With Meri Pyaari Bindu, c omposer pair Sachin Jigar return to work with Yash Raj Films for a second time. Previously, they did the music for Shuddh Desi Romance (2013); incidentally also a Parineeti Chopra-starrer and the duo’s best work. It’s uncertain how much say Ayushmann Khurrana has in the music of his films, but most of them have scored high on the quality of their soundtrack.
Lyricist Kausar Munir calls the lead pair’s love for each ‘Afeemi’ but the song’s composition unfortunately, isn’t as addictive, though it makes for quite a pleasant listen. Performed by Sanah Moidutty and one half of the composer pair, Jigar Saraiya, the song starts off sounding indie before taking a more filmy disposition. Kalyan Baruah’s guitar work is half the song’s charm, while Nirmalya Dey chips in with a short but nice flute refrain. Then there’s ‘Khol De Baahein’ which sounds similar to an Anupam Roy composition with Krishna Pradhan’s guitars and Monali Thakur’s Bengali vocals. The minimal arrangement puts the focus of the song squarely on the melody and singing, both of which are ace. And to hear Thakur sing the occasional Bengali verse is the icing on the cake. The opening notes of ‘Haareya’ are reminiscent of ‘Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai’ from Woh Lamhe (2006) , though the track takes its own course subsequently. It’s a trippy tune heightened by guitar work from Indrajit Chetia with Arijit Singh’s vocals.
Since his first film – barring 2015’s Dum Laga Ke Haisha – Khurrana has flashed his singing (and in some cases, composing) creds, to mixed results. The refrain from singing continues with his upcoming film too. But it’s his co-star Chopra who gets behind the mic. To her credit, she does better than most of her Bollywood peers but her skill is still inadequate for ‘Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’. Unfortunately, Chopra’s song is the weakest link of the album and not just because of the vocals. The arrangement too works against the track with an all too-familiar quality. There’s an alternative version of the song, only slightly better than the original with veteran singer Sonu Nigam joining the actress.
The seven-piece soundtrack’s rear end is brought up by two dance tracks, both of which carry a retro vibe. ‘Yeh Jawaani Teri’ is boisterous and fun as rock ‘n’ roll songs come, the special nod to R.D. Burman’s Pancham brand of music makes it even more enjoyable. Behind the mic, Nakash Aziz and Jonita Gandhi match the song’s energy to a tee. The other song, ‘Iss Tarah’ turns out to be an even more enjoyable listen with Paresh Kamath’s guitar and Kishore Sodha’s trumpet. Composers get the musician couple Clinton and Dominique Cerejo to handle the vocals, both of whom do an exceptional job at that. Meri Pyaari Bindu does indeed deliver on its promise: Sachin-Jigar produce a winner after a long gap.
Meri Pyaari Bindu
Top Recos: ‘ Khol De Baahein ’, ‘ Iss Tarah ’, ‘ Haareya ’
Composers: Sachin-Jigar
Lyricists: Kausar Munir, Priya Saraiya
Vipin Nair writes on his website MusicAloud.com and curates lists on Apple Music as MusicAloud
Published - May 10, 2017 08:01 pm IST
