A new hope

Udaan
T-Series l Rs 199 l Rating ***
There’s one big reason to buy the just-released soundtrack of Udaan. It’s the first high-profile film music album composed entirely by Amit Trivedi,since he churned out the rock-psychedelia that was Dev.D’s music. And given that the one track,Iktara,that the composer contributed to Wake Up Sid’s soundtrack was also widely acclaimed,it’s no wonder that people expect a great deal from Udaan.

It is fortunate then,that Trivedi lives up to expectations,although he doesn’t quite surpass them. Just like he did with Dev.D,the musician manages to capture the essence in the movie in his soundtrack. So even if you listen to the songs,without really knowing what the movie is about,you can tell. “Ankhon ke pardo pe pyara sa jo tha woh nazara/ dhuan sa ban kar ud gaya ab na raha,” go Joi Barua and Neuman Pinto on Kahaani — Ankhon Ke Pardon Pe,clearly voicing the despair that most adolescents experience when they feel their dreams have come crashing.

The melodies are simple,but memorable. There’s a soft rock strain that strings through most of the songs,not a novelty when you consider that the other ‘growing up saga’ in Indian cinema — Nagesh Kukunoor’s Rockford — had a similar style of music. Both soundtracks are mellow and introspective,with an emphasis on the acoustic guitar. But while Rockford’s lyrics might sound childishly naïve (Aasman ke paar shayad aur koi aasman hoga),Udaan’s lyrics,penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya,are more mature and frill-free. So the soundtrack manages to address a wider range of topics and even has space for a folk-inspired song (Naav) and a comic number about a boy so fat that he brought his whole village to ruin (Motumaster). This last-mentioned song has been written by Anurag Kashyap and is the only one that sticks out in an overall inward-looking album. But with its raucous humour and catchy melody,it’s sure to find it’s fans too.