Junooniyat Music Review: Likeable But Not Chartbuster Material

The Sanam Re couple – Pulkit Samrat and Yami Gautam come together once again for Vivek Agnihotri directed Junooniyat. Also starring Gulshan Devaiah and Hrishita Bhatt in pivotal roles, the film has its music composed by multiple composers including Ankit Tiwari, Meet Bros Anjjan and Jeet Ganguly while the lyrics have been penned by Kumaar, Rashmi Virag and Manoj Muntashir. With Sanam Re's soundtrack proving to be a hit with the youngsters, the expectations from this soundtrack is naturally on the higher side. So will this be yet another chartbuster in the making? Let's tune in to find out.

The album opens with a party number Nachange Saari Raat composed by Meet Bros Anjjan. Rhythmic beats and a catchy composition is almost a given when the song in question is a dance number and that is exactly what we get with Nachange Saari Raat. Both the singers – Neeraj Sridhar and Tulsi Kumar, sound quite different from their earlier works – whether it is a sincere attempt at voice modulation or good old electronically processed vocals, the effect is actually quite good. But whether this Kumaar written number will actually stand out in the crowd of party numbers that Bollywood has been churning out in recent times is a question that will depend on the box office performance of the film.

Jeet Gannguli comes up with a lovely melody in Mujhko Barsaat Bana Lo that has been sung equally beautifully by Armaan Malik. The arrangement is pleasing and Rashmi Virag's verses ooze love and romance. Of course, the tune does not really offer anything new in terms of creativity but is enjoyable and Armaan’s rendition helps increase the likeability factor.

Romance is again the central theme of Ankit Tiwari composed Ishqe Di Lat which has the singer-composer taking over the mike too along with Tulsi Kumar. The composition is simple and likeable while Manoj Muntashir's lyrics revolve around love and longing. Again, while the overall composition is quite appealing, its long term sustainability is a bit doubtful due to the absence of the 'it' factor.

Meet Bros Anjjan go out their familiar territory to come up with a sufi inspired title track. Sung by Falak Shabir, Junooniyat is intense and engaging. The composers keep the arrangement simple and let the singer take centre-stage which he does with his powerful vocals. Kumaar's verses are in line with the mood and setting of the song and the end product turns out to be quite satisfactory.

The same cannot be said of the next track, Pagalon Sa Naach which has been composed by Meet Bros Anjjan and sung by the composers along with Khushboo Grewal. Though it is evident that the track is supposed to be a fun number (and therefore the nonsensical lyrics from Kumaar?), the composition is just about average. Yes, the hook line is catchy but that's all there is to it and the song does not stay in one's mind beyond its running time.

The second version of the title track comes up as the climax number, Tu Junooniyat which has been composed by Jeet Gannguli. While the first version was sufi inspired, this one has some rock elements which should make it more appealing to youngsters. Shrey Singhal sings with passion and is well supported by Akriti Kakar. This being a climax number, the added effect was surely needed and the singers live up to the task quite well. Akriti's sugary sweet vocals prove to be the perfect foil for Singhal and together they create an extremely engaging number which should find its fair share of fans for sure.

To sum up, the soundtrack of Junooniyat proves to be quite a likeable one with the composers belting out some very good numbers. But the fact remains that most of these tracks despite being above average still lack the 'it' factor that would have been the difference between good numbers and chartbusters. Nevertheless, the songs have the chance to make a greater appeal in the listener's minds if the film performs well at the box office.

Our Picks: Mujhko Barsaat Bana Lo, Ishqe Di Lat and Tu Junooniyat.