MUSIC REVIEW: Yuvvraaj

Join Rahman on his grand journey - a rich, rewarding and unforgettable experience

By Chandrima Pal . Buzz18 Oct 18, 2008

At a recent press conference for his film Yuvvraaj, Subhash Ghai made a passing but significant reference to Chicago, one of classic Broadway musicals which was also adapted to the big screen (Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger, Catherina Zeta-Jones).

The soundtrack of Yuvvraaj is perhaps the perfect mirror of his inspiration.

It would be no exaggeration to say, AR Rahman's virtuosity and Gulzar's lyrical mastery have come together to give us the year's most innovative album so far. With a superb blend of Western and Indian classical, pop and disco, Rahman evokes the grandeur of a symphony at one time and the vibe of a pulsating dance floor at the other.

The album explodes with the all-too familiar opening bars of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony (performed competently by the Chennai String Orchestra), interspersed with Salman's introduction: Main Hoon Yuvvraaj and flows into Tu Meri Dost Hain: (Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal, Rahman).

This song introduces us to the signature style of the soundtrack and its recurring theme, and glides on the wings of beautiful lyrics.

Sample this:

Awaaz ka dariya hoon

Behta hoon main nili raaton mein

Main jaagta rehta hoon

Neendh bhari jheel si aankhon mein

Awaaz hoon main…

The arrangement is neat, the choice and use of instruments impeccable, and the melody, if not easy to hum, certainly grows on you.

Hop, skip and jump to Shano Shano, an out and out dance track (remixed version by Ember later in the album). Once again, Rahman chooses not to go for an overproduced track, though the temptation could be really high. This one is a very funky pop number sung by Sonu Nigam, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy, Sunaina, Vivienne Pocha and Tina. Not really 'out there', Shano does have its moments though Nigam's voice is bit of an incongruity here.

LISTEN: Yuvvraaj songs

The next one Tu Muskara, again is not exactly what we would like to say 'brilliant', but it does have all the makings of one. Tu Muskara (Alka Yagnik, Javed Ali) is a slow ballad-like number with orchestra support, neat bits of guitar playing, and is a slow burn. Tu Muskara sounds very situational, particularly when the mood changes towards the end with a spot of classical sargam thrown in.

The Broadway musical influence shines through in Mastam Mastam. Now, with this, as with most other tracks of this album, picturisation would play an important part in its appreciation. Mastam… sung by Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Naresh and Benny, seems like a heavily choreographed fun song, with references to cats and other animals and the same captured in the sound effects. Extremely dramatic and lively the song stands out for its skillful use of backing vocals, a touch of accordion and a robust rhythm section.

And now, for the song of the album - Zindagi, sung brilliantly by Srinivas.

Rahman has been experimenting a lot with with a certain kind of melody-driven, starkly beautiful songs (RDB, Jodhaa…). With Zindagi, he has mastered the art. Beginning with an accordion solo that will have you going 'a-ha', Zindagi, is a bitter sweet song about a conversation with life and the way it treats one. Zindagi is reminiscent of Gulzar from his Ijaazat days (if you have not seen it, rent a DVD right now!), such is the magic that sparkles in this consummate union of lyrics and melody. Zindagi is my personal favourite and something tells me, it will enjoy patronage with a whole lot of people out there, who appreciate simple melodies and good, old-fashioned Hindi lyrics.

Dil Ka Rishta begins with a full-blown orchestral prelude and the song takes off from there. The track enjoys a fusion of styles, Indian, and western classical, instrumental and vocal, with Rahman doing a bit of voice percussion as well. On a very different note is Manmohini Morey (Vijay Prakash). This happens to be a traditional Indian classical 'mukhra' which Rahman blends with electronic beats for a very contemporary twist.

Rahman and Ghai's last full-fledged outing was Taal (In Kisna he shared the credit with Ismail Darbar). And while Ghai has tried out different music composers in his subsequent projects, one had always wondered why the two never collaborated again. And if Yuvvraaj marks Ghai's return to epic films on a grand scale, the music truly lives up to that vision.

Verdict: Join Rahman and Gulzar on their grand musical journey. It is a rich, rewarding and an unforgettable experience.

Rating: 3.5/5

http://buzz18.in.com/reviews/music/music-review-yuvvraaj/90121/0

exicted for this movie