#niladri kumar

January 6, 2019

by Inakshi Chandra-Mohanty

1. Amit Trivedi - Manmarziyan

In a year when Amit Trivedi presented music for over 10 films, Manmarziyan is a clear winner. Consisting of 14 songs, including the unplugged version of Daryaa, this album has soul, passion, angst, and love. The film begins with the soft Grey Wala Shade, which not only sets the mood for the film, but also introduces the passionate affair of Rumi and Vicky in the heart of Amritsar. The film then transitions to F for Fyaar, which is a Punjabi rap representative of Vicky’s personality and his desire to be a ‘cool dude.’ Later, the peppy song Dhyaanchand, also shows off Vicky’s eccentricity as he dances following Rumi through the inner streets of Amritsar. Robbie’s grey shades are also represented through music, with Sherni, depicting his need to possess Rumi, and Bijlee Giregi, acting as a background to his conflicting feelings, when his trust is broken. There also exist some beautiful romantic, soothing numbers, such as Sacchi Mohabbat, Jaisi Teri Marzi, and Choonch Ladhiyan, which are used to express the growing love amongst all three characters, thus making the love triangle even more complicated. And lastly, there is the powerful and soulful Daryaa, which is the most important song of the film as it represents Rumi’s fickle emotions, which form the basis of the film. With a great quantity of songs, one would expect a few songs to be of lower quality. However, the beauty of this album is that every single song is crafted to fulfill a role in the film, hence making it the best album of the year.

2. Niladri Kumar, Joi Barua, Alif - Laila Majnu

The essence of Laila Majnu lies in its music. No tragic romance is complete without a set of heartbreaking melodies. The soundtrack of this film is unique because it is difficult to emotionally connect to it without the context of the plot and the picturization of each individual song in the vast hills of Kashmir. However, after completing the film, it is impossible to remove these soulful, melancholic melodies from the heart. The music is a supplement to the ongoing love story between Laila and Qais (Majnu) on screen, highlighting the strength and audacity of their love to withstand obstacles in the form of their family, separation, distance, and everlasting wait. Songs like Tum and Sarphiri, signify the transition from Laila’s initial curiosity to slight attraction, eventually leading to true love. On the other hand, there are Aahista and Hafiz Hafiz that focus entirely on Majnu and his transcendental craziness due to the increasing loneliness, once he has grown tired of waiting for Laila. Each and every song represents a different form of the powerful love between them, which is even more necessary when translating a classic, epic, romantic tale. There is also my favorite song of the year, the absolutely addictive O Meri Laila, which consists of classical rawness in its most bare moments, but emerges victorious through the rock-style leading stanza that is so beautifully voiced by Atif Aslam.

3. Amit Trivedi - Kedarnath

Despite having a fewer number of songs in comparison to the other albums on this list, Kedarnath, is able to provide an extremely wholesome album. It is the only one that has five or less songs and yet is still able to encompass a full range of stylistically different tracks. It includes a peppy dance number, Sweetheart, that is reminiscent of the melodic dance numbers that we have forgotten in this era of remakes and rapping. But along with that, it has two beautiful, soothing melodies and a religious track, which delves into the realm of Indian classical music. Amit Trivedi has yet again proven his versatility by providing a set of songs that are so different from one another, yet are able to come together to further enhance this film.

4. Amit Trivedi, Raftaar, Girish Nakod - Andhadhun

If you are a fan of Sriram Raghavan, you must know that he is obsessed with old Bollywood films, especially those from the 60s and 70s. His films, specifically Johnny Gaddaar and Andhadhun, have contained numerous references to older films. Therefore, while composing this soundtrack, Amit Trivedi paid homage to the classic old film songs. Song like Aap Se Milkar and Naina Da Kya Kasoor carry shades of the melodious numbers from the 60s and 70s. Naina Da Kya Kasoor specifically bears resemblance to the R.D. Burman hit song O Mere Sona from the 60s Vijay Anand film Teesri Manzil. To create balance in the album, he also includes some modern numbers such as the energetic Laila Laila, and the dark Wo Ladki, which uses a full orchestra of instruments to create a magnificent, epic effect. The best part of the music from this film is that all the songs are heavy on piano, unlike most Hindi songs, since the main character is a pianist, and the songs are picturized on him.

5. Rachita Arora, Nucleya - Mukkabaaz

Musicians explore new avenues of creativity

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For years, one has trained and honed a skill to be able to perform. Slowly, over a period of time, performances become one’s life; it’s hard to suddenly bring it to a halt . Many musicians are floundering, not knowing which way to turn and how to remain connected to their audiences. Some like well-known Hindustani vocalist Ulhas Kashalkar prefer to sit it out and wait for normalcy:…