Despite being born into his career, Abhay Deol has stayed well clear of clichéd Bollywood commercial films. Whether it is Ahista Ahista or Manorama Six Feet Under, all signs indicate that this Deol will not be signing a Bansali or a Yash Raj gig anytime soon. His choices deserve commendation as scripts that think out of the box are unusual in the popularity contest that is today’s cinema. His forthcoming release Dev D also pushes the boundaries as it recreates the classic tale of Devdas in the 21st century setting.
Dev D is being directed by Anurag Kashup (No Smoking) and is being made under the banner of the latest UTV subsidiary UTV Spotboys. The film also stars debutantes Kalki and Mahi Singh and hits the silver screens in February 2009.
The music is being given be Amit Trivedi (Aamir) while lyrics have been penned by Amitabh Bhattcharya, Sheelli, Mani and Shruti Pathak. The album bypasses the usual song number (6 to 8) and is made of 18 tracks, comprising of a list of unfamiliar singers namely Kshitij, Shilpa Rao ('Khuda Jaane' – Bachna Ae Haseeno), Mani, Labh Juaja, Joi Barua, Bonnie Chakarvarthy, Toshi, Shruti Pathak, Aditi Singh Sharma and Amit Trivedi.
The album commences with Aankh Milcholi that is sung by Amit Trivedi. While the foot-tapping techno music is well composed by Trivedi, the same cannot be said about his singing abilities. The lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya have been penned well. He refrains from using any run-of-the-mill phrases for a song about the ups and downs in life.
After 'Aankh Milcholi' are two instrumentals, namely themes of the characters of Dev and Chanda. Dev Chanda - Themes 1 is peppy and cute. However, the male singer’s vocals tend to be a tad bit annoying after a while. The female vocals are good and both singers sound great when they sing together. The theme has a nice melody that should prove to be catchy. The flute solo at the end deserves special mention. Dev Chanda - Themes 2 is a lot more dramatic than the first as it is almost an orchestral piece. Trivedi manages to beautifully blend the whistling with the strings orchestra together.
Next is Dhol Yaara Dhol, a desi Rajasthani number by Kshitij and Shilpa Rao. The light-hearted simple lyrics by Sheelli are a pure delight. Kshitij and Shilpa sound amazing together, each matching the other’s excellent rendition.
The western Dil Mein Jaagi follows the desi 'Dhol Yaara Dhol'. Singer and lyricist Mani should be commended for a job well done, although the song could have done without the opera bits. Mani’s young and refreshing (think Anushka Manchanda meets Sundhi Chauhan) vocals are bound to win hearts.
Duniya brings Trivedi behind the mic again and this time his rendition is not as bearable as Aankh Micholi (think R D Burman gone horribly wrong). Musically speaking, the track is awesome as Trivedhi manages to blend various genres smoothly, thus Trivedi should not give up his day job and strictly stick to composing. Amitabh pens great lyrics for a track about the dog-eat-dog world.
After the cynical 'Duniya' comes Ek Hulchul Si. What starts out as soft numbers turns into a rock number eventually. Joi Barua sings the track well as his voice smoothly adjusts to the soft and loud parts of the song. The music again is brilliant. Trivedi delivers a pretty impressive rock number. The loud portions of the song do not become noisy, however one does have to strain to here the lyrics. Speaking of lyrics, Amitabh comes through once again with good lyrics.
Next is the already publicised Emosanal Atyachar by Bonnie Chakarvarthy. It goes without saying that this track is not for everyone. The raw lyrics and the loud brass band does tend to reduce the track’s appeal dramatically. At the very least, the track is funny. Thankfully, Emosanal Atyachar also has a rock version for the not so experimental listeners out there. The track is very distinct from the first. Unlike the first version, this one is not a lovelorn. It is more of a sad and angry version. It starts off softly and eventually picks up pace and transforms into a loud rock number. This version is more stylised as even ‘emosanal’ is pronounced ‘emotional’. Musically, the rock version is outstanding. However, all the screaming might put some listeners off.
After the intriguing 'Emosanal Atyachar', Hikknal Lage Jind Teri is a bit of let down. Sung by Labh Jajua with lyrics by Sheelli, the track is a typical Punjabi number with no innovation as far as music and melody are concerned.
Labh Jajua and Sheelli return for Mahi Meenu, another Punjabi number. This time around it is a little bit better than 'Hikknal' but innovation and creativity are still not its strongest suit. A relatively fast paced number, the chorus is the crowning glory of the song. The song also appears as a sad version which is a melodramatic situational number.
Trivedi returns to the mic for Nayan Tarase, a brilliantly composed track, especially in the beginning. The way Trivedi captures the feel of the background music of an 80s thriller is outstanding. The track smoothly changes into a trendy western number as it progresses. The well penned classical lyrics, by Amitabh, against western music gives the track a unique touch. The only regret is that Amit Trivedi sabotages an excellent composition by lending his not so appealing voice.
