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Last movie that Sohail Khan produced was Partner –> super hit music !!

Last movie Puneet Sira directed was Jai Veeru –> Few hit songs !!

Last movie music director Dabboo Malik [Anu Malik's brother] worked on was Kisse Pyaar Karoon & Team-The Force –> All super flops !!

Why did Dabboo Malik step into the hit combination of Sohail Khan & Puneet Sira is unknown to me.. But my expectations from the soundtrack of Kissan just took a plunge into cold water because of his presence…

Hum Tumhaare Hai Sanam & Kasoor are the only two hits in his career and that too ages ago. Why does he still keep getting work is something we will have to decide after we listen to the music of Kissan.

With a cast of the likes of Jackie, Arbaaz, Sohail, Dalip Tahil, gorgeous Dia Mirza & the cute Nauheed Cyrusi the expectations are high from the music of Kissan. Also, the topic of the movie caters to the majority population of India that is farmers. It thus needs to have a total traditional feel to the soundtrack with a lot of Punjabi influence so it can appeal to the millions of farmers working in their fields and have this playing on their radio sets in the background

Let’s find out what this 6 track album has in store for the international audience…

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Review

Track 1 – Punjabi Munde – This track implies a decent start to the album. It sounds like a number of Bollywood Punjabi tracks with a bit of english rap. The beat is almost similar to Sambhale from Ek-The Power of One but this one is better for sure as it is more catchy with the ”Punjabi Munde honde hain kamal” punch line. The difference is with the number of singers on this track. Labh Janjua, Shakti Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Siddharth Singh, Parthiv Gohil, Earl D & Dabboo Malik himself give their voice but none of them stand out. It’s like a chorus throughout the song !! Nothing extra ordinary about the performances, lyrics [by S.R. Bharti & Kanwar Juneja] or composition of this song but I guess the video will decide if this song turns out to be a hit. 7/10 .

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Track 2 – Humko Rehna Hai – A typical Bollywood romantic song with stars running around in the fields in their traditional clothes.. mannn I can visualise the full thing…. Well the composition, instrumentation & arrangement of this song makes it easy to guess the sequence. The lyrics by Panchi Jalonvi are basic but conveys the message adequately. Shaan & Shreya Ghosal sound totally like villagers with their pronunciations & thus sweet in a way. It is not a hit song but not a bad one either. 5.5/10.

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Track 3 – Jhoomo Re Jhoomo – Yet another multi-singer number for a festive village scene. Ad Boyz, Abhijit Ghoshal, Tarranum, Sujata Majumdar, Pavni Pandey & Dabboo Malik sing the below average lyrics of Panchi Jalonvi. Althought this song is groovier than the Track 1 in many compositional & instrumentation ways it lacks decent performances by any of the singers in the huge list. This song can play well in Dandiya & garba parties but lacks overall commercial appeal. 6.5/10 .

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Track 4 – Neeche Sari Duniya – This might be the main title song of the movie & is with a religious twist. It describes farmers & the hard work they do in very suttle words penned by Salim Bijnori. What makes this song special are the vocals of Room Kumar Rathod. He is just the best for such thematic songs with his deep voice. He is supported by Harshdeep Kaur with the chants & harmonies. I love the instruments used & their arrangement in this song. Credits to Dabboo for that.. 7/10.

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Track 5 – Waqt Ki Dhoop – This is a short sad interlude for the intense dramatic scenes in the movie for the turning point in the script. Toshi sings this with determination in his voice as if he is feeling those emotions. Very well performed as you can feel the character. Lyrics by Panchi are good too. The music is basic but the chorus is deep & soulful. Short & nice.. 6.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Punjabi Munde (Remix) – We couldn’t have had a Bollywood soundtrack without a remix !! But frankly we could have done without this average ‘sounding like million other remixes’ track… Brother number 3 – Amal Malik is responsible for this. But at least this can now be used by DJ’s in desi wedding sets. 6/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Simply Average – 6/10.

