This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
Songs and full credits at the end.
Given that the movie is centred on the banjo (for the uninitiated, banjo in this case refers to the Indian version more commonly known as bulbul tarang ) and the role banjo bands play in Ganapati immersion ceremonies in Maharashtra, a Ganesh-based song was always on the cards. And Banjo has two of those. ‘Bappa ’ is the conventional one of the two, replete with foot-stomping live percussion, ‘ morya re ’ chants and horns and conches and, of course the banjo, (played by Rashid Bashir Khan) — all with a rock overlay. Vishal Dadlani handles the lead vocals exuberantly, as always. ‘ Om Ganapataye Namaha Deva’ is more imaginatively orchestrated. The rhythm is catchier and the banjo solo exceptional (Kishore Mohite, just for this song). It is only Vishal Dadlani’s English section that is an odd fit, but Nakash Aziz is fabulous in his part. ‘ Rada ’ is where the composers deliver the pick among the faster tracks, producing an infectiously trippy mix of folk and rock elements, the latter handled by Nyzel D’Lima (guitar), Rushad Mistry (bass) and Jai Row Kavi (drums). Shalmali Kholgade and Vishal Dadlani seem to have had a great time singing the track, and the way everything comes together around that titular hook, especially towards the climactic finish, is brilliant.
Ajay Gogavale, of the composer duo Ajay-Atul fame, does a fine job of the pensive ‘ Rehmo Karam ’, sounding remarkable in the high-pitched sections. However, the arrangement carries a strong sense ofdéjà vu and it is only the final minute, with the surprise entry of a banjo band that redeems it. Though ‘Pee Paa Ke ’ sung by Vishal Dadlani and Nakash Aziz is fun in parts, the overdose of “ pee pee/pee paa ” gets annoying after a point. Dominated by a European-flavoured arrangement that almost never fails to charm (that accordion-guitar combination), ‘ Udan Chhoo ’ is a delight. Hriday Gattani is excellent in his rendition of the track that features a tastefully executed banjo-based twist towards the close.
Two back to back engaging soundtracks, and a good run this year in general. Vishal Shekhar truly seem to be on a path of resurgence.
Music Aloud Rating: 3.5/5
Top Recos: Udan Chhoo, Rada, Om Ganapataye
Full Credits
- SONG – BAPPA
Music – Vishal & Shekhar
Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer – Vishal Dadlani
Music Producer – Sourav Roy
Mixed & Mastered By – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer – Abhishek Sortey
Recording Engineers – Chorus, Rhythm, Percussion and Banjo recorded at YRF Studios by Vijay
Dayal And Chinmay Maestry
Vocals recorded at V&S Studio by Aadi Arora.
Musicians – Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged, played and Conducted by Dipesh Varma
On Percussion –Dipesh Varma, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Keyur Barve, Omkar Salunkhe,
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Jignesh Patel, Harshal Bahadkar
Banjo by Rashid Bashir Khan
Chorus – Arun Ingle, R.N. Iyer, Mandhar Apte, Shishir Saple, Devendra Chitnis,
Nitin Karandikar, Mayuresh Madgavkar, Vijay Dhuri, Kaustaubh Datar,
Datta Mestri, Ramanand Shetty, Francis Rodrigues.
Additional Guitars programmed – Puneet Paopanth
- SONG – RADAA
Music – Vishal & Shekhar
Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer – Vishal Dadlani, Shalmali Kholgade
Music Producer – Sourav Roy
Mixed & Mastered By – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer – Abhishek Sortey
Recording Engineers –Rhythm& Percussion, Guitar, Drums, Bass and Banjo recorded at YRF
Studios by Shantanu Hudlikar, Vijay Dayal, Chinmay Maestri, Manasi Tare
and Abhishek Khandelwal
Vocals and Chorus recorded at V&S Studio by Aadi Arora.
Musicians – Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged, played and Conducted by Dipesh Varma
On Percussion –Dipesh Varma, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Keyur Barve, Omkar Salunkhe,
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Jignesh Patel, Harshal Bahadkar
Banjo by Rashid Bashir Khan
Guitar – Nyzel D’lima
Drums – Jai Row Kavi
Bass – Rushad Mistry
Chorus – Vishal Dadlani, Natalie Di Luccio, Abhishek Nag, Kishore Surendra Ramugade,
Ravi Jadav, Manoj Lobo.
