agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

agneepath

Chikni Chameli was out earlier this week, even a preview of its video is out on TV. And after multiple listens, the song is still as much of an energy booster to me as it was the first time, courtesy big time toShreya Ghoshal. With Ajay Atul’s addictive heavy-on-percussion Marathi arrangement (a rehash of their own Kombadi Palali from the Marathi film Jatra) andAmitabh Bhattacharya’s cheeky lyrics alongside the vocals, Chikni Chameli is a perfect item number, at least music-wise. In O Saiya the composers take a U-turn, providing a template that is ambient and for a large part minimal. And where they take exception from the minimalism the effect is mindblowing, be it the use of the santoor or the choral elements or the percussion. The crescendo-esque turn that the strings section takes at the fag end is the icing on the cake. Roop Kumar Rathod never fails when it comes to classical-based renditions, this song is no exception. And Ajay Atul go back to the high percussion base in Gunguna. Not on the same level as the previous two songs, but entertaining nevertheless. Sunidhi does most of the singing, with a short but nice cameo by Udit towards the end. Sad that the man is heard so less in Hindi these days. And with that the composers try their hand at Sufi, and pull off a winner in Shah Ki Rutba too. Starting on a typical Muslim song beat template (wherein it is reminiscent slightly of ARR’s Al Maddath Maula) the song shifts tempo halfway through, driving you to a climactic trance mode. Brilliant job by Sukhwinder Singh, Anand Raaj Anand and Krishna Beura. A contrasting switch happens again with the next song, Sonu Nigamnicely delivering a sweet soulful Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin. Lovely use of instruments again, which mitigates the overall déjà vu feel of the song. And Ajay Atul end the soundtrack with a genre which made me their fan in the first place, devotional. Deva Shree Ganesha sees the composers once again put their acumen with percussion to good use. Though not as impactful for me as their Shree Ganeshaaya Dheemahi, the effect is still quite awe-inspiring, complete with another superb latter half tempo-change where the lyrics take a surprise diversion from Ganesh-stuti to extolling Krishna, Rama et al (The piece Achutham Keshavam has interestingly featured in their devotional album Vishwatma as well, albeit in a different tune). Heady, to sum up. One half of the duo, Ajay Gogawale, does the honors on the vocals, his voice taking on a Sukhwinder-esque edge in places. After a couple of false starts earlier this year, Ajay Atul have truly arrived in Bollywood with Agneepath!

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