Saawariya - Music Review

The trailer of Saawariya attracted many people. It looked very dreamy, like a poetry with beautiful music in the background. I know many friends who were waiting for this album more than for Om Shanti Om. And as we all know Sanjay Leela Bhansali and his penchant for quality music, he's succeeded in extracting a very unique music score from the debutant Monty Sharma. We all know Monty for his brilliant Background score from the movie Black and Devdas. But very few know that he also composed the amazing title track of the movie Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam. So although this is his debut movie, he's not new to composing songs. The album comprises of 11 original songs with lyrics by Sameer, no remixes, no instrumentals.

The album starts with "Saawariya" song. A fresh and a feel good song which is very hummable. To add to the freshness, we have a new singer, Shail Hada, singing the song. But just when I started to enjoy this song, it ended. I then realised that its just 2:45 mins long. I wished it was a bit longer. Monty's music arrangement is very apt for this song. Some parts of singing reminds one of Kishore Kumar's style. I think it was intended that way.

When a smooth subtle chorus started the next song with Laage re laage re laage...laage re nainuva...laage re..laage re..I knew that this was the kind of song I was waiting for after watching the trailer. And when Shaan followed it with a soothing sweet-sounding "Jab Se tere naina", I had already increased the volume to get completely drowned in the music. But unfortunately, what followed was a speedbreaker in the form of drum / dhol beats and the song changed its course into a qawali or bhangra wannabe. Thankfully it returned back to its melody soon, which was once again short lived. I'm not against beats, but if you listen to this track you'll understand. This would have been my favorite song from the album, if not for the dhol beats.

Now "Masha Allah" is a song which is direct dil se from Monty, and the way Kunal sings is, it has no other place to go other than direct dil ko. I'm sure Sanjay Leela Bhansali will do full justice to this song with dreamy sets. Its a beautiful song which can be played again and again.

"Thode Badmash" must have been composed during Devdas times. One can't help but notice similarities between this song and "Bairi Piya". This song has the same innocence, naughtiness and interestingly also the same singer Shreya Ghosal as in Bairi Piya. The only missing element is Aishwarya, which I guess is a huge difference. Once again its a small song going for just 3:19 mins.

"Yoon Shabnami" adds to the list of pleasant melodies in this albums. Violin interlude is amazing. In the middle this song surprisingly goes into qawali, but this time thankfully its good and adds life to the song. There's a lot of experimentation in this song as the mood keeps changing throughout. The beats and arrangement is typical AR Rahman style.

"Daras Bina Nahin Chain" song appeared in the first trailor which came out. This is for all Classical music lovers. Richa sharma is very effective in this song which is tailor made for her. In one of his interviews, Monty had mentioned that this is his favorite song, probably the closest to his heart.

"Sawar Gayi" is once again excellent with respect to music arrangement. But it has a kind of sadness to it which would make many to just skip it and go to the next track.

The Chorus singing at the start of the next song "Jaan-E-Jaan" reminds you of the music which appears in the movie Koyla, which in turn was shamelessly lifted by Rajesh Roshan from 1497: Conquest of Paradise by Vangelis. What follows is yet another nice melody which transports you to the 60s or 70s.

"Pari" is another beautiful melodious song, soulfully rendered by Kunal Ganjawala. The whistle tune in the song gives a nostalgic feel to the it. The orchestration at the end of this song is breathtaking. Monty at his best here.

"Chhabeela" is a passable song for me. If this song had featured in any movie between the years 1999 - 2004, probably it would have found takers, but it feels a bit outdated for this time. I'm not saying its a bad song, it just belongs to the times of CDs and cassettes and not ipods.

In "Saawariya reprise" Shail Hada excels once again. Its same song as the first, just that this one comes with crowds cheering for him. Its a perfect ending for this album.

Looking at the sets, the paintings and the costumes in the first trailer, I thought the music would be like Devdas, good melodies but a bit on the sad side. Surprisingly the songs of Saawariya turn out to be very young, contemporary and also melodious at the same time. There are some sad songs without which any Sanjay Leela Bhansali's film is incomplete. In the end its a complete score wherein Monty has poured his heart and soul in each and every track. He's worked hard for two and a half years coming up with this musical score. Unfortunately its come at a time where fast beats, techno, and catchy songs rule the charts, and with mighty opposition in the form of Om Shanti Om, this album might find fewer takers. Nevertheless this album is for everyone who appreciate good quality music. My favorite songs in this album would be Saawariya, Pari, Masha Allah, Yoon Shabnami, and Jab se tere naina minus dhol beats.