Music Review: 'Gangs of Wasseypur' is excellent

New Delhi: Anurag Kashyap's 'Gangs of Wasseypur' is making a good name for itself, especially after getting featured at the Cannes International Film Festival. The promos of the film suggest that the music is going to play a crucial part in the narration. Music director Sneha Khanwalkar lives up to the expectations.

Her new album has 14 songs, mostly with a rustic touch. Varun Grover has penned down the first song 'Jiya ho Bihar ke lala'. The song draws inspiration from old orchestra tradition still prevailing in small cities; however the composer hasn't left her brand of music. It's on the lines of the title track of 'LSD' where the voice is earthy but the background track is funky. Manoj Tiwari doesn't deviate from his style, and this makes his voice separated from the track. Opening of the song, which is very catchy, seems overpowering for his nasal voice.

Vedesh Sokoo, Rajneesh, Munna, and Shyamoo have collaborated on 'Hunter song', a really innovative experiment. It's catchy for double meaning words and gripping music. The lyricist should be praised for such brave words, though it may not go well with the suave urban audiences. The tap beats used in the song gives it a peppy flavour. You need to accept 'I say as a hunter, I must be brave and strong. She say that she find that my gun extremely long' for the sake of a talented composer.

Meet the 'Gangs of Wasseypur' team celebrating their Cannes International Film Festival 2012 journey.
The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations. Anurag Kashyap has a word with Manoj Tiwari.
The entire team of Wasseypur, which will be screened at Cannes. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
Gangs of Wasseypur is directed and produced by Anurag Kashyap. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
The film features an ensemble cast of Jaideep Ahlawat, Manoj Bajpai, Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Richa Chadda in the lead roles. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
The film will be screened at the 2012 Directors' Fortnight, an independently-curated, non-competitive event which runs concurrently with the famed Cannes Film Festival. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
After 'Peddlers', both parts of Kashyap's 'Gangs of Wasseypur', has been chosen for screening at the fest's Directors' Fortnight section. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
It will be showcased alongside 20 films from all over the world in the features' section. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
The film, produced by Viacom18 Motion Pictures, has actors like Jaideep Ahlawat, Manoj Bajpayee. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
The other film under his banner Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt Ltd, 'Peddlers', is directed by Vasan Bala. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
Peddlers will be showcased at Cannes Critics' Week and compete for the prestigious Camera d'Or. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
Filmmaker Ashim Ahluwalia's movie 'Miss Lovely' has also been selected to represent India in the non-competitive section of the festival. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
This film is set for a June 22 release. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
Kashyap's last directorial venture was 'That Girl in Yellow Boots' and he had cast his wife Kalki Koechlin in the lead role. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.
Kashyap is also producing the Rani Mukerji starrer 'Aiyaa'. The images from the Gangs of Wasseypur Cannes Celebrations.

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$Music Review: \'Gangs of Wasseypur\' is excellent$

\'Gangs of Wasseypur\' is a successful album when it comes to catching the popular imagination.

'O womaniya' by Khusboo Raaj and Rekha Jha will take you to a joy ride via the streets of eastern part of the Hindi heartland. Sung with brilliant dynamism, this song can lift your mood in any situation. Probably the best composition of the album, it spreads a nostalgic feel. The amalgamation of husky and spiky voices has done wonders, but one can't be sure about its success in urban set ups. 'O womaniya' is certainly one of the finest tunes of recent times.

Two music directors Sneha and Amit Trivedi team up for 'Keh ke loonga'. It reflects the mood of revenge. Cynical lyrics give the song a distinct feel. Sneha's high pitched voice does justice to the mood but Amit Trivedi couldn't leave his 'Dev D' frame of mind. He fails to evoke the same emotions as the wordings.

Manish Tipu and Bhupesh Singh infuse a lot of energy in 'Bhoos', especially when they sing 'Na mili hai' in the chorus. Sneha has included everything from a trumpet's sound to a dog's barking in the background. Voice modulations are judiciously used. Chewed words save the day for the otherwise ordinary song.

'Ik bagal' features a nice verse by Piyush Mishra. It can remind you of the socially oriented poems of 1960s. A satirical piece on the changing patterns of society generates a sad feeling. This song could be a necessity for the story but it doesn't impress much as a song, but then why should we expect 'Aarambh hai prachand' from Mishra all the time.

'Bhaiyya' is haunting for its reverb effects and gruff voice. Added kettledrum effect makes it more poignant.

'Tain tain to to' appears random but reflects a playful mood. Whimsical in its approach, the song is something in between an aerobic track and a children song. Extremely catchy, it is bound to fetch your attention.

'Soona kar ke gharwa' is pure folk with no outside music. High pitched voices are supported by just harmonium and kartaal. The conscious decision of keeping the originality intact fans the imagination and the listener gets inclined towards visualizing the actual scenario.

'Aie jawano' and 'Humni ke chhodi ke' also follow the same trend. Untrained vocals build a momentum. However the repetition of the same sort of music may irritate the audiences.

'Keh ke loonga' and 'Aie jawano' are remixed to make a racy track. With 'roadside' shayari and raunchy lyrics, the remix could work as background track in particular scenes. Similarly, 'Womaniya' is also remixed to suit the taste of urban listeners, but heavy strings kill the real countryside feel to a good extent.

'Manmauji' penned by Piyush Mishra, is the last song of the album. Usri Banerjee's husky voice is good enough to titillate the well guarded emotions. Its small duration leaves the audiences wanting for more.

'Gangs of Wasseypur' is a successful album when it comes to catching the popular imagination. This may not appeal much to the lovers of underground music, but it has got some addictive tunes. Probably the music fails to cater to all sections of the society but the fearless experimentations by Sneha Khanwalkar makes it better than most of the contemporary music albums. 'Gangs of Wasseypur' is a fine purchase by any standard.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.