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Rating: 3/5 stars (Three stars)
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Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypurhas been a much talked about movie with high expectations. While Anurag digs deep before attempting a subject, he has chosen a music director who does the same. GOW has Sneha Khanwalkar as the composer and Varun Grover as lyricist. With as many as 15 songs and to give each of them a different flavour is a mammoth task. Sneha, who is famous for her contribution to the soundtrack for Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, manages to do that and comes up with an album which will definitely win her critical acclaim.
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The album begins with the song Jiya Ho Bihar Ke Lala and with its music and lyrics sets the tone for what would follow. It is sung by Manoj Tiwari and his vocals have definitely added a dash of flavour to the lyrics. For a movie set in rural India, the director has done full justice to the song. Mixing of the traditional instruments with the new sound is what keeps one glued to this song.
Hunter is a song which will definitely be a hit of the album. Sung by Vedesh Sookoo, Rajneesh, Shyamoo and Munna as a band, it is a new age funky number. It’s intriguing to listen to the mix of sounds in this song, specially the Caribbean and Soca sounds making it different. Add to that some outrageous lyrics which would make you listen to the song again and again.
O Womaniya sucks you deeper in the album and Sneha is able to pull you into her world of Wasseypur. The song has a very folksy tune but is extremely experimental with the sounds and the manner in which it is sung, especially the use of chorus. After listening to the lyrics, you will be fascinated with the meaning hidden in it and will appreciate the song on a different level.
Next in the album is Keh Ke Lunga, a dark number. Sung by Amit Trivedi and Sneha herself with Piyush Mishra as a lyricist, it would definitely rate high on scale of experimentation and would be loved by listeners who appreciate this particular genre of music.
Bhoo is a song which stands out because of its lyrics and the mix of the background guitar. This would be, in all likelihood, the first instance when a guitar has been used in such an earthy and region based song. The song is rendered by Manish J. Tipu & Bhupesh Singh and the choice to rope them in is apt for a song like this.
The album progresses with Ik Bagal. Sung and penned by Piyush himself, it stands out for the lyrics. It’s the only slow number in this fast paced and loud album. Also, the base setting of the song will remind you of old 60s or 70s tracks.
Bhaiya is a rendition which would be remembered for its music and in a movie like this, it would act as a background score.
Tain Too Too is a fun filled song. Sung by Sneha herself in a very random manner, it makes you wonder whether this is an experimentation done on a whim by the director and whether at a later stage the song was incorporated into the film.
Soona Kar Ke Gharwa is a typical Bihari ‘nautanki’. It’s sung by Sujeet and he has been able to croon it in an authentic manner. Music has also been composed to go with the ‘nautanki’ flavour. Aye Jawaan continues the nautanki flavour in the album. It has been performed by Ranjeet Baal Party and both the tracks seem to be adding to the setting and the story.
After O Womaniya, there is another version that comes in the form of Womaniya. If you found the earlier version interesting, you would surely be attracted towards this one too. This can be called as the ‘remixed version’ of the same, though it still holds on its own due to its imaginative use of chorus and instruments. This one has been sung by Khushboo Raaj and Rekha Jha.
Manmauji is the next song in the album and is sung by Usri Banerjee. It can be termed as the most romantic and melodious track in the whole album with lyrics and music by Piyush Mishra.
The album continues with Loonga Loonga which is sung by Ranjeet Baal Party and Akshay Verma. More than the melody, the song stands out for the unique mix of sounds and words. Last to arrive is Humni Ke Chhodi Ke. Sung by Deepak Kumar-Muzzafarpur, it’s a Bihari folk song with good support of the harmonium.
Gangs Of Wasseypur is a soundtrack which should be acknowledged for its experimentation and uniqueness. Sneha has got a winner; the album has to be evaluated for getting the authenticity and the originality in place for this movie. She has done justice by incorporating sounds and music which are very earthy and rustic in nature. Special mention is required for lyricist Varun Grover who has given very funky and bizarre lyrics for this movie. Only thing that may pull the album down is that due to the extreme regional touch in lyrics as well as the music, it might not find many takers and hence would get restricted to a niche audience. However, Hunter and O Womaniya should definitely march towards the top the charts. It is said that music has no boundaries and hopefully the same would apply to this album as well.
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