Bobby Jasoos / Almost there

A colourful slice-of- life film deserves good music. Although Vidya Balan has created the right buzz around Bobby Jasoos, the music of the film is much to talk about. Music composer Shantanu Moitra (who had also worked for Balan’s debut film, Parineeta) and lyricist Swanand Kirkire have together composed some average numbers, that are easy on the ears, but only in parts. All the tracks have the duo’s trademark stamp—soft, hummable tunes mixed with clean, relatable lyrics. The five song album opens with the celebration track, Jashn, sung with great enthusiasm by Shreya Ghoshal. The use of South Indian trumpets, dhol and a little bit of dhak is very interesting and is also the highlight of the film. We like the track’s energetic pace, which remains the same throughout. Kirkire’s lyrics are apt for the song, which celebrates the protagonist’s free-spirited attitude. The chorus is decent.
Next in line is the contemporary ghazal, Tu, sung by Ghosal and Papon. This also happens to be Balan’s favourite number, and has mentioned that she wants to be remembered with this song. Despite the fact that this song gets a good start, it fails to impress in the antara. The composition is a little confusing and post the first paragraph, the melody gets a little boring. It’s not the kind of ghazal that you would want to play on loop. The reprise version of the song is nothing great either. The well penned lyrics and perfect use of instruments deserved a better composition.
Neeraj Shridhar’s B.O.B.B is the title track, that tries to unravel the mind and plans of Bobby Jasoos. The singer has crooned the number while mixing the Hyderabadi dialect with Hindi and does an impeccable job. The chorus is decent and the use of harmonium, tabla and the trumpet takes you back to the masaaledaar drama era of the ‘70s. It’s an average number, which we guess will be used smartly in the narrative of the film.
The album concludes with a fun wedding number, Sweety. Singer Aishwarya Nigam has rendered this number with great attitude and style, and adds some extra charm. Singer Monali Thakur joins him in this duet and is strictly okay. The composition is average, but foot- tapping nevertheless. Overall, the Bobby Jasoos album could have been better.