Songs at the end.
Salim Sulaiman adapt their Coke Studio @ MTV Season 3 song Chheene Re Mora Chain for Poorna as Poori Qaaynaat, with Amitabh Bhattacharya supplying the revised lyrics. Lyrics that work very well with the song’s tone in conveying the inspirational mood. Track is shorter and the arrangement is a bit watered-down compared to the original, but the fusion is still effective, and the composers make a delightful new addition in the form of the sitar. While I miss hearing Rashid Khan here, Raj Pandit is an able replacement for the man. And replacing Salim Merchant with Vishal Dadlani on support vocals is a smart move; Salim was the weak link of the original.
But for the Wajid Ali Shah thumri reference in its opening line, Baabul Mora is a Salim Sulaiman-Amitabh Bhattacharya product. A fine product at that; the melancholy in the song’s melody is conveyed to a tee by Arijit Singh and the minimal, atmospheric backdrop accentuates its haunting quality. Arijit’s second track Kuch Parbat Hilaayein is more along the lines of inspirational songs the composers have created in the past, but is delivered well enough to engage. Salim Merchant’s presence behind the mic somehow enhances the familiarity aspect in the song’s unplugged variant titled the intimate version.
After Jai Gangaajal last year, Salim Sulaiman deliver another quality soundtrack for Poorna. Hopefully this one receives a wider audience than the former.
And oh the joy of reviewing two back to back Bollywood soundtracks that do not feature a single “classic remix”!
Music Aloud Rating: 3/5
This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
