with 'Khuda'
(Rise and Fall) which comes across as antitheses of 'Chaal
Chalo Tum' which arrives later.
For the story High On The Highway, Dia Mirza is the
chosen one as she opens 'Khudkhushi' with the words 'Bas
Ek Lamhe Ka Jhagda Tha'. One would have never imagined
Dia to bring such sensitivity in her voice but she does just
that which demonstrates a different facet of hers in the
poem around human relationships. On the other hand from
Manoj Bajpai one does have expectations. Does he live up to
them? Yes, he does as he recites 'Khaali Samandar'
for Zaahir at a slightly higher pitch though 'Mujhe
Talaash Nahi’ [Sex On The Beach] takes a regular route.
When there is a Sanjay Gupta film, how can Sanjay Dutt not
come behind the mike for the music album? Though he has not
sung a song, he compensates for that by reciting 'Chaal
Chalo Tum' for Rise and Fall. Taking a listener through
life being a game of chess, Sanjay Dutt gets philosophical
as he goes through a pensive journey. His co-actor from the
80s, Amrita Singh, is heard later in 'Raat Tamir Karein'
(Puranmashi) which has one of the most enticing music
pieces played in the gaps when she is not busy reciting.
Another senior actor whose voice stands out in this CD is
Anupam Kher who gets into a romantic remembrance with 'Bauchaar'
(Lovedale). Boasting of some of the best poetry heard in
the album so far, 'Bauchaar' is for those in love.
For Matrimony, Sudhanshu Pandey speaks about ‘Talaq’,
which deals about relationships, break ups, and
reconciliations. Neha Dhupia's recitation for Strangers
In The Night is good even as the poetry boasts of some
heavy duty Urdu words. The music playing in the background
is soothing yet again which brings on consistency in this
special CD.
There are albums which cater mainly to masses. Then there
some which cater to class audience. And then there are some
which take a middle route. Well, Dus Kahaniyaan
doesn't take a middle route. Instead it gets everything for
everyone and that too in a lavish and wholehearted manner.
This is why on one hand you have got a Lounge and Club
outing which mixes dance numbers with heartfelt melodies
while on the other you have got an out and out class
offering in the form of Gulzar poems.
Let go off the cliché, this one is truly different!
 
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