Music Review: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!
We, at BollyCurry, decided to check out this new combination of Indie with Bollywood and here is our review!
Published: Tuesday,Mar 31, 2015 21:41 PM GMT-06:00
Coming to theatres near you in the first week of April is Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, a crime thriller set in the 1940s featuring the fictional Indian detective Byomkesh Bakshy. Set against the backdrop of the a Calcutta (now Kolkata) torn by WWII, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is pitted against an evil genius with the support of nothing but his wits and instinct. Produced by Dibakar Banerjee and Aditya Chopra, and directed by Banerjee, the film stars Sushant Singh Rajput as the titular character of Byomkesh Bakshy. Supporting Rajput in this endeavour is Anand Tiwari as Ajit Bandyopadhyay, the sidekick of Bakshy, Swastika Mukherjee, and Divya Menon.
The
soundtrack of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is
quite unique as it is almost entirely made up of songs composed by Indian Indie
bands. Most of these bands are unknown to
the usual Bollywood fans, but they
are quite reputable in the indie circuits. The very talented Sneha Khanwalkar is the main
composer who worked with these bands all over the country. Banerjee and Khanwalkar
have managed to bring Indie music to the Bollywood scene, a feat unheard till
now. We, at BollyCurry, decided to check out this new combination of Indie with
Bollywood and here is our review!
The album opens with the song "Calcutta Kiss", a
foot tapping swing jazz track. Imaad Shah and Saba Azad, also known as Madboy-Mink, recreated their song "Taste Your Kiss" from their album All Ball
into
"Calcutta Kiss". This duo is not just the composer and singer, but also
wrote the lyrics of the song. The music is quite fast paced and
energizing and we definitely won't be surprised if the song soon becomes
a
favorite among party goers. The lyrics are quirky and Azad's refreshing
voice makes this song one of the best in the album.
The second song in this album is "Bach
Ke Bakshy". Penned
and composed by Sneha Khanwalkar and Dibakar Banerjee, this fast paced
song is actually a narration of the murder that takes place in the film.
The singers of this song are Gowri Jayakumar, Big Deal, Thomson
Andrews, and Trevor with a rap by Smokey the Ghosht and Craz Professa.
While this song does not win any points right away, it does grow on you
after a
while!
Third in line is the song "Byomkesh in Love". Composed
by alternative rock band Blek, this song is a lot slower than the
aforementioned songs, but has its own charm. The song is an interesting
Indo-Western fusion piece featuring classical Hindi female vocals
intermixed with a more westernized male sound. The overall effect of
this unique fusion makes for an interesting listen. The lyricist is
Rishi Bradoo, a member of Blek, while the song is sung by Rishi and Anil
Bradoo, and Usri Banerjee.
"Jaanam" is
the next song in this album, which happens to be quite similar to "Calcutta
Kiss". Composed by the Delhi based psychedelic rock band Peter Cat Recording Co.
(PCRC), the song is sung and penned by the vocalist of the band, Suryakant
Sawhney. This song is recreated from PCRC's track with English lyrics "Pariquel"
from their album Sinema. While the music is quite lively and cheerful, don't
let it fool you! The lyrics are fairly deep and it might take a few listens to decipher the
metaphoric meaning. This song may not be a hit among party buffs, but it will join many
playlists across the country for its breezy music.
Fifth in the
list is the song "Chase in Chinatown", another recreation of the alternative music track, "andov.a". The makers of this track, Mode
AKA, a Bangalore based electronica band, took their creations
"andov.a" and "Chick.n"
and recreated "Chase in Chinatown". Voiced by members of the band,
Vyshnav Balasubramaniam, Sandeep Madhavan, and Manas Ullas and penned by
Madhavan, this fast paced song is sure to become a part of DJ mixes
and party playlists!
The second to last
song in this album is "Life's a Bitch". Released as a background score for the
first trailer of the movie, this track has already garnered positive attention
from the audiences. Composed by a popular Delhi based nu-metal band Joint Family, the song has been penned and sung by the main vocalist of the band,
Akshay De. The lyrics are something that the younger generation would connect
to, and the music definitely strikes a chord. In other words, this is a song that
has the potential to rule the charts for a while!
The last song in this
album is "Yang Guang Lives", which has been composed, written, and sung by IJA.
Out of all the bands mentioned till now, IJA is the least known and the
song is also the least enjoyable. Its slow pace and subtle lyrics won't endear it
much to the Bollywood crowd, especially those who would enjoy the stylings of above six
songs. It does pick up its pace a little bit, but compared to the others, this is
the weakest song in the album with not much to offer.
While the
soundtrack of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is
quite different from the usual Bollywood fare, we surely enjoyed the
auditory journey to a totally different acoustic world. The album does a
fabulous job at introducing us all to the vast and ever-growing indie
music scene in India. The album definitely deserves a 3.5 out of 5 stars
for its freshness and its brave attempt to provide the listeners with a
new music style.
Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is
releasing on the 3rd of April at your
nearest theatres. If you are a lover of film noir or movies based on
novels, or simply a fan of Sushant Singh Rajput, then don't forget to
watch the movie.
Till then, check out the songs of this album and let us know what you
think! Do
remember that BollyCurry loves to hear from you!
Writer:
Kalpana K.C.
Editor (s): Ritchelle C. and Gunia K.
Graphics:
Komal P
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