Very much like the Bhatts, filmmaker Vikram Bhatt too is a name unto himself, and his brand of horror flicks have a huge fan following, and quite like them the music too does very well and enjoys great patronage from music buffs.
Coming to the film at hand, 1920 – EVIL RETURNS, it is a quasi sequel to the classy horror flick 1920, which was directed by Vikram and was appreciated for its special effects, story and music. Though this time the director at the helm of affairs, Bhushan Patel, is a debutant and Vikram has not only produced the film but he has also written the story. The music department is in the deft handling of Chirantan Bhatt, who is now one of Vikram’s favourite after the super hit HAUNTED 3D. The songs of the film are still popular and we do expect another great album from him.
Lead actress Tia Bajpai too confirms the above saying, “The music of 1920 EVIL RETURNS is really good, and I like the whole album.” So let us check out the audio!
The very first song, ‘Apna Mujhe Tu Laga’, proves beyond doubt that our expectations were not unfounded and that Tia too was right on dot when she had said that this was one of her favourite numbers. Sung by the king of romantic numbers, Sonu Nigam (who also features in the promotional music video of the song), the track has all it takes to be a chart topper and a valentine day special number which would indeed be loved by those who savour hard core romantic tracks . The commencement with a mix of eclectic piano drills and guitar strums and just Sonu’s full on emotions rendition point towards a brilliant composition. Superb melody that is so very rich and striking, excellent singing by Sonu, his best for quite a while, since his return, one must add, and some lovely musical arrangements that are top class. To top it all, lyrics by Shakeel Azmi too are good, they may appear to be routine but they gel well with the situation in the film as even though the lead actors are strangers but they have a strange bond connecting them.
The Valentine day special mood continues with ‘Hi Banana’, another outstanding track rendered to perfection by Arijit Singh, the new musical sensation to hit Bollywood music scenario with songs from BARFI! An intense, emotional and passionate love ballad sung throughout at such a high pitch that even KK would have been proud.
Chirantan deserves kudos for composing a song that not only carries the high on emotion content of the film but it also appeals in a big way as it never wavers or falters at any stage and in the end when it culminates into a rockish ballad, it’s just amazing! Hats off to lyricist Junaid Warsi too, for his excellent lyrics that convey the heartfelt emotions in manner that it’s almost like a prayer/ cry to the almighty- ‘Meri kismet ki har ek panne pe, Mere jeete ji, Baad marne ke, Mere har ek kal, Har ek lamhe mein, Tu likh de mera usey..Aye Khuda, Aye khuda, Jab bana uska hi bana’. Simply brilliant!
Next up is ‘Jaavedaan Hai’, a light, breezy love ditty that carries the oriental essence at it’s fore, especially in the haunting signature tune which is repeated throughout, and is one of the highlights of the track. KK has been given the responsibility to render the number that is inspired from the house of Bhatts, as it carries their trademark stamp in a big way and has shades of Emraan-Pritam’s TUM MILE, and so it has that heard before feel and therefore does not have the same impact as the first two numbers. Suzzane DeMello joins in briefly with her back up choral and provides the necessary oomph. Shakeel Azmi’s lyrics are light on the ears and easy to hum.
Soft piano caresses and soul stirring flute notes commence ‘Khud Ko Tere’, a superb, situational melodious number about two lost souls meeting and sharing their sorrows and problems, conveyed in a perfect manner through just the right words by lyricist Shakeel Azmi. Hugely talented Mahalaxmi Aiyer (who is scarcely heard these days) is a delight as her singing does remind one of Alka of yore and brings back the memories of her evergreen Nadeem-Shravan songs.
The album gets a fitting finale with, ‘Majboor Tu Bhi’, a mindblowing rock based love ballad, that ranks up right there with Pritam’s rock numbers from LIFE IN A… METRO .The superb orchestration and arrangements (drums, guitars and other percussions) that set up the song is commendable and show Chirantan’s prowess here. Sung by the newest rockstar on the block, Amit Mishra, in his uniquely gruff, hoarse but highly laudable vocals that are tailor made for such rock based numbers. But the highlight of the track are indeed the superb lyrics by Manoj Yadav that question the almightily for all the things that have gone wrong, a cry of grief by a disbeliever is something that would translate well on screen and would fit into the narratives with ease.
Summing up, Chirantan and his team continue from where they left off in HAUNTED, and one is sure that producer Vikram Bhatt, who has a good ear for music, has taken time off and put his inputs here as well. Kudos to the entire team for some melodious numbers that would indeed find favour with the music patrons, and they are our favourites as well ‘Uska Hi Banana’, ‘Apna Muhje Tu Laga’ and ‘Majboor Tu Bhi’. On the hind side, there is not much variety that is offered here and that mandatory situational, scary number is missing that would have provided the album with the required chill factor. But still the popularity of the album would indeed translate into good box-office returns when the film releases all over on 2nd November 2012.
