Music Album: Ek Tha Tiger
Music: Sohail Sen, Sajid-Wajid
Lyrics: Kaushar Munir, Neelesh Mishra, Anvita Dutt
Director: Kabir Khan Producer: Aditya Chopra (Yash Raj Films)
Cast: Salman Khan, Katrina Kaif, Ranvir Shorey,Girish Karnad
Kabir Khan returns at the helm of direction yet again with an excitingly scripted thriller under the biggest banner in Indian cinema today and his all time favourite, Yash Raj. The film ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ also marks the first time coalition between the production house and the undisputed ruler of the box office, Salman Khan. While it might be strange that in a career that spanned over 20 years, this is the first time Salman is doing a Yash Raj film with Aditya Chopra having the reins of the film. The immense euphoria and mass hysteria started doing the buzz from the time the film was announced. Today almost after a year, Salman is all set to scorch the screen and bombard the box office yet another Eid, this time with an exclusive sneak peek into the life of a RAW agent, a heartless proctor who loses his heart when he meets his love interest in the film, Zoya played ably by the sexy Katrina Kaif. The film also marks the return of the candilicious Salman- Katrina duo, years after Yuvraaj. Given their on screen track records, Ek tha Tiger should definitely have a different Fate. While June 2012 was the month of Spiderman, July went to Batman and August can definitely be touted as the month of Sal-man! Most likely to be a blockbuster at the box office yet again, Dabangg Khan is setting eyes to create thunderstorms at the box office with this edgy spy thriller coupled with coy romance. And guess what, trade analysts are expecting an earth shattering opening this Eid with our Chulbul Pandey returning after almost a year. Shot extensively in picturesque locales of Cuba, Istanbul, India and Ireland, this film captures beautiful moments which can be spotted in the orgasmic trailer and the music videos recently released for the public.
Coming to the music of the film, the album has a tally of eight songs, four being original sound tracks, one being the background theme for the film and three remixes. The music department is largely headed by Sohail Sen of Mere Brother ki Dulhan fame who has composed five of the eight songs. Two of the other songs are headed by the power packed Sajid-Wajid duo that has rocked the nation off late with chartbusters like ‘Munni’ and ‘Anarkali Disco Chali’. The background theme has been conceptualized by Julius Packiam. The composers have used a variety of singers with rich tone and high efficiency and blended all of them into creating one of the most addictive albums of all time. From the versatile KK to the powerful Sukhwinder Singh, there are a host of singers who have belted out some engaging tracks that are a treat to the tympanum. While you have Sajid and Shreya fusing their talented vocals to create a gem in gem in one, there is a new musical find in Palak Muchhal who takes the ‘Laapata’ track en route to all the glory.
From the extremely infectious Mashallah to the soothing and oh-so-romantic Saiyaara, the album is teekhi mirch at times and candy floss the other with a dash of pink on it! Flooded with tracks that cajole even a non dancer to imitate a few steps and make an effort, the album has caught the right chord with its audience. And voila! The results have been exuberating. As of now, let’s decode the Album in totality:
Mashallah:
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Definitely the pick of the lot, this upbeat and infectious song is catapulted to indescribable heights, thanks to the effective use of the saxophone and the zingy beats. The only song in the album composed by the in form duo Sajid- Wajid and they just go out of their credibility to produce a gem that beautifully amalgamates the theme of the film and the place with the mast Arabic flavour. The rap gets to your ears and the mixing of the tone and quality of the two singers is breath taking! While Sajid lends that delicate push to the song, Shreya lends her immensely husky voice do the sensual play on the ears of millions. The two singers breathe life into the track and the fusion is in one word, Electric! Kausar Munir’s lines amplify the seduction and raunchiness that come along with Mashallah. When Shreya and Sajid go ‘tujhko churaya hai, paaya hai yeh jahaan’, we can only say ‘Mashallah Mashallah’.
Laapata:
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A rip roaring love track that catches the naughty genes of millions and tugs at your heart in a manner that no one else does! This peppy number is a fusion of Latin American beats with a desi Indian touch. A soothing romantic number, this one is a testimonial of the naughtiness that the powerhouse of talent KK and Palak Muchhal bring on the platter. Spunky and fun loving, this song echoes the theory of love and how! The Spanish zippo and theme concocts to produce a number that is in itself a winner. Superlative lyrics by Anvita Dutt and strong chemistry between the lead singers are reasons enough to transcend you to an elevated level of love and compassion. Enjoy the trance. Just go ‘Laapata’ with this vivaciously refreshing and soothing romantic number.
