Bangistan Music Review: No ”It” Factor

Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat star in Excel Entertainment produced Bangistan, a comical satire which also has an underlying message about peace and communal harmony. The film also stars Chandan Roy Sanyal and Jacqueline Fernandez (in a cameo appearance) and has been directed by Karan Anshuman. Delhi Belly fame Ram Sampath is in charge of the music with Puneet Krishna penning down the lyrics for this light-hearted parody. Since the film has a youthful look, one expects the music to be vibrant and energetic and lively. With Sampath's track record ranging from the youthful (Delhi Belly, Fukrey) to the more serious (Talaash, Khakee), the hope is that the Composer would surprise us yet again with his eclectic style.
 

Ishq Karenge is the Composer's version of a Qawali and true to form, the Composer's unique musical style is quite visible in this racy Qawali, though one cannot be blamed if this track reminds you of Tumse Mike Dil Ka Haal from Main Hoon Na. That said, this one too is quite enjoyable with the singers (Sona Mohapatra, Abhishek Nailwal, Shadaab Faridi) going all out to channel the inherent spirit and energy of this track in their rendition resulting in an enjoyable opening track. The EDM version though seems slightly forced since in the process of making track more club-worthy, the Qawali sound is relegated to a lower place thus resulting in a not so favourable end-result.
 

The lyrics are what catches your attention in the first place in Hogi Kranti followed by of course the tune which is obviously a take-off on Hum Honge Kamyab. The Composer also nails the marching- band styled music complete with accordions and other typical European musical instruments and seamlessly integrates the two contrasting musical styles to present an interesting musical cocktail to the listener. The Composer also gets behind the mike along with Abhishek Nailwal to deliver this delectable musical concoction which is at once funny and enjoyable.

Saturday Night is similar to Hogi Kranti in its musical arrangement (which again has a decidedly European feel to it) but that's where the similarity ends. True to its title, Saturday Night is a party track with bouncy and lively beats and the singing (Aditi Singh Sharma, Benny Dayal, Neeraj Shridhar, Janusz Krucinski) especially, is spot on with all the singers conveying the party mood with their lively and energetic singing. While the lyrics are decidedly average, the composition and the singing allows one to overlook the written word and lets the listener to just enjoy the fun number.
 

The mood turns pensive with Maula, a sufi number which has been sung soulfully by Rituraj Mohanty and the Composer Ram Sampath himself. Excellent use of the tabla as well as the Sitar (towards the end of the song) by the composer gives the stamp of authenticity to this track. A nice listen, Maula though is not exactly commercial enough for it to find universal favor with the listeners.

Do not get fooled by the slow start of Meri Zidd. This one is a head-banging type rock number complete with some major guitar strumming and has been sung boisterously by Siddharth Basrur aided by the composer. The arrangement is full-on Hard Rock while Basrur's rendition might evoke memories of Delhi Belly's DK Bose in the listener. That said, one waits to see how the song might fit in the film.

Is Duniya Se Ladna Hai is the final track and has a catchy but predictable sound to it. The highlight of the track is yet again the singing with Suraj Jagan and Abhishek Nailwal nailing it. The arrangement again is a little regimental though more crowd-pleasing but still is not impactful enough.
 

To sum up, the problem with the album of Bangistan is that none of the songs manage to leave an impression on the listener though they are not exactly bad. In fact, each of the songs are worth a listen but that's about it. Despite managing to incorporate eclectic genres in the soundtrack, Composer Ram Sampath has somehow missed out on the ''It'' factor which makes a song a hit. And that unfortunately might have a telling impact on the album's shelf life.

Our Picks: Ishq Karenge and Hogi Kranti.