Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! Music Review: Full On Indie Style

Detective films seems to be the recent fad in Bollywood nowadays if the upcoming projects of top directors like Anurag Basu and Dibakar Banerjee are any indication. So it is with quite a bit of anticipation that we look forward to India’s finest detective from the Doordarshan era making his entry into the big screen, courtesy director Dibakar Banerjee. Indeed, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! (the Bakshi is spelt with a ‘y’ this time around!) portrayed by Sushant Singh Rajput is sure expected to be a treat for the fans of the original Indian detective and it is with such equal curiosity that we look forward to the film’s musical album. While it is very difficult to gauge the necessity of music in a detective film, the Bengali influence (the protagonist is a Bengali and the film itself is set in Bengal) is sure to make this musical journey worthwhile.

Madboy/Mink rework their hit Taste the Kiss with the album’s first track, Calcutta Kiss. Insanely catchy and addictive, this Jazz and dubstep inspired dance track has been sung by Imaad Shah and Saba Azad. The latter specifically deserves a mention for getting the mood of the song perfectly and delivering an awesome and flawless performance. Mad it might be, but this Kiss is definitely not to be missed!

Sneha Khanwalkar goes full on Indie with Bach Ke Bakshy which in one word is eclectic! Right from the choice of singers (Gowri Jayakumar, Big Deal, Thomson Andrews, Trevor, Smokey the Ghosht, Craz Professa) to the various sounds one gets to hear in the composition - from rap to haunting melody (yeah, you read it right!), this song is as unconventional as it gets. The director (who incidentally shares composition credits with Khanwalkar for this track), seems to be hell bent on making this album sound completely different from the regular Bollywood fare and that he does quite well with this track which despite its obvious eccentricity is something which one can enjoy while it lasts.

The trend of reworking hit tracks by Indie composers continues with Alt-Rock Band, Blek adapting their hit track, Fog+Strobe  for Byomkesh in Love which has Rishi and Anil Bradoo crooning the pop bit. But what makes this song truly striking is the inclusion of a classical twist in the proceedings - something which Usri Banerjee seems to have nailed with her near-perfect rendition.

After Jazz, Rap and Pop, now we have Waltz making its presence felt in this soundtrack with Peter Cat Recording Co composed Jaanam. Typically Bollywoodish in its setting and arrangement, this waltz track has a lazy yet endearing arrangement which is quite engaging. The downside though is Suryakant Sawhney’s drawling vocals which seem slightly mismatched with the tone and setting of the number.

Its grunge time with Mode AKA composed Chase in Chinatown. Some fast paced beats in a typical hard rock composition is good enough reason to get your adrenalin running. Sung byVyshnav Balasubramaniam, Sandeep Madhavan and Manas Ullas, this track is high on energy. But on the other hand, it is not exactly everyone’s cup of tea and is more of a situational track which does not have any life beyond the film’s screenplay.

Life’s a bitch is yet another heavy metal track number and has been composed by Joint Family. Similar to Chase in Chinatown, this is yet another situational angst-filled track and has been sung rather vociferously by Akshay De. The downside again is that its audience is very limited and as such has a very short shelf life.

What is a detective film without a little mystery and edginess? IJA composed Yang Guang Lives sets out to deliver exactly just that. The right mix of eeriness and enigma, this one is all set to give you the heebie-jeebies and should have an even better impact on screen.

With its unconventional and eclectic sounds and genres, the soundtrack of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! gives a new meaning to the word ‘Edgy’! Director Dibakar Banerjee seems to have travelled the extra mile to keep this album completely non-formulaic and has taken a bold step by breaking away from masalafare without care for the commercial aspects. To that extent, one can applaud the director’s brave efforts but as a standalone album, this one might unfortunately not appeal to the majority of the audiences. Period.

Our Pick: Calcutta Kiss & Byomkesh in Love