As is the case with most film albums these days, ‘Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana’ has multiple composers coming together to create five original tracks, with four of them having one or more alternate versions as well. The film marks the directorial debut of Ratnaa Sinha, producer-director Anubhav Sinha’s wife who has several television shows to her credit as a producer/director. Given the fact that the film is a romantic drama and has a couple of well-known names credited with scoring the album, one expects at least a couple of decent songs in the offering.
As you listen to “Jogi”, you cannot help but wonder how a song, laced with Punjabi lyrics, finds its place in a film that is set in Uttar Pradesh. Using strange metaphors and throwing high-brow words randomly cannot hide one’s inadequacy as a writer/lyricist. It is high time Arko Pravo Mukherjee starts contemplating the idea of putting down the pen and let a professional/well-qualified lyricist adorn his tune with his words. He does fine as a composer though; the simple and tuneful composition grown on you in no time. Yasser Desai does well as a vocalist in the original version but is overshadowed by the far more superior vocal abilities of Shafqat Amanat Ali in the solo/male version. Aakanksha Sharma gives a good account of herself in the two (duet/female) versions she gets to sing.
Pritam’s A&R company JAM8 (Kaushik-Akash-Guddu/KAG) continue to harness the composer’s mid 00s sound in likeable but far from being extraordinary melodies with “Main Hoon Saath Tere”. The opening bars and a few other portions remind one of JAM8’s earlier hit “Zaalima” (‘Raees’). Keeping the comparisons aside, this one is a neat song that boasts of a good tune, simple lyrics and solid singing by Arijit Singh. Unlike “Jogi”, this one seems to be a track that was made specifically for the film. The mild ’90s sound and the overall melody oozing out innocence works well for the milieu it is set in. The arrangements are tweaked for the female version sung by Shivangi Bhayana. The newcomer does reasonably well in a song that should serve as a showreel for her.
Raees Jamaal Khan, who delivered some superlative songs for that forgettable film ‘Ruslaan’ (2009), stages a comeback to films with “Pallo Latke”, a composition that seeks inspiration from a popular Rajasthani track. Co-composed by Zain-Sam, “Pallo Latke” is a promotional track and hence, one is okay with it being sprinkled with Rajasthani words. But, it would have been nicer had they come up with a song that was steeped in the milieu the film is set in. Tanishk Bagchi had done something similar with the title track of ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya’. Nevertheless, the hook-line which remains fresh in one’s memory does the trick and makes you tap your feet instantly. The rest of the composition is good and blends in seamlessly with the popular folk melody.
Though “Tu Banja Gali Banaras Ki”, at places, reminds one of Arko’s “Nazm Nazm” (‘Bareilly Ki Barfi’), the song is not credited to him. It is Rashid Khan who composes this simple and likeable track. The tune is sufficiently pleasing but he should have spent more time looking after the arrangements. Shakeel Azmi’s write some nice verses which talk about the holy city of Varanasi where the story of the film unfolds. The standard, templatised orchestral arrangements act as the weakest link in the song and do not let it sound as pleasant as it could have. Asit Tripathi’s rendition is refreshing and the newcomer lends the requisite innocence to the song. There are two more versions of the song sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali and Asees Kaur.
After the (relatively) new composers dish out their respective songs, it is time for old war-horse Anand Raaj Anand to make his presence felt. “Meri Intqam Dekhegi” is the number that one got to hear quite prominently in the trailer. The song has made quite a good impression in the trailer itself. The tune has a ’90s touch to it but does not really sound dated. It is propped up with a rock and EDM based sound that compliments it really well. The song does not try to hide the fact that it represents the aggression and the anger felt by the lead protagonist. Anand pitches in with another version which he also lends his voice to. Krishna Beura and Anand Raaj Anand do an equally good in their respective versions.
The biggest strength of the music of ‘Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana’ is that it is consistently engaging. The album may not have a song that will be remembered for years to come but every track sounds good to the ears and will definitely accentuate the visual appeal of the songs when on sees the film in theatres.
Rating: 3/5
