Songs and partial album credits at the end.
Like Tattad Tattad in Ramleela and Malhaari in Bajirao Mastani, Sanjay Leela Bhansali creates Khalibali in Padmaavat which in all likelihood is the song for Ranveer Singh to shake his leg to. The Arabic touches in the orchestration of this one make it a more appealing piece than the aforementioned two. A M Turaz’s lines too feature a smattering of foreign words (Persian, I am guessing, since it is Khilji) amidst Hindi lyrics, and Shivam Pathak and Shail Hada deliver them commendably. Bhansali and Turaz do even better with the other, more exotic sounding Binte Dil – the sultry song sounds almost like a world music piece, rather than a Bollywood song. While Arijit Singh’s Arabic modulations don’t always hit the mark, he does a wonderful job of conveying the passion in Turaz’s lines. Ek Dil Ek Jaan is the composer’s offering in one of his favourite ragas (here’s an anecdote regarding his love for the raga) yaman/kalyani. Of course, that comes with the drawback of the song carrying a heavy hangover of Bhansali’s previous songs in the raga. A soothing listen nevertheless, highlighted by Shivam Pathak’s well nuanced singing.
Holi is, as its title suggests, is a Holi song – another of Bhansali’s regular entries in his song lineup. This time he goes for a traditional folk composition though, from the Manganiyar/Langa tradition. The best thing about the song is the perennially under-utilised Richa Sharma leading the vocals, sounding as solid as ever. Shreya Ghoshal’s Ghoomar sounds as addictive as it did the day it released (thanks also to its elaborately choreographed video). While the singing by Ghoshal and the chorus is top notch, equally splendid is SLB’s orchestration dominated by the folk percussion. The instrumental overdrive towards the final minute of the song is an excellent touch, giving it a trancey feel. Siddharth and Garima, Bhansali’s lead lyricists for his last two movies, feature in just one song for Padmaavat – Nainowaale Ne. But that turns out to be the top song of the soundtrack. Sanjay Leela Bhansali has a fabulous melody in place for this one (that for a change does not bear any resemblance to his past songs), and Neeti Mohan sounds her finest delivering it. Equally alluring is Dhimant Varman’s sitar that dominates the backdrop (seemingly carrying shades of raag darbari).
Padmaavat. Shortest soundtrack for a Sanjay Leela Bhansali movie in a very long time, but is still largely identifiable with the man’s usual musical style. And one of the better albums he has delivered as composer.
Music Aloud Rating: 3/5
Top Recos: Nainowale Ne, Ghoomar, Binte Dil
This review first appeared in the Mumbai edition of The Hindu.
Musician Credits
1. Song – Ghoomar
Singers – Shreya Ghoshal, Swaroop Khan
Lyricist – A M Turaz
Rajasthani Lyrics by Swaroop Khan
Composer – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Song Produced by – Shail- Pritesh
songs Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio.
Assisted by Rupak Thakur
Music Label – T-Series
2. Song – Ek Dil Ek Jaan
Singer – Shivam Pathak
Lyricist – A M Turaz
Composer – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Song Produced by – Sanchit Balhara,
Qawwali Singers – Mujtaba Aziz Naza, Kunal Pandit, Farhan Sabri
songs Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio.
Assisted by Rupak Thakur
Music Label – T-Series
3. Song – Khalibali
Singers – Shivam Pathak, Shail Hada
Lyricist – A M Turaz
Composer – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Song Produced by – Shail- Pritesh
songs Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio.
Assisted by Rupak Thakur
Music Label – T-Series
4. Song – Nainowale Ne
Singer – Neeti Mohan
Lyricists – Siddharth – Garima
Composer – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Acoustic and Bass Guitar – Rutvik Talashikar
Sitar – Dhimant Varman
Percussions – Shyam Edwankar
Backing vocals – (Male) Shreyas Puranik, Shashi Suman, Saurabh Wakhare, Kunal Pandit. (Female) Meenal Jain, Prajakta Shukre, Aditi Paul
Song Produced and Arranged by – Shail Hada
Songs Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio.
Assisted by Rupak Thakur
Music Label – T-Series
5. Song – Holi ( Manganiyars & Langa’s folk song )
Singers – Richa Sharma, Shail Hada
Composer – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Song Produced by – Shail Hada
songs Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio.
Assisted by Rupak Thakur
6. Song – Binte Dil
Singer – Arijit Singh
Lyricist – A M Turaz
Composer – Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Song Produced by – Jackie Vanjari
songs Recorded, Mixed & Mastered by Tanay Gajjar at Wow & Flutter Studio.
Assisted by Rupak Thakur
Music Label – T-Series