Well I can at least say Dabboo Malik can continue to get work in the industry as he can do a decent job unlike many others. But when it comes to doing something new or producing hits, neither HE nor this album go a long way. It’s purely an average listen with no big numbers. Lyrics, music composition & all vocals sound similar to many others that you have heard before. All songs are purely situational with relevance in the movie & thus at least make sense & are not out of place. Buy this OST only if you have a thing for early 90′s Bollywood sound.

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The first insight I got about the music of Delhi-6 was in an interview with lyricist Prasoon Joshi when talking to him about the music of Ghajini. I had asked him what the chemistry is like between him and Mr. Rahman. All he said was, “We are working together on the music of a movie called Delhi-6. Listen to that and you will know”. I think for any music lover that one line wraps up anticipation and expectations !!

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Last time the team of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Prasoon Joshi and A. R. Rahman got together one of India’s most acclaimed and highest grossing movie was made with the name Rang De Basanti (RDB). The music of that movie made an equal impact and touched/inspired millions.

Blessed are these three and Thank you to them for creating Delhi-6 for I have not heard anything like this in an era. Just when you feel Prasoon cant get better with the pen (after Maa & Guzarish) and Rahman has delivered his best ( with Ghajini, Jaane Tu.. ya Jaane Na, Slumdog Millionaire ) , Mr. Mehra steps in and inspires a creative epic in the form of Delhi-6.

The music touches different aspects of Delhi and its life in romance, faith, beauty, fun and classical tradition. Bollywood has a growing obsession with Delhi and especially Chandni Chowk area of old Delhi ( Oye lucky.. lucky oye, Chandni Chowk to China ). For those who dont know, the “6” in the title refers to the pincode of the Chandni Chowk area in Delhi and so the music revolves around the lifestyle of that area.

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REVIEW

Everyone in India knows about the musical brilliance of A R Rahman. People in UK know about that too through his musicals like Lord of the Rings and Bombay Dreams. Now.. the whole world knows about his capabilities with his current rise to fame as being the first Indian to win the Golden Globe for the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman proves with Delhi-6 that he can outdo his own self !!

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Track 1 – Masakali – Truly innovative, harmonic and melodious in all possible ways. Usually songs that come at the start of the year fade out of our memory by the year end when you get to judge the best songs of the year. I am very sure Masakali will not just remain fresh in our minds but will also win that best song title !! The lyrics are truly fun and the work of a genius. You would expect such lyrics from the old guru’s like Javed Akhtar or Gulzar. But young Prasoon Joshi proves that linguistic and poetic abilities have not faded in our generation.

Cant praise Mohit Chauhan’s vocals enough. He makes this song what it is !! Deep and soulful. Rahman does his magic with a superb Bass guitar work with Harmonica, Bongo’s, Ghattam, Accordion and an amazing classical style violin orchestra. The music creates an atmo-fun-sphere around you in which you can visualise the carefree attitude of the characters. You wont find anything missing or expect anything more out of this song – 10/10 .

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Track 2 – Arziyan – I am a big fan of Javed Ali’s singing abilities ( Jashn-e-Bahara, Guzarish, Ek Din teri rahon mein, Nagaada nagaada ). He prove’s it yet again why. This time he has Kailash Kher for company. Rahman goes back on the lines of his typical Islamic Sufi religious songs like Khawaja Mere Khawaja & Piya Haji Ali. This time only better. This 9 minute long song is serene and pious. It will make you believe in the power of simple music and gratitude to God and you won’t come to know where 9 minutes have passed. Tabla, harmonium, and bass are the simple ingredients that make this a perfect combination with Prasoon’s amazing lyrics. Truely soul touching 8.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Dilli-6 – Remember ‘Khalbali Hai Khalbali’ in RDB ? This title track takes you right there. The song is very cool & groovy. A variety of singers including Blaaze, Benny & Tanvi add the extra zing factor to the track. It also has French vocals provided by Viviane and Claire. I don’t remember when was the last time a Bollywood music director decided to add a French touch to they soundtrack. There are certain things only Rahman can do !! Lyrics are plain and ordinary. This song is for it’s youthful cool quotient and not it’s deep lyrical factor. 7.5/10 .

