Agneepath
Label: Sony Music
Composer: Ajay-Atul
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
The 2012 much anticipated mega budget flick Agneepath's sound track is finally on the rack. With the reconstitute of yesteryears classic Agneepath, one thing was for certain that the album will restrain the typical Karan Johar dramatic song sequences.
For the first time, Dharma Productions has opted for Marathi composer Ajay-Atul Gogvale rather than the likes of Shankar-Eshaan-Loy and Vishal-Shekar. Considering the sinister theme of the movie, director Karan Malhotra has illustrated some wise decision by keeping the album to the minimal. The album keeps intact the seventy's feel of the movie troughout the six tracks penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.
'Chikni Chameli' kick-starts the proceedings for Agneepath, and in one shot the rehash of popular Marathi song becomes the quintessentially mass appealing number. The item number is rich with Marathi orchestration and doesn't have a single dull moment. But the rich musical number weakens with the vocals of Shreya Ghosal as the tongue-in-cheek lyrics get drown in the music.
After the myriad of energy and volume, the album takes a modest approach with soft piano and violin tunes in �O Saiyaan.' The minimal music showcases Roop Kumar Rathod's vocal talents. The situational track is completely selective and caters to those audiences who have a typical taste for this genre.
With an enriching number �Gun Gun Guna' the vigor and spunk returns gripping Marathi music at its helm. The blissful musical arrangements with Bhattacharya's jovial lyrics rendered strikingly by Sunidhi Chauhan illustrates the fact that she could have done a better job on �Chikni Chameli.' Chauhan is later briefly accompanied by Udit Narayan who has appeared after a long hiatus on the music front. Situational happy-go-lucky track set in the 70s template with a desi touch is well tuned and a delight to listen.
The high note Qawwali �Shah Ka Rutba' with Sukhwinder Singh at his boisterous best manages to strike an instant connection with listeners. The aesthetic musical arrangements lends the essence of 70's qawwali music from Tu Na Ja Mere Baadshah (Khuda Gawah) and Yaar Hai Iman Mera (Zanjeer), encompassing the feeling of apprehensions. The situational track like the rest of its brethren is entertaining with articulated frenzy Urdu lyrics.
Sung to the perfection by Sonu Nigam �Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin' is a soulful romantic track. Considering today's insensible songs, listening to the versatile singer after almost a year is absolute a treat. The number revives the earlier magic of the singer. The album undoubtedly strikes the hit mark with Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin minimal music that focuses on the vocal talent. The track gives the sense of completeness to the album and has good holding power engaging listeners whenever it's played.
The album ends on an auspicious note with Ajay-Atul stylized composition 'Deva Shree Ganesha', the power-pack that can be heard in the theatrical promo. Once again highlighting the 70's music with full zest, the number commences on a loud note with dhols and nagaadas embedding the essence of Ganesha festival. While the boisterous nature of the track, the pace is perfect and the vocal of Ajay Gogavale is highly dramatic synching the mind set of the protagonist.
Overall Agneepath is quite impressive, the album destined to be a situational soundtrack forays into a larger demographic with the tracks Chikni Chameli, Gun Gun Guna, Abhi Mujh Mein Kahin and Shah Ka Rutba. Keeping the essence of the movie it is quite clear that the album rules on the 70's feel. With the out of box music composition by Ajay-Atul, music enthusiasts have been enticed to readily look forward to the album.