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A film which stars newcomers and is centred on the theme of destination weddings is expected to carry good music. The makers of the ‘Wedding Pullav’ smartly incorporated as many as four songs in the trailer of the film and cemented the fact that the film is, indeed, a musical. Though the film boasts of some new faces, the responsibility to score the music has been given to the experienced Salim-Sulaiman.
A neat guitar piece is heard before Salim Merchant makes an entry and croons “Oh Jaaniya”. The breezy tune adds another layer to it as Shreya Ghoshal comes into the picture and stuns one with her beautiful rendition of a portion which has a slightly mellow structure as compared to Salim’s part. The qawalli-ish interlude, performed by Raj Pandit, adds another flavor to the song but this particular portion is saddled with an oft-repeated tune. Nevertheless, “Oh Jaaniya” turns out to be a mellifluous romantic number that is bound to warm the cockles of your heart.
After a gleefully romantic number, arrives a track with a melancholy touch to it – “Naseeba” serves its purpose of being a sad number and could make an impact if picturised well. The reason one is apprehensive about its prospects of making it big as a standalone audio track is that the tune, though reasonably engaging, comes across as ordinary. The hookline, where Sunidhi Chauhan’s voice reaches a crescendo to convey the pathos in the track, is marginally better than the other portions. The reprise version, sung by Sreerama Chandra, is more lively courtesy some guitar strums.
What is a wedding without celebrations? “The Wedding Pullav”, the title track, is a quintessential celebration number that encapsulates the theme of the film. The track, sung by Salim Merchant and Arijit Singh, has a conversational feel to it and the two singers complement each other’s voices very well. Irfan Siddiqui’s lyrics, which describe a wedding scene, are simple but effective. The EDM beats, shehnai and strings come together to create a good background for the song.
Salim comes behind the mike for the third time with “Party Karni Hai”, which as the name suggests is a party number infused with fast paced beats and a rap portion. The number does not offer any novelty in terms of tune and orchestration but the music, undoubtedly, is foot-tapping and the lyrics are catchy. The hookline (“Jitni Bhi Botalein Ho Khali Karni Hai, Mujhe Party Karni Hai”) helps the song make an instant impression.
Next arrives “Ishq Da Panga” in which the bride and the groom indulge in some playful banter. The number seems very much a part of the wedding celebrations taking place in the film. Salim-Sulaiman compose an engaging tune that has references of some traditional numbers. Vipul Mehta and Shalmali Kholgade pair up very well and display some good chemistry between them, which the song needed.
The makers have made sure that the soundtrack features songs that represent all the festivities and rituals that take place during the wedding. “Banjaare” starts off as a “bidaai” number and then also talks about the separation of a couple. The track maintains the sombre feel throughout its entire duration. The track, due to its feel reminds one of “Kabira” (‘Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani’). A good effort by Salim-Sulaiman that might take some time to grow as it has too many layers to it including a couple of verses in English.
“Lagan Lagi” is another sad number and has a dark feel to it. The track sounds pretty dated what with it reminding you of several sad songs that one heard a decade back. Raj Singh, who got a tiny portion to sing in “Oh Jaaniya”, get an entire song for himself. He renders the song with a lot of emotions and makes you invest you in it as a listener even as the tune fails to do so. Instruments like dafli, sarangi and khartaal have been used well to give the song an earthy feel.
Music is an integral part of weddings in India. Wedding celebrations remain incomplete without “naach-gaana” (song and dance). ‘Wedding Pullav’ has a plethora of songs that capture the genre (romance) and the theme (destination wedding) of the film. Though the quality of songs varies and there are a couple of disappointments, the soundtrack as a whole works.
Rating: 3/5
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