The axiom that one brings nothing into this world, and takes back nothing on dying, has found its way into songs on multiple occasions in various forms, but none probably pack quite the same punch as “ Tu nanga hi toh aaya hai, kya ghanta lekar jaaega (you come into this world naked, WTF will you take when you leave?)”.
It is this kind of lyrical intensity that is the hallmark of Gully Boy ’s 18-song soundtrack. This particular line is part of the portentous ‘ Apna Time Aayega ’, co-written and co-composed by Vivian Fernandes aka Divine, one of the rappers whose life inspired the movie and delivered by the man playing the lead role – Ranveer Singh, who proves to be quite a competent rapper in the movie. Singh falls short only in cases where a comparison arises with the pros. Like in ‘ Mere Gully Mein ’ – a 2015 adaptation of Divine and Naezy’s tribute to the world they grew up in – the energy and skill are there, but it is not quite the same. There appears to be a conscious effort to give Singh his own musical voice throughout the movie, given that he features in seven of the tracks.
Musical bounty
One of the best tracks is the short but brilliant ‘ Asli Hip Hop’ written and composed by Spitfire, a song that could be labelled the movie’s theme song, considering it does endeavour, like the song says, to introduce Hindustan to the “real” hip hop. The soundtrack’s music supervisor Ankur Tewari, along with Karsh Kale, presents ‘ Kab Se Kab Tak ’ whose appeal lies largely in the contrast – a soulful melody forming the backbone of the piece, Vibha Saraf’s husky voice leading that department, even as Singh’s rap (written by Kaam Bhaari) cuts through the sombre soundscape.
While director Zoya Akhtar has stepped into a new musical territory with this movie, she still retains one connection with her past movie soundtracks, her father Javed Akhtar who pens two songs for Gully Boy , both poems understandably on the softer side, and both composed by Rishi Rich. Doori appears to be a song for the lovelorn in its “poem” version, but undergoes a brilliant transformation in its longer, pacier version where Divine builds on the original lines to turn it into a tirade against the economic inequalities. ‘ Ek Hee Raasta ’ is just over a minute long, an oft-heard spiel about taking the path less trodden. But it’s nothing that you are inclined to return to, especially in comparison to the other musical bounty on offer.
Boys in the hood
Divine finds a place in two more of the soundtrack’s songs (oddly enough, Naezy, the other rapper the movie is inspired by, hardly features). Major C’s ‘ Sher Aaya Sher ’ has the rapper leading the vocals as well, (backed by Rachel Varghese) and the delivery is as attitude-laden as they come, burnished with the occasional tiger-like roars. In the second song, Divine shares singing, composing and writing credits with Dub Sharma. Sharma’s heady 2016 track ‘ Azadi ’ (built on the contentious Kanhaiya Kumar speech that year, from which it derives its title as well) gets an even more powerful makeover with the rapper’s lines that rant against the political system. Sharma sings/writes/composes one other song titled ‘ Jingostan ’ – a scathing piece against present-day hyper-nationalism. While the song is effective even in the beatbox-backed version, its grim tone is accentuated by the imaginative electronic backing it gets in the alternative variant.
Mellow tracks
One musician I was happiest to see in the album’s line-up is the underrated Viveick Rajagopalan. His ‘India 91’ is very much in line with his trademark style – an electric combination of Carnatic percussion, konnakol (Carnatic percussion syllables) and multi-lingual rapping. Kaam Bhaari’s ‘ Kaam Bhaari ’ seems biographical in nature, and the rapper does an impressive job. Equally impressive is the backdrop set by Tewari and Sharma, the guitars, electronic beats (love the way the folk beats kick in when he refers to Ganpati).
‘ Goriye ’ by Prem and Hardeep stands in stark contrast from the rest of the rap songs, with its polished and stereotypical Punjabi pop sound and English rapping – the contrast seems intentional. The album’s last rap track ‘ Har Gham Mein Khushi Hai ’ comes from Ace, one of the pioneers of the Indian rap scene. The soundtrack’s has three songs, that are a respite from the intense song line-up. ‘Train Song’ by Midival Punditz, Karsh Kale and Raghu Dixit is an engaging piece that has been performed in live venues in the past by the Karsh Kale Collective. Jasleen Royal’s ‘ Jahaan Tu Chala ’ is characteristic of the singer. The pick of the three comes from Tewari and a man who has been missing from Bollywood for a bit – Mikey McCleary. ‘ Jeene Mein Aaye Maza ’ sounds European, with its waltz-y rhythm and the accordion and ukulele combo that dominates its arrangement. Like a lot of Tewari’s songs, it takes your mind to that happy, nostalgic place where everything feels happy and warm.
Akhtar’s movies have always featured good music (albeit with a repetitive element that creeps in), but Gully Boy ’s soundtrack is in a different league altogether! I suspect it’s largely owing to Tewari. And my theory regarding multi-composer soundtracks turning out best when involving indie musicians continues to hold true.
