Qaran and Badshah’s ‘ Tareefan ’ (weirdly enough, I keep hearing kinni tareefan as skinny tareefan !) is derivative, both in sound and lyrics — but the overall catchiness of the template will mean that the song is still likely to rule the dance floors. In fact, several songs from the eight track album of Veere Di Wedding , will do well during the wedding season given the film’s theme. One track is ‘ Laaj Sharam ’, with music and lyrics by White Noise, Sachin Jigar’s A&R company akin to Pritam’s JAM8. Sung by Divya Kumar and Jasleen Royal with rap by Enbee, the song is standard issue but entertainingly arranged techno Punjabi dance material (the frenetic portions of the song, coupled with the presence of Kumar behind the mic, take me back to Ishaqzaade's Aafaton ke Parindey).
After his successful two-song stint in Qarib Qarib Singlle ( QQS ) last year, Vishal Mishra returns for two more songs in Veere , both penned by Anvita Dutt. Of Mishra’s two compositions, I find ‘ Dagmag Dagmag ’ more enjoyable for its trippy, offbeat sound (credits due to the arranger/programmer Himonshu Parikh). The composer himself handles lead vocalist role for this one, carrying it out with infectious energy, and is joined briefly by a competent Payal Dev. ‘ Veere ’ on the other hand comes with a very familiar pop vibe. Enjoyable while it lasts, but we have had too many in that ‘ Sooraj Dooba Hai ’ kind of mould in recent times.
‘Pappi Le Loon’ has Shellee’s words and Sunidhi Chauhan’s incredible exuberance going for it, but Sachdev’s work here ends up being a mishmash. Sachdev does slightly better in ‘Bhangra Ta Sajda’, lending some Nucleya-esque quirkiness to the traditional bhangra piece. Here too the stars of the song are the lyrics (Gaurav Solanki) — that amp up the contemporary nature of the adaptation with references to Manali cream, Tinder hook-ups and the like — and the singers Romy (it is a pity that only Sachdev uses his voice) and Neha Kakkar. The composer dials up the Nucleya mode to splendid effect in his best offering for the soundtrack, ‘Bass Gira De Raja’ that he writes and sings as well. The arrangement is replete with outré sounds, but as indicated in the title, it is when raja drops the bass that things really get going. After the crowded soundscape of the rest of the album, ‘Aa Jao Na’ has a quieter, ambient sound that is a welcome respite. It is Raj Shekhar working his magic with the yearning-filled lines here, and Arijit Singh’s subdued rendition feels incredibly soothing. Veere’s soundtrack maintains a consistent, effervescent tempo despite its multiple composers and derivative sound.
Composer Amit Trivedi channels his Udta Punjab ( UP ) vein to create an incredibly catchy theme song for the vigilante group that features in Bhavesh Joshi — Insaaf. Prominently featuring in the song is a rapper who was incidentally also part of UP ’s soundtrack — Babu Haabi. Haabi and Naezy’s attitude and energy contribute to ‘ Hum Hain Insaaf ’s appeal. Haabi and Naezy share writing credits for the song with the movie’s writer-producer Anurag Kashyap (interestingly, the last time Kashyap penned a song was also for a Motwane film – Udaan ). The rest of the album’s songs are penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Both composer and lyricist are no strangers to quirky songs bordering on the crass, having delivered a few resounding numbers in the past. While ‘ Chyavanprash ’ starts off promisingly, Bhattacharya treads too far down the crass route in his attempt to describe the “health benefits” in a lover’s actions and qualities, which has a rather telling effect on the song.
The composer’s arrangement, while clearly a nod to the 90s soundscape, also features some of his trademark flourishes — Divya Kumar leads vocals while Pragati Joshi and Arohi Mhatre form an effective whacky chorus.
‘ Qasam Kha Li Maine ’ is a companion piece to Trivedi’s own ‘ Jhuk Na Paaoonga ’ from Raid earlier this year. It’s a decent track with Papon on vocals and Bhattacharya’s lines reflect similar intent as ‘ Jhuk Na..’ . Trivedi gets behind the mic for the soundtrack’s best song titled ‘ Tafreeh ’, a supposed ode to friendship and to seizing the day. Bhattacharya’s lines are neatly crafted to convey the theme, built around that wonderful word that titles the composition.
Trivedi’s arrangement rides on an alluring rhythm and progressively gains intensity, ending the song on a high. The soundtrack has two songs that measure up to Trivedi’s standard. Which is possibly par for the course for the movie that Bhavesh Joshi Superhero promises to be, but it’s a letdown given that this is the same director-composer-lyricist team that gave us Udaan and Lootera .
