Nine-and-a-half colours of the ‘melodious’ rainbow… Yes, I am talking about the nine songs of Dil Bechara, composed by AR Rahman and assisted by Hriday Deepak Gattani, known for his debut as a singer in "Tu Shining" from Lekar Hum Deewana Dil. Songwriter Amitabh Bhattacharya has done a great job by writing friendly and 'safe to hear with family' lyrics.
"The music album is an emotional rollercoaster of romance, friendship and the odds pitted against two young people in love", said Mukesh Chhabra, the director of Dil Bechara. Let's see how this ride has indeed been an emotional rollercoaster for us.
Dil Bechara Title Track
The title track is unique, both in its nature and sound. The D minor key and Rahman’s voice coupled with a moderately quick tempo makes it a treat to listen to. We get a taste of the harmonies by Poorvi Koutish and Hriday Gattani throughout the song, with some improvised short-singing parts, and guitar tunes by Keba Jeremiah. The melodious ‘bass line’ is soothing to the ears, and it can be heard more clearly at 00.50 seconds, when the sound engineers gifted us with a wonderful ‘panning'. Don't forget to put your headphones on while listening to this special part. Right after that Rahman goes on to the higher notes, which is his specialty. The song is well-balanced by additional arrangements and sound programming done by TR Krishna Chaitanya, Jerry Vincent, and Santosh Dayanidhi. Although Rahman fans will find the programming and additional arrangements un-Rahman like but aren’t we supposed to work with the team? Sunshine Orchestra, led by V. J. Krishnamurthy, creates magic with their arrangement. Overall, this song has a fresh tune to it and I don't remember coming across any college song this subtle and smooth. Dil Bechara takes me down memory lane to 'Mustafa Mustafa' from Duniya Dilwalon Ki.
Taare Ginn
Rahman is known for using new and different musical instruments while composing his tracks. The Charango is one such instrument he has used in this song, and it's played by Achyuth Jaigopal. The melodious rendition by Shreya Ghoshal and Mohit Chauhan makes us feel and understand the definition of love. The beautiful sound of the flute, played by Rasika Shekhar, took me back to the days when I was part of the band ‘Silk Route’. Taare Ginn is perfectly composed for duet singing. The violin outro solo by Suresh Lalwani creates the setting for ‘The Horizon of Saudade’. The smooth Glissando and Portamento make this Violin solo easy to listen to and difficult to play. Overall, this song is one wonderful duet.
Khulke Jeene Ka
Shashaa Tirupati gives listeners the feel of a motivational speaker, and she is simply divine to listen to along with the versatile Arijit Singh. This is the best soundtrack in the album. The soulful ukulele and guitar by Keba Jeremiah, and 'Masakali’ bongo and the percussion rhythm style gives this song a refreshing touch. The Bass Line is amazing to listen to, especially from 2:55 minutes, where the Bass is heard playing in a chromatic tone with the melody. This style of Bass Line is quite unusual in Hindi films and instantly reminds us of 'Masakali' from Delhi 6.
Mian Tumahara
One cannot stop tears from flowing after listening to this song. A harmonic marvel filled with pain, it's a message to lovers. The vocals and harmonies by Jonita Gandhi make this song all the more special. The flute solo by Naveen was nice but I felt it wasn't needed. Overall a song with a deep meaning.
Maskhari
This peppy song scores in both melody and lyrics. The blend of instruments - mandolin, saz, banjo by Tapas Roy, and guitar played by Keba Jeremiah - is an added brownie. The backup vocals by Arjun Chandy and Hiral Viradia give Maskhari an extra layer of freshness. Instead of repeating the same instruments, some more solo portions on the mandolin or banjo would have lifted the track to new heights. Rahman usually has amazing solos and extra melodies, which are lacking in this song. 'Maskhari' makes us hum 'Katiya Karoon' from Rockstar.
Afreeda
Afreeda means ‘created’. Most listeners didn't care for this song, but let me tell you its speciality. The melody has Palestinian roots and is sung by a native from Palestine, Sanaa Moussa. Accompanying her is Indian-American rapper Raja Kumari. I loved the drum arrangement and the groovy Bass throughout the song. We can hear Sanna struggling with the Hindi words, reminding me of Cheb Kahlid’s 'Didi' in Hindi. Also, fans of ‘Kala Bandar' from Delhi 6 will find Afreeda just a standard rap song.
Mera Naam Kizzie
This is an amazingly bubbly track. Rahman loved the name Kizzie and composed this song, with outstanding vocals of Poorvi Koutish. Though Aditya Narayan’s voice fits well, I would have loved to hear Mohit Chauhan in this. Remember Mohit's 'Sheher Mein' from Rockstar? He would have taken this song to a new high. However, the woodwind solos of oboe and clarinet throughout more than make up for the flaws. Overall, this song is another peppy one like 'Maskhari'.
Friendzone
This is the fast tempo avatar of the title track. The mouth trumpet played by Hirday is the distinguishable factor. The Slap Bass and sound sequencing reminded me of 'Dhakka Laga Bukka' from Yuva. Also, a special mention for the chorus. Overall it’s a beautiful soundtrack to swing to.
The Horizon of Saudade
This instrumental encompasses the pain and sorrow we feel after seeing Sushant for the last time and is a fitting tribute to the star. This marvellous rendition, complete with the tunes of Suresh Lalwani’s violin, will help us cling to the memories of Sushant. This soundtrack will always remind us of Sushant's infectious smile, his energy and the love he gave to everyone in his short life. Rahman leaves us with an incomplete song ‘Never Say Goodbye’, a tribute to Sushant.
(Kamal is a music educator from Delhi. He has spent over a decade learning about music and Violin in England. Kamal is a PYP certified teacher and holds a teaching diploma: ALCM (TD) from Associate of London College of Music)
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