Shruthi Pathak sings and writes the next track, Payaliya. Her vocals are as outstanding as are her writing skills. It is easily the best track of the album. The brilliant mix of modern and traditional music matched up with classical lyrics has to be highly praised. It can easily be a dance number or a personal monologue or simply a situational number carrying the film’s narrative forward, but whatever its purpose, this track is mind-blowing.
Next is Pardesi, a sufi-like number sung by Toshi and written by Sheelli. Again Trivedi’s composition does not stick to a norm or category and cleverly creates a fantastic fusion of classical and hip-hop. 'Pardesi' is Sheelli’s best lyrical work so far.
Ranjhana sees Ksijit and Shilpa Rao behind the mic once more. The melancholy in Shilpa’s voice is brilliant. She really out does herself, and her previous commercial numbers do not do her justice.
The melancholy is still potent in the air with Saali Khushi. Unfortunately, Trivedi is behind the mic once again. However, do not press the skip button just yet as this might be the best Trivedi track so far. Since Trivedi does not tackle any high notes in this song, he sounds fine. Amitabh’s lyrics depict the search for happiness in a somewhat crude but effective manner. Trivedi delivers another fine composition. The jazz portions of the track are outstanding.
The album ends on a beautiful and happy note with Yahi Meri Zindagi which is sung by Aditi Singh Sharma and well-penned by Amitabh. Akin to a Disney musical number, the track is trendy, uplifting and refreshing after the somewhat depressing numbers before it. Aditi’s young and peppy vocals match the light-hearted music of the song to a T.
Before the official summing up, the following advice has to be communicated to all the listeners. Do not to write off this album merely because you could not see Sonu Nigam’s or Shaan’s name on the back cover. Dev D is certainly not an album to be overlooked.
Dev D is easily one of the most well composed and creative albums of Indian cinema. For a newbie, Amit Trivedi is not afraid to push the limits and deviate from the norm to give something fresh and unique. His music style cannot be stereotyped or categorized in a genre. His unique sense of fusion is what works in his favour.
That being said, Amit does however sabotages some really good compositions in Dev D by lending his vocals to them. He is not a bad singer, but as mentioned earlier his voice transforms into a horrendous scream when he sings very high notes at a fast pace. Just compare the hyped up 'Aankh Micholi' to the softer 'Saali Khushi'. Also, the clichéd Punjabi numbers do hinder the uniqueness of the album.
Not everyone will agree with the fact that Dev D is not your usual Bollywood soundtrack. Whether listeners will enjoy Dev D or not is strictly a matter of taste as it is obvious that it is not everyone’s cup of tea. However, the versatility of the style of music per track will lead one to like some and ignore the others.
Dev D is an outstanding album nonetheless. Trivedi’s hard work, dedication and creativity is clearly evident. Do not give this one a miss.
I tought Amit Trivedi's voals made the songs very real and contemporary. He sounded like any above average singer at a college rock concert in any Indian city. I doubt Sheetal Tiwari has been to any one of them.
Despite being born into his career, Abhay Deol has stayed well clear of clichéd Bollywood commercial films. Whether it is Ahista Ahista or Manorama Six Feet Under, all signs indicate that this Deol will not be signing a Bansali or a Yash Raj gig anytime soon. His choices deserve commendation as scripts that think out of the box are unusual in the popularity contest that is today’s cinema. His forthcoming release Dev D also pushes the boundaries as it recreates the classic tale of Devdas in the 21st century setting.
After 'Aankh Milcholi' are two instrumentals, namely themes of the characters of Dev and Chanda. Dev Chanda - Themes 1 is peppy and cute. However, the male singer’s vocals tend to be a tad bit annoying after a while. The female vocals are good and both singers sound great when they sing together. The theme has a nice melody that should prove to be catchy. The flute solo at the end deserves special mention. Dev Chanda - Themes 2 is a lot more dramatic than the first as it is almost an orchestral piece. Trivedi manages to beautifully blend the whistling with the strings orchestra together.
The western Dil Mein Jaagi follows the desi 'Dhol Yaara Dhol'. Singer and lyricist Mani should be commended for a job well done, although the song could have done without the opera bits. Mani’s young and refreshing (think Anushka Manchanda meets Sundhi Chauhan) vocals are bound to win hearts.
Trivedi returns to the mic for Nayan Tarase, a brilliantly composed track, especially in the beginning. The way Trivedi captures the feel of the background music of an 80s thriller is outstanding. The track smoothly changes into a trendy western number as it progresses. The well penned classical lyrics, by Amitabh, against western music gives the track a unique touch. The only regret is that Amit Trivedi sabotages an excellent composition by lending his not so appealing voice. 
The album ends on a beautiful and happy note with Yahi Meri Zindagi which is sung by Aditi Singh Sharma and well-penned by Amitabh. Akin to a Disney musical number, the track is trendy, uplifting and refreshing after the somewhat depressing numbers before it. Aditi’s young and peppy vocals match the light-hearted music of the song to a T.
I tought Amit Trivedi's voals made the songs very real and contemporary. He sounded like any above average singer at a college rock concert in any Indian city. I doubt Sheetal Tiwari has been to any one of them.