Wazir Music Review: Strictly Niche

By managing to bring together two contrasting yet talented personalities (Amitabh Bachchan and Farhan Akhtar) in a film with an intriguing premise, Producer-Director Vidhu Vinod Chopra has indeed managed to hit the jackpot with Wazir. Directed by Bejoy Nambiar, this action thriller also stars Aditi Rao Hydari, Neil Nitin Mukesh and John Abraham (in an extended cameo). Though one does not usually expect music to be a strong point in action thrillers, the creative team manages to surprise the listeners by bringing in not one or two but five different composers (Shantanu Moitra, Ankit Tiwari, Prashant Pillai, Advaita (band) and Gaurav Godkhindi) to contribute to the soundtrack! Similarly, the lyrical department too is quite crowded with Manoj Muntashir, Swanand Kirkire, Turaz, Abhijeet Deshpande and the producer Vidhu Vinod Chopra himself wielding their magic on pen and paper. With so many heavyweights coming together for this album, one indeed is curious to find out whether the end result has turned out as well as expected. So let’s tune in to find out!

The album opens on a melodious note with Tere Bin which has been sung by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal. Though this Shantanu Moitra composed number reminds one of Saathiya Tune Kya Kiya (Love) in its opening lines, the song takes an altogether different trajectory afterwards which is quite simply delectable! While Vidhu Vinod Chopra lyrics are romantic and lovelorn, veteran Sonu Nigam and melody queen Shreya Ghoshal touch your heart with their beautiful rendition which proves to be literally the icing on this most gorgeous and exquisitecake! A must listen!

The album’s second track Tu Mere Paas has been composed and sung by Ankit Tiwari. Ankit stays true to his style of music and the song has a melodious feel to it. The arrangement is soft and mellow for this Manoj Muntashir written number and Ankit does a decent job behind the mike too. If you are a fan of Ankit Tiwari melodies, you will enjoy this one too.

With a title like Wazir, one expects a sufiana number in the soundtrack and the makers do not disappoint us by delivering a soulful qawalli in the form of Maula. Javed Ali is topnotch with his vocals while lyricists Swanand Kirkire and Vidhu Vinod Chopra use the word ‘Maula’ quite liberally in the verses (perhaps to accentuate the sufi feel?). Whatever be the reason, despite the unintended filmy touch to the qawalli, the song manages to tug at your heartstrings mainly due to Ali’s emotional and touching rendition.

Fusion Band Advaita make their Bollywood debut with Khel Khel Main which should most probably be the theme song of the film. The composition is typical of their style with some beautiful sarangi solos from Suhail Yusuf Khan while Abhijeet Deshpande’s words gets all the more attractive, courtesy, the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, whose baritone voice makes this track an enthralling and worthwhile listen.

Tere Liye Mere Kareem is dark and haunting and is guaranteed to give you goosebumps! Not meant to be a crowd pleaser, this one is strictly situational. Composer Prashant Pillai who also gets behind the mike to deliver this track along with Gagan Baderiya is in superlative form while Turaz’s lyrics are gloomy and meant to send a shiver down your spine. This one should have a superlative effect on screen!

Gaurav Godkhindi provides the background theme for the film aptly titled, Wazir Theme. In line with the mood and setting of the film, this track has a mystic and enigmatic feel to it and should be a perfect fit in the film.

To sum up, Wazir’s soundtrack is not meant for a universal audience. Despite the presence of multiple talents, the soundtrack is strictly meant to fall in line with the theme of the film and therefore will not enjoy huge popularity. That said, the album does have a couple of good melodies which should hopefully satisfy the target audience.

Our Picks: Tere Bin and Maula