Lekar Hum Deewana Dil – Music Review (Bollywood Soundtrack)

Introducing another urdu phrase into popular lexicon (Amitabh Bhattacharya the writer in this case) Ala Hada’s star is singer Shiraz Uppal as he towers above the song’s familiar soundscape. The arrangement does have its moments though, like that dreamy start led by violins and hang (?). Khaleefa has too much techno for comfort, overpowering the otherwise groovy elements of the song. The vocals don’t help either despite a long, interesting lineup – A R Rahman, Shweta Pandit, Hriday Gattani, Suzanne D’Mello and konnakol by Mahesh Vinayakram. The African folk infusion (especially Tanvi Shah’s backing vocals) in Mawali Qawwali, on the other hand, spruces the song up even further from its strings-dominated upbeatness (what bass!). This song too has a let-down component however, unfortunately, the singing by lead vocalist Raghav Mathur.

What really works in the soundtrack is the other half. The happy carefree tune of Tu Shining is treated by Rahman with a matching breeziness, employing a pop base that features some fab guitars. And debutant singer Hriday Gattani does a sprightly job from his end. Hriday’s other song is even better, a thoroughly endearing ditty called Maaloom which is once again ruled by gorgeously used guitars. Hriday is joined here by Nakash Aziz and Jonita Gandhi, all of whom deliver their parts beautifully. After Heera, Shweta Pandit bags another lovely from ARR in LHDD, and a melodic one again, Beqasoor. Shweta’s singing receives excellent backing from Nakash, creating some beautiful harmonies in the process. The composer goes for a sedate background here, letting the singers own the stage. It’s a pity the song has just one interlude; would have loved to hear more of that sarod!

In a year that has seen A R Rahman in splendid form, Lekar Hum Deewana Dil is definitely a blip. But it does have some lovely music to offer. I must say I had much lower expectations seeing the trailer though.

Music Aloud Rating: 8/10

Top Recos: Maaloom, Beqasoor, Tu Shining
(Link via @7hariqcp)

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