Film: “Aiyyaa”; Music director: Amit Trivedi; Lyricist: Amitabh Bhattacharya; Singers: Sowmya Raoh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shalmali Kholgade, Monali Thakur, Shreya Ghoshal, Sneha Khanwalkar, Amitabh Bhattacharya and Amit Trivedi; Rating: ****
Last seen in “No One Killed Jessica”, Rani Mukerji is returning to silver screen with quirky romantic-comedy “Aiyyaa” opposite southern star Prithviraj.
The hilarious setting of the film banks heavily on the six songs composed by the talented Amit Trivedi, with lyrics penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
The album kicks off with “Dreamup wakeupum”, one of the most bizarre yet entertaining tracks of recent times. It has a retro feel with mashed up lyrics to give it a southern touch. The beats and trombone sounds are really nice in the song.
Sowmya Raoh manages to justify the naughty lyrics with her superb voice. Trivedi’s composition is indeed innovative and deserves a round of applause.
Next up is “Sava dollar”, which combines traditional Marathi ‘lavani’ with modern sounds. Sunidhi Chauhan has crooned it to perfection. The singer has been supported well by the backup vocalists and their chemistry is something to be appreciated and enjoyed.
“Aga bai” has an interesting composition that begins on a soft note with Shalmali Kholgade singing in Marathi. However, it evolves into an electronic number with Monal Thakur joining in and together creating an amazing experience for the ears.
The “Aiyyaa” interlude doesn’t sound vulgar, rather gives the track an edge while the beats are catchy.
Trivedi’s musical geniuses are well-explored in this composition and his ability to mix different sounds is especially commendable.
The soundtrack mellows down with “Mahek bhi” and you are greeted by sounds of instruments such as the ‘shehnai’ and clarinet for some time that soothes your mood.
Ghoshal’s melodious voice soon enters and gets you hooked to the soulful composition. The song is an absolute delight to the ears for diehard romantics.
Sneha Khanwalkar’s raw voice takes over in “What to do” and you are bowled over by the raucousness and funny lyrics, especially the use of the words ‘Ijjat Papad’.
Amitabh Bhattacharya is equally entertaining and together they bring a wide grin on your face. It will be interesting to see how Rani and Prithviraj have portrayed it in the film.
Musically speaking, it is new age and Trivedi does a brilliant job by mixing an array of sounds to make it different yet appealing.
Rounding up the album is “Wakda”, which means ‘crooked’ in Marathi. It is essentially styled as a modern Carnatic wedding song with the use of instruments like the mridangam and the nadaswaram.
The lyrics are witty and peppy with Amit Trivedi coming behind the mike to provide a perfect ending to the album. With electronic sounds used at various intervals, the song is just a perfect mix of tradition and modernity.
All in all, the album is hilarious to the core and has wonderful tracks that can be cherished for a long time.
(Bhaskar Pant can be contacted at pant.bhaskar@gmail.com)