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Track 4 – Rehna Tu – A Rahman OST is never complete without a song in his own voice. Especially if it is a romantic one… This composition could have been used by any International band and delivered a worldwide hit with it. The song is truly Global and unique. It even breaks into an Arabic style chorus in between and Karnatic towards the end. It has Rahman written all over it.. It’s all him.. !!

If you can manage to get your attention off Rahman’s sublime and suttle vocals then listen to the lyrics. I think they are better than those of Guzarish. One can play this song and make anyone fall in love with them.. Romantic at it best – 9/10 .

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Track 5 – Hey Kaala Bandar – I dont get this track and don’t know why it’s there on the OST… Perhaps the only disappointing track on this CD   Lyrics are crooked with crap English rap. Music is stylish but not enough. Plus it has inspired parts from Yuvraaj’s ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ song. Vocals by Karthik, Naresh, Srinivas and Bony are good but don’t stand out. We need to wait and watch how this song is placed in the movie. Might make more sense then.. For now lets ignore it. 5/10 .

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Track 6 – Dil Gira Dafatan – Rahman is known to introduce new singers all the time. But this time he plays a gamble with singer Ash King. He gives him brilliant romantic lyrics but barely any music.. relying all the way on his vocal delivery. Does it work?? It sure does.. It’s Rahman & Prasoon backing Ash after all. His voice has a deep classical and vintage Bollywood texture that I simply love. At the start, the ‘Dil Mera’ chanting itself makes a lasting impression and sets the tone for the rest of the song.

Lyrics are as good as Track 4 Rehna Tu. The orchestration, altough minimal, is the best I have heard in a long time. The violin’s & spanish guitar just take you away on a journey. The composition is simply brilliant. Put this song on repeat – 9/10 .

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Track 7 – Genda Phool – This short track has some of the best classical female voices of the present time. Rekha Bharadwaj, Sujata Majumdar, Shrradha Pandit and V.N Mahathi contribute to this shocking song. Why shocking?? The song opens to Rekha’s folk rustic vocals and then just out of nowhere a brilliant funky beat kicks in leaving you stunned !!! Is there any style or musical trick Rahman can’t execute ?? This time Rajat Dholakia adds to the composition making it a ‘out of the box’ track. Perfect for wedding Mehndi functions. I can’t get enough of this 8.5/10 .

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Track 8 – Bhor Bhaye – A pure classical track has not been heard in any Bollywood OST for years now. Rahman brings the magic back in it’s purest form. I am trained in classical music and I assure you the Thumri Gujri Todi is not easy to deliver.. and nor is what Rahman has managed to deliver here with a perfect transition and mix of the original recording by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and the new breath-taking rendition by Shreya Ghoshal. Kudos to her for making this sound effortless and truly Hindustani classical.

Prasoon Joshi shocks us here with his talent and knowledge of Indian music and poetry. He has written additional lyrics to a decades old classical piece maintaining it’s true flavour. Love the Tabla and Harmonium on this track. I can’t imagine the time Rahman and his team must have spent on cleaning up the original recording for today’s clear digital release. The mix sounds perfect !! This track should be used as a case study in Sound Engineering courses… A masterpiece – 9.5/10 .

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Track 9 – Aarti (Tumre Bhavan Mein) – Sitar, timbals and voice. This combination has been the highlight of religious classical music in India for centuries. Rahman brings back his ‘O Palanhare’ formula from ‘Lagaan’ only this time to traditional lyrics and composition. Rekha Bharadwaj, Sujata Majumdar, Shrradha Pandit & Kishori Ashok Gowariker render this Hindu Aarti in its purest form. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed in these 3 minutes. 8.5/10 .

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Track 10 – Noor – Amitabh Bachchan features to wrap up this album with a monologue poem. It does not have to be music all the time. Some times words say it all. This 50 second piece talks about Love for that one special person who you see everywhere and in everything. 8/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Brilliant – 9/10 .

I recommend tracks 1, 2, 3… Damn.. chuck it.. I RECOMMEND THE FULL ALBUM.. !! Please go buy it.. It’s worth every penny. True to all expectations and a must have in every music lovers collection. The album is a genius musically, lyrically, vocally and even as far as the engineering goes. Big up Rahman, Prasoon Joshi and Omprakash Mehra for brining it all together !!!

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