It has been fifteen years since ‘Tum Bin’ released but its music continues to linger in people’s memory. Songs like “Tum Bin Jiya Jaaye Kaise”, “Koi Fariyaad”, “Chhoti Chhoti Raatein”, amongst others are still hummed today. The music of the film was a highpoint in Nikhil-Vinay’s chequered career as music directors. Nikhil and Vinay, who were T-Series favourites back in the day, parted ways a couple of years ago and went on to score the music for a couple of forgettable films in the recent past. One looks forward to see whether Ankit Tiwari, who has faced criticism because of his seemingly limited range as a composer can change this perception, with ‘Tum Bin 2’ which happens to be his first film as a solo composer.
Ankit Tiwari merges an original tune with “Koi Fariyaad” (‘Tum Bin’, music: Nikhil-Vinay, lyrics: Faaiz Anwar) to create “Teri Fariyaad”, a song in which one gets to hear the voices of the late Jagjit Singh and Rekha Bhardwaj. The track starts off with a nice mandolin piece which is heard sporadically throughout its duration. Though one gets goose bumps as Jagjit Singh’s distinct voice is heard, Rekha Bhardwaj does not seem to be the brightest choice to sing the track. Ankit Tiwari does a fairly good job of composing an original piece that blends well with the parts that have been used from the original track. There is also an extended or lengthier version of the track which packs in a larger array of emotions in it.
Ankit opens “Ishq Mubarak” by humming a few notes and then, lets Arijit take centre stage to render this romantic number that, in parts, has some qawalli-based structure. The intricacies in the orchestral arrangement are praiseworthy what with several instruments to give the song a rich, Indian sound. The main verse has a free flowing tune that smoothly makes way for the qawalli interlude, backed by choral vocals, to step in.
The opening notes of “Dekh Lena” remind one of “Tera Naam Doon” (‘Entertainment’) but the similarity ends there. A mushy romantic track that makes one visualise Swiss Alps and lush mountains. Arijit carries the romantic vibe of the song very well until Tulsi Kumar makes her mandatory entry in a T-Series soundtrack. She is, thankfully, given only a few lines to hum. Though the tune sounds quite familiar, one cannot help but get enamoured by the saccharine feel of the song.
While playing “Tum Bin”, the title track, one expected to carry some trace of the title track of ‘Tum Bin’. That is not the case here as Ankit Tiwari creates a fresh title track for this film. Just like the original, this one too has a melancholy feel to it. The immersive more than succeeds in moving you. The ‘mukhda’ is easily likeable but the ‘antara’ portions take the song to another level altogether. Ankit gives a very good account of himself both as a composer and a vocalist.
Ankit brings out the country music flavour in “Masta” while sticking to his own sensibilities as a composer. The frolicking number, sung by Vishal Dadlani and Neeti Mohan, has an upbeat rhythm to it which keeps you thoroughly engaged. While Vishal heads the track with his boisterous voice, Neeti Mohan gets a short verse, which has a different flavour from the rest of the song, to sing.
“Dil Nawaziyaan”, probably, marks the first instance of Arko Pravo Mukherjee lending his voice for a song which has not been composed by him. While the song largely has a modern appeal to it, Payal Dev sings a couple of lines which have a semi-classical base to them. Ankit creates an interesting fusion between the two genres by putting a layer of table beats that complement the tune well. Arko is mighty impressive as a vocalist and carries the song on his shoulders very well.
“Jaeger Bomb”, a hard core dance number, comes as a surprise in an album filled with love songs. Given the way the song sounds, one expects the makers to make a music video out of it and play it in the closing credits of the film. DJ Bravo sets the tone for this highly energetic number before Harshi Mad and Ankit Tiwari join in. Harshi seems super confident while giving a sensuous touch to the lines rendered by her.
Ankit Tiwari has surely put in some sincere effort towards composing for his first solo album as a music director. Each song in the album has its own distinct identity and does not sound jaded like most of Tiwari’s recent compositions from other films. ‘Tum Bin 2’ is a highly engaging soundtrack without a single song that makes you go for the forward button.
Rating: 3.5/5
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0G7mhckFrU