'Ghajini' music unconventional, but a sure hit (IANS Music Review)
Film: 'Ghajini'; Music Director: A.R. Rahman; Lyricist: Prasoon Joshi; Singers: Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal, Suzanne, Sonu Nigam, Karthik, Javed Ali; Rating: ***1/2 This has been an eventful year for music maestro A.R. Rahman with an endless list of his albums being released and most of them hitting bull's eye. 'Ghajini' is no exception. 'Ghajini' not only boasts of Rahman's music but also has one of the finest lyricists, Prasoon Joshi, providing the poetic words to go with the tunes. Rahman has surely struck a chord with audiences in this movie, which has already made headlines for Aamir's look. The first song 'Guzarish' is already being hummed by many. A romantic track, this piece is slightly unconventional in terms of its musical arrangements. Javed Ali does not disappoint his mentor Rahman and pleases listeners with his superb rendition. What makes it better is Sonu Nigam's humming right at the beginning and Prasoon Joshi's perfect lyrics. This one is a chartbuster for sure. 'Aye Bachchu' doesn't seem to come from Rahman's house of music. But this fun number should get people on the dance floor. Suzanne's rendition is good, but the lyrics don't impress as they aren't what one would expect from Prasoon Joshi. Now this one's surely going to be a hit with music buffs. Rahman lives up to his name with 'Kaise Mujhe', a romantic ballad. The music has been kept slow and serene while the vocals by Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal are electric. The use of the sitar gives the track an edge and the piano makes the romantic musical more attractive. And Rahman tops it by belting out an instrumental version as well! 'Behka' is also out on the small screen and is known for Aamir sporting different looks. The track is very unconventional and distinctive courtesy Rahman. Karthik brings a youthful and fun feel to the track with his voice, while Rahman adds his bit to pep up with the help of slight rock and jazz overtones. The overall package is interesting. Another number that sounds very unlike Rahman is 'Latoo'. There are quite a few interesting yet unlikely things about this piece. First, Shreya Ghoshal, who has rarely lent her voice for a song of this genre. She, nevertheless, does an above average job. Second, Rahman hardly composes songs of this kind and his stamp is missing here. Though Prasoon Joshi's lyrics are nice, his heart doesn't seem to have been in it while he penned them. While the 'Ghajini' album is fabulous, one cannot call it brilliant as certain songs don't live up to Rahman's earlier works. But his expertise and the superb vocals make up for it. The entire team has worked well and this clearly shows in the album. http://www.sindhtoday.net/world/44856.htm -- regards, Vithur
