Mumbai: Vishal Bhardwaj has been an inspiration for cinephiles across two decades, with his exemplary command over his craft, ranging from the screenplay to direction, right up to the soundtracks.
Such has been the potency of his music that they’ve had a dissociatedly lasting life, way after his films left the theatres.
His last venture ‘Haider,’ the final instalment in his Shakespearean trilogy, had one of the best soundtracks in recent times. And now, the filmmaker is back with his ambitious Casablancaesque love triangle, ‘Rangoon,’ with a 12-song OST, almost at par with ‘Haider’.
Rangoon is all about a love triangle forms against the backdrop of the Second World War.
A Vishal Bhardwaj’s much-awaited movie trailer of film ‘Rangoon’ is out. Released on youtube, facebook and other social median late Thursday night, its story tells about a powerful thirst, set against the backdrop of World War II. Starring Shahid Kapoor Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut in the lead rolesi this period drama film.
Kangana as in the role of Julia, a female actress from the 1940s, who gets sent to Myanmar (Burma) to entertain a troop from Indian lead by Shahid Kapoor’s character of Nawab Malik. On the other hand Saif Ali Khan, plays the character of a tight-fisted filmmaker who will not let go of his inspiration Julia, especially to a lower rank soldier.
The 200-second trailer takes us from the glamorous theatres in the Bombay of the 1940s to the mucky trenches on the battlefields of Burma. Meanwhile this transition showed a love story, filled with sex, deceit, and passion.
Opening with the back drop of Second World War, Trailer of Rangoon shows a world encircled by war but captivated in very kind love and appetite. Shahid Kapoor plays a warrior while Saif Ali Khan is an officer working for British government. Kangana Ranaut treatises the role of an female actress in the film.
The first trailer of Vishal Bhardwaj’s much-awaited film Rangoon is was out recently since it is much awaited. Starring Shahid Kapoor, Kangana Ranaut and Saif Ali Khan in lead roles, the film is set to hit theatres on February 24.
Opening against the backdrop of Second World War, this trailer shows a world encircled by war but engrossed in very humane love and passion. Shahid plays a soldier while Saif is an officer with the British government. Kangana plays the role of an actress from 1940s film.
With 3 minutes and 20 second trailer of the Rangoon is might be long but the heavy acting done in this drama movie makes it seem like a gentle wind. The dialogues are suggestive of a typical Vishal Bhardwaj drama—intense feelings peppered with dark humour. This is certainly a film we look forward to.
Shahid has earlier worked with Vishal in Kaminey and Haider. Saif has worked in Vishal’s Omkara. Kangana is working with the national award-winning director for the first time.
The album starts with ‘Bloody Hell,’ mischievously crooned by the dependable Sunidhi Chauhan. The song, flanked by Vishal’s characteristically vast orchestral range, serves for the ideal ‘Victorian item song,’ for lead actress Kangana Ranaut.
About the songs of Rangoon
The crisp song writing by the legendary Gulzar-Vishal Bhardwaj awning — at times ironic and piercing, at others profound and moving — has always resonated owing to the richness of ideas and unconventional sound. Be it Omkara, Kaminey, or the absolutely stunning Haider, the duo’s music has always been thematically unified with the film and worked well separately. A lot of it is to do with the fact that Bhardwaj composes the music of the films he directs. As for Rangoon — the Kangana Ranaut, Shahid Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan-starrer based on the life of Mary Ann Evans, Bollywood’s first original stunt woman remembered for the film Hunterwali — the tunes lack cohesive pacing and the perfection the composer has delivered in the past. The 12 pieces are versatile, but Bhardwaj doesn’t risk much. He roams around in the tried and tested waters, which results in tunes that are interesting but yet derivative. That said, in the current soundscape, they are by far more impressive than a lot being delivered.
