Vikramjit Singh makes his directorial debut with ‘Roy’, a romantic thriller that features Arjun Rampal and Jacqueline Fernandes in the lead roles. Ranbir Kapoor, who essays the title role, will be seen making a guest appearance. One has good expectations from the music of this film as it has been produced by a music company (T- Series). While Ankit Tiwari has composed three songs, Meet Bros. Anjjan and Amaal Mallik have been credited with a track each.
Amaal Mallik’s “Sooraj Dooba Hain” is a lively dance track that has influences of Vishal Shekhar (arrangements) and Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s (tune) music. EDM serves as the base for this highly melodic number which makes you want to hit the dance floor with its beats and at the same time, pleases you with its melody. Kumaar’s lyrics are very catchy and the lyricist does not make any compromises poetically in order to sound trendy. Arijit Singh sings the song with a lot of energy and gets good support from Aditi Singh Sharma who sings with the right attitude. Aditi gets more scope in “Sooraj Dooba Hain (Duet Version)”. The duet version is exactly the same as the original, with just the female vocalist getting more lines to sing.
A pleasant, tuneful whistle greets the listeners as Ankit Tiwari’s brooding voice, which seems to have become a trademark for the singer-composer, makes an entry in “Tu Hai Ki Nahin”. His singing style works well for this moody, haunting melody. Abhendra Kumar Upadhyay’s lyrics are very good – he writes some imaginative phrases which lead to the hook line ‘Tu Hai Ki Nahin’ (Are you there or not?) which are very impressive. The arrangements are mostly techno based, with some organic instruments used sporadically. The unplugged version by Tulsi Kumar is not half as impactful; thanks to Tulsi Kumar’s voice that does not suit the song.
The team that delivered last year’s biggest chartbuster ‘Baby Doll’ (Ragini MMS 2) composer trio Meet Bros. Anjjan, lyricist Kumaar and singer Kanika Kapoor, come together for “Chittiyan Kalaiyaan. “Though the mood of the song is completely different from that of ‘Baby Doll’, the music sounds slightly familiar. Nevertheless, it makes for a fun outing with a super catchy tune, fun lyrics and Kanika’s spirited singing. ‘Baby Doll’, ‘Lovely/ Kamli’ (‘Happy New Year’) and now, ‘Chittiyan Kalaiyaan’ – Kanika should be careful in choosing her songs from now on or else she could be stereotyped as a singer and offered similar songs.
Ankit Tiwari pushes his luck by singing “Boond Boond”, as always, in a lazy, drawl like style. And, why does he have to sing every song composed by him? ‘Boond Boond’ is a decent composition that should work as a situational number in the film. The use of the sarangi (1:30 – 1:56), with a bit of harmonium, acts like a breath of fresh air in an otherwise monotonous orchestral setup. The lyrics, written by Abhendra Kumar Upadhyay, are good.
Just when one had believed that Ankit Tiwari would never use another male singer in his compositions, one sees K.K credited as a singer on “Yaara Re”, composed by Ankit. ‘Yaara Re’, a soft rock ballad, is the kind of song that Pritam used to compose back in the day. Ankit’s music is good with the hook line being catchy enough for the listeners to hear it a couple of times. K.K is a pro when it comes to singing such numbers and he does a good job as always. Sandeep Nath’s lyrics are ordinary.
Roy is one of the better albums to have arrived this year. The songs vary in quality but the soundtrack does not have a single song that could be termed as bad. T-Series puts together a good multi-composer soundtrack that has, at least a couple of songs, which could become popular.
Rating: 3/5
