Music review Lootera: Scene stealer

Rating: ***1/2

What makes the album of Lootera so anticipated is perhaps the fine collaboration composer Amit Trivedi had forged with director Vikramaditya Motwane in Udaan — an album that is still fresh,sprinkled with the simple profundity of Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics. It also gives Trivedi the scope to create new yarns from oldies,fashioning around the vibe of an SD Burman or a Salil Chowdhury composition,as in the opening track Sawaar loon. The measured mellifluous singing by Monali Thakur,the template-arrangement and the lyrics,Yeh saare koyel bani hain aj daakiya,kuhu kuhu mein chitthi padhe mazakiya,are all fittingly old-fashioned.

The album doesn’t overdo its period setting,and keeps a rather timeless,universal theme throughout. Falling in that zone is Ankahee,an absolute earworm,filled with hummable melody sung with gentle lightness by Bhattacharya. Shikayatein,sung by the liberating vocals of K Mohan with a soft-rock sound,is an excellent song on its own,but it sounds too much like Udaan,especially the chorus portions. It’s here that the theme heard in the trailers appear in interludes.

Monta re is a baul-inspired song,the folk music tradition of Bengal,and Trivedi does a fine job in creating its soul and simplicity,with occasional philosophy. Swanand Kirkire’s vocals assume the voice of a large-hearted fakir,while Bhattacharya’s comforting backing vocals towards the end come like a distant voice rising into the skies. The other song,Zinda,is a somber cousin of Shikayatein,and the somewhat familiar Trivedi-esque arrangement is compensated with Trivedi’s soulful singing. The ever-beautiful vocals of Shilpa Rao give life to Manmarziyan that has a richly textured arrangement.

Lootera has the kind of sublimity that will grow with time,and work even better with the film.