Songs at the end.
After forsaking Ram Sampath who composed music in the first instalment for the in-vogue multi composer format, Fukrey’s makers assign Sharib Toshi the duty of creating an Ambarsariya equivalent in Fukrey Returns. The duo fare admirably in their task with Ishq De Fanniyar, a likeable folksy ditty that they back with a simple, minimal arrangement. Kumaar’s well phrased ophidian metaphors of love are delivered well by the composers in the male version, but it is Jyotica Tangri who truly owns the soulful melody with her nuanced singing in the female version. Kumaar supplies lyrics to two more songs of the album, neither of which is anywhere as impressive as Ishq.. Mehbooba is Prem and Hardeep’s adaptation of Laxmikant Pyarelal, Anand Bakshi & Rafi’s O Meri Mehbooba. Forgettable track replete with standard issue remix elements (including Raftaar’s rap). And the title song is the soundtrack’s biggest let-down; had high hopes on this one since it is composed by the talented Gulraj Singh, but it turns out to be pretty banal electronic-dominated fare that even Siddharth Mahadevan and Shannon Donald’s vocal efforts aren’t able to save.
Jasleen Royal reprises her Nachde Ne Saare format for the (presumably also wedding themed, going by the general mood and the baari barsi reference) Peh Gaya Khalara. Barring the strong memory it evokes of the former, fun song that is delivered well by Royal along with Divya Kumar. Shree D writes, co-composes (along with his constant collaborator Ishq Bector) and sings Raina. While he does alright on jobs 1 and 3, Shree and Bector disappoint on the composing front, producing a rather dated melody. Sumeet Bellary gets two songs, both of which are a remarkable display of the man’s arrangement skills. Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai has folk instruments like tumbi, algoza and sarangi embedded in a trippy 8 bit-ish electronic base. Unlike in Mehbooba, Raftaar’s rap sits well here amidst Gandhharv Sachdeav’s spirited rendition. Director Mrighdeep Singh Lamba himself lends his hand in penning the folksy lines (along with Satya Khare and Vipul Vig) of the zesty Bura Na Mano Bholi Hai which to me qualifies as a more effective title song. Gandhharv lends his voice here too, alongside Shahid Mallya.
Fukrey Returns. Not surprisingly, a multi-composer soundtrack in the sequel fails to match up to the single composer work in the first.
Music Aloud Rating: 2.5/5
Top Recos: Ishq De Fanniyar, Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai, Bura Na Maano Bholi Hai
This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