Banjaara:
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In Bolly town today, every film album has to have three basic amenities to stand out amongst all. An item number, a romantic track and an immensely high octane power packed rendition that stamp on the winning status of the album in totality. The Ek Tha Tiger team thought no different. They put in a Mashallah with a Laapata and then put the edgy Banjaara to provide the nice variety. The song has the power, the vigour and the strength, no wonder because at the end of the day, it will be remembered as a Sukhwinder Singh rendition. The tempo is fast, upbeat and the song in totality has an Irish encapsulation. Neelesh Mishra’s lines ‘Uski dhun mein dil banjaara’ effectively portrays the stoic loneliness in the protagonist’s character and is extremely heart trenching. But somewhere, after two beautifully carved tracks, this Sukhwinder Singh track falls considerably flat of the winning mark and fails to match upto the expectations.
Saiyaara:
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This 4 minuter is the masterpiece by Sohail Sen. A composer who proved his skill with his art with an exciting Mere Brother ki Delhan album has surely honed and polished his creative genes before embarking on this one. Kabir Khan gave him the full freedom and liberty and voila Sohail has just taken it too damn seriously! He strikes gold with this one as he coalesce the super talents of Mohit Chauhan and Tarannum Mallick (singer of ‘Dhadkan’ from Whats your Rashee?) Coming to the song, it can not be any less than over anticipated and over hyped as it brings back self proclaimed lovers turned friends Salman –Katrina’s epic romance on everyone’s coffee table. Undoubtedly, the best love melody of the year till now, Saiyaara will stay fresh in the minds of all, even after the film comes and creates hailstorms at the box office. The pain, the warmth, the madness, the exuberance, the passion and most notably the Love- each feeling has been expressed to perfection with this lovely soothing romantic ballad. Mohit is definitely racing towards awards yet gain churning the lovely Saiyaara. Kausar Munir’s words ‘Ho jaaye jahaan tu jaaye, Paaye mujhe hi paaye, Saaye yeh mere, Hai tujh mein samaaye’ cogently arrest the suffering of the couple as the plot progresses. Newbie Tarannum wows with her slow and soft voice that packs in the right punch for the immensely orgasmic and amorous serenade from the album. Once is not enough for this one!
Tiger Theme:
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You ca never really consider a theme to be a song but yes, it’s definitely a track in the album. The background Tiger Theme in this case, composed by Julius Packiam capably establishes the core theme of the film without much a do. The brief of most of the characters, the genre and the plot plus the morbid action sequences can be developed from this fast, adrenaline pumping number. But there is nothing much to really go gaga over this one! Ultimately it is just an average track which has nothing much to be mentioned.
REMIXES:
As mentioned before, there are three Remixes in the album. Though most of the remixes are groovy and have catchy tunes, they considerably fall flat to be a wonder! The originals are undoubtedly notches above the considerably unremarkable remix numbers.
Mashallah Remix:
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Though a remix of the exciting and peppy Mashallah track can entice your dancing cells to get on the floor and shake the booties a few more times, the feel good nature of the zingy beat and its Arabic rap is lost. Thereafter, the fast tempo forces to lose the fray and is comparatively much less charming than the original. The huskiness of Shreya’s voice as usual comes out stronger but on the whole, this track loses the beauty after this highly over the top editing and remixing. Adversely, you would be shocked to know when it starts and stops since both happen quite abruptly without any hint of the collapse.
Laapata Remix:
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This soothing as well as bamboozling track starts off with a punch knocking quite a few, pumping up the heartbeat to an exhilarating high. The fast pace in the remix seems to suit and coax with the song even more efficiently. The Initiation of Love can easily be described by this epic rendition. The Echoes and the Reverberations play an orgasmic part in the background. Almost as impactful as the original Latin American inspired number, Laapata’s remixed version can get you lost in a trance with bouts of love overflowing from the heart. Palak Muchhal is certainly a find and KK rocks the stage like no other!
Banjaara Remix:
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In the remixed edition of this gutsy Sukhwinder Singh rendition, the power and tensility seems lost and it is quite a showdown for an album that is ornamented by addictive beats and infectious tunes. The only mistake in an almost perfect album, as we call it, the Banjaara remix is even worse than the original. There is a certain lack of Magnetism in this track, one that could have stood out amongst all! Sigh! Our lovely Sukhi Sir failed to weave the magic wand around this time, maybe!
Final Verdict: An out and out bombastic music album that is all set to rock the charts, parties and nightclubs for the upcoming quarter, The Ek Tha Tiger is widely recommended. Coronated by the magical powers of the mystic duo Sajid-Wajid and the immensely talented Sohail Sen, the album stands out as a Winner! Raise a toast to the composers for the music, the lyricists for their efficiency of words and to all the singers to play their part with consummate ease. An almost perfect album, Ek Tha Tiger falls just half an inch short of the Zenith. Nevertheless, Enjoy the Music! Let your ears play the drum!