- SONG – RAHAMO KARAM
Music – Vishal & Shekhar
Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer – Ajay Gogavale
Music Producer – Sourav Roy
Mix & Mastered By – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer – Abhishek Sortey
Recording Engineers –Rhythm& Percussion, Flute and Banjo recorded at YRF
Studios by Vijay Dayal and Chinmay Maestry
Vocals and Chorus recorded at YRF Studio by Shantanu Hudlikar, Manasi
Tare and Abhishek Khandelwal.
Musicians – Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged, played and Conducted by Dipesh Varma
On Percussion– Dipesh Varma, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Keyur Barve, Omkar Salunkhe,
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Jignesh Patel, Harshal Bahadkar
Banjo by Rashid Bashir Khan
Flute by Naveen Kumar
Chorus – Shekhar & Ajay.
- SONG – UDAN CHHOO
Music – Vishal & Shekhar
Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer – Hriday Gattani
Music Producer – Sourav Roy
Mixed & Mastered By – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer – Abhishek Sortey
Recording Engineers –Rhythm& Percussion, Guitar, Solo Violin and Banjo recorded at YRF
Studios by Vijay Dayal and Chinmay Maestry
Vocals recorded at V&S Studio by Aadi Arora.
Musicians – Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged, played and Conducted by Dipesh Varma
On Percussion – Dipesh Varma, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Keyur Barve, Omkar Salunkhe
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Jignesh Patel, Harshal Bahadkar
Banjo by Rashid Bashir Khan
Guitar By Soumya Seal
Solo Violin by Gergana Raykova
Violin by Sarah Brandwood Spencer
Viola by Pete Whitfield
Strings Production by Nikhil Paul George
- SONG – PEE PAA KE
Music – Vishal & Shekhar
Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer – Vishal Dadlani
Music Producer – Sourav Roy
Additional Programming – Puneet Porpanth
Mixed & Mastered By – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer – Abhishek Sortey
Recording Engineers –Rhythm& Percussion, Guitars, Brass Section and Banjo recorded at YRF
Studios by Vijay Dayal and Chinmay Maestry
Vocals recorded at V&S Studio by Aadi Arora.
Musicians – Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged, played and Conducted by Dipesh Varma
On Percussion –Dipesh Varma, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Keyur Barve, Omkar Salunkhe,
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Jignesh Patel, Harshal Bahadkar
Banjo by Rashid Bashir Khan
Guitars by Ankur Mukherjee
Brass Section – Saxsophone by Shyam Raj
Trumpet by Ashok
Trombone by Zamir.
- SONG – OM GANPATAYE NAMAHA DEVA
Music – Vishal & Shekhar
Lyrics – Amitabh Bhattacharya
Singer – Nakash Aziz, Vishal Dadlani
Music Producer – Sourav Roy
Music Programmer – Sourav Roy
Mix & Mastered By – Shadab Rayeen @ New Edge
Assistant Engineer – Abhishek Shorte
Recording Engineers –Rhythm& Percussion, Chorus and Banjo recorded at YRF
Studios by Vijay Dayal and Chinmay Maestry
Vocal of Nakash Aziz recorded at WoW & FlutteR By Rupak Thakur.
Vocal of Vishal Dadlani recorded at V&S Studio by Aadi Arora
Musicians – Live Rhythms & Percussions Arranged, played and Conducted by Dipesh Varma
On Percusion – Dipesh Varma, Satyajit Jamsandekar, Keyur Barve, Omkar Salunkhe,
Shikhar Naad Qureshi, Jignesh Patel, Harshal Bahadkar
Banjo by Kishore Mohite
Additional Guitar – Puneet Porpanth
Chorus – Arun Ingle, R.N. Iyer, Mandhar Apte, Shishir Saple, Devendra Chitnis,
Nitin Karandikar, Mayuresh Madgavkar, Vijay Dhuri, Kaustaubh Datar,
Datta Mestri, Ramanand Shetty, Francis Rodrigues.