The album opens with the upbeat Bloody hell in Sunidhi Chauhan’s voice. The over-the-top summit of this piece comes mostly from Chauhan’s husky vocals and the fantastic brass arrangements. It is an impeccably produced track with lyrics in Hinglish that go No no sorry sorry karte, ishq kiya angrezi mein, baji ek bell tring tring, Bloody hell — a testament to Gulzar’s range and his bold artistic ambition. This is followed by the sombre Ye Ishq hain. To the sound of a single cascading guitar, Arijit Singh croons and Bhardwaj lets the cracks in his voice be heard. Then in a track, loosely based on Raag Jog, a flute interlude makes matters interesting. Singh changes octaves with the ease that only he can. And then comes a line by Gulzar that describes life in one line. Sufi ke sulfe ki, lau uthi allah hu/ Jalte hi rehna hai, baaki na main na tu, he writes, in search of transcendence. The female version of the piece by Rekha Bhardwaj is turned into a qawwali and has a hearty harmonium interlude helming it together. It’s interesting how the composer makes one track have such wonderfully different interpretations.
‘Ye Ishq Hai,’ has been ably sung by the indispensable Arijit Singh, who had also sung the timeless ‘Khul Kabhi Toh’ from ‘Haider’. The mellifluous vocalist justifies the earthy composition, which almost reminds one of AR Rahman’s ‘Dil Se Re,’ but stands out, nevertheless, due to its poignantly collated instrumental interludes.
The female reprise version, with its stirring Sufi undertones holds its own against Arijit’s stellar job, courtesy Rekha Bhardwaj’s haunting rendition. A regular across VB soundtracks, Rekha gives the track a life of its own, exclusive from the original.
Tippa, the quirkiest song in the album, pays ample testimony to Vishal’s willingness to evolve with changing times whilst keeping his own musical sensibilities intact. The song is quite reminiscent of AR Rahman’s indulgence with ambient sounds, circa 90’s, and also the genius Ajay-Atul’s grossly underappreciated A Capella track, ‘Sajvun Sanj Jashi’. Vishal also seems to have taken a cue from Ajay-Atul’s heavy symphonic orchestration for ‘Sairat’. The song has Sukhwinder Singh, Rekha Bhardwaj, Sunidhi Chauhan and O.S. Arun collaborating on one of the classiest ‘multi-star’ efforts in recent Bollywood music memory.
However, the pick of the album has to be the achingly melancholic ‘Alvida,’ sung by Arijit. It has to be said at this point that very few musicians have appropriately exploited the mammoth talent that Arijit possesses, as much as Vishal does. The singer gives his everything, emoting with every syllable and note, aggrandising Vishal’s masterpiece of a song.
‘Mere Miyan Gaye England,’ a zany tribute to the 1949 cult song ‘Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon,’ from ‘Patanga,’ works majorly owing to Vishal’s heart-warming composition, sung by Rekha Bhardwaj, expectedly enough. The borderline parodical song has multiple parallels with Piyush Mishra’s ‘Ranaji Mhare’ from ‘Gulaal,’ which incidentally had also been sung by Rekha.
‘Be Still,’ and ‘Shimmy Shake,’ are quintessential Swing and Jazz tracks, that allude to the period the film is set in.
‘Julia,’ arguably the weakest track in the soundtrack, comes across as a meek imitation of ‘Chali Kahani,’ from AR Rahman’s ‘Tamasha’ soundtrack. Sukhwinder Singh, Kunal Ganjawalla, KK and Vishal himself, despite their best efforts, barely make up for the song’s orchestral inconsistencies.
‘Ek Dooni Do,’ and ‘Chori Chori,’ are inimitable Vishal-Rekha songs, that one might relax to on a dreary day; the expected leisurely take-aways from a VB soundtrack.
All in all, Vishal has reiterated once again, why he’s amongst the best musicians the industry has hosted. ‘Rangoon,’ is a soundtrack worth savouring, one that won’t take its own sweet time to mesmerise you.