Music Review: Kalank

Touted to be Dharma Productions pioneer, Yash Johar's dream come true, Kalank (2019) is slated to hit theatres on April 17th. The film is set in the mid 1940s circumventing the partition. Armed with a stellar star-cast consisting of Alia Bhatt, Varun Dhawan, Sonakshi Sinha, Aditya Roy Kapur, Madhuri Dixit Nene and Sanjay Dutt, it captures love, conflicts and fate amidst the rising communal tensions while also promising some memorable performances.

Pritam makes a comeback with the soundtrack of Kalank (2019) after a year and a half, the last addition to his discography being Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (2017); whilst the lyrics of the album are penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. What we, at India Forums, have gathered so far from the trailer, teaser and other promotional clips has led us to believe that the flick is bound to be epic. We gave the album a listen to gauge if that too held on to the same sentiment. Read on to see what we think of it.

The album opens with "Ghar More Pardesiya", a surreal, semi-classical number. The vocals by the "Pinga" pair, Shreya Ghoshal and Vaishali Mhade, are hypnotizing and heart-warming. The tranquil notes of the sitar, tabla and a pleasing composition complement the elements from the eternal love tale of Lord Rama and Sita the song employs, evoking heavenly joy. There is also a Radio Cut version of this song on the album which is crisp, yet keeps the essence intact.

The next song on the album is called "First Class". It is crooned energetically by Arijit Singh and Neeti Mohan. While the track, worded heavily in Urdu, is peppy and conceals the desolation in the background with ease, the team's sense of reasoning seems to have gone for a bit of a toss when they used the term first class' that is largely millennial. Barring this blunder, it forms a decent dance track that is enjoyable and catchy.

The third song on the album is the title track. You can feel the agony in Arijit Singh's voice as he sings of deep love, longing and heartache. The lines are imbued with sufficient stunning symbolisms and metaphors. Deja vu might hit if you have ever lent an ear to Singh, Pritam and Bhattacharya's earlier collaborated compositions, such as "Channa Mereya" and yet, this one feels beautiful. However, it is the breath-taking bridge that truly stands out, a bridge that lingers in your mind for days. Shilpa Rao's haunting voice joins in on the duet version of the song as well as the bonus track, multiplying its magic several folds. The bonus track also features some additional enchanting lyrics. In conclusion, every rendition has uniqueness and a charm of its own.

The fourth song on the album "Tabaah Ho Gaye" was supposed to be a melancholy dance track but unfortunately, fails to live up to it. Although it is melodious, it has a connotation of contentment instead of anguish even when it speaks soulfully of heartbreak. The music of the song sung by Ghoshal amazes with its traditional instrumentals but doesn't give out the vibes a classical dance number must radiate. Overall, while this song comes off as a disappointment, it also oddly grows on you.

The fifth song on the album "Aira Gaira" is yet another dance number. The composition is groovy and upbeat, and Antara Mitra's bold voice becomes the mood of the song. Javed Ali and Tushar Joshi handle the plain male vocals that seem to have a hint of qawali. The outlandish lyrics usher in mischief but seem vulgar and inappropriate at some points, leaving us slightly less impressed. An extended version of the song also makes it into the album.

The final song on the album is called "Rajvaadi Odhni". Lending her sweet voice to this track is Jonita Gandhi. The song has Rajasthani folk music feels and is free-spirited and uplifting. The lyrics are full of life and colour, making it an exciting listen.

The Kalank (2019) album offers variety and vibrance apart from the central theme of pain. It also seeks to depict culture and tradition with the use of folk and classical music which is appreciable. On the other hand, the background score of Kalank (2019) has received backlash for being blatantly copied from a popular American show. However, despite having its fair share of let downs and certain tracks that look too extravagant to belong to the British era, the album does manage to stir souls while paying allegiance to our rich heritage, for which we give it a good 3 out of 5 stars.

We urge you to tune in to your favourite streaming website to give this album a listen and let us know your thoughts before you head to the nearest theatres to catch Kalank. Here's wishing the film's team all the very best for its release on April 17th.