English Vinglish is easily one of the most interesting movies of 2012. Sridevi, one of Indian cinema’s most charismatic actors will be seen on the silver screen after a long hiatus of almost 14 years. Not exactly a BANVAAS as the exile was entirely self imposed. Also the lady at the helm of affairs is Gauri Shinde, wife of R Balki ( the talented maker of such movies as CHEENI KUM & PAA ) And with the whiz kid Amit Trivedi as its music director, one cannot but have huge expectations. Let’s cut to the chase then
ENGLISH VINGLISH (Female version) Title songs are always a tricky affair. But Amit Trivedi seems to have got the hang of things what with WAKE UP SID, UDAAN, AISHA, EK MAIN AUR EK TU & now ISHAQZAADE all having killer title tracks. As seen hitherto in the initial promos, the emphasis is on using Hindi & English words together ( Dheeme Dheeme Slowly Slowly I am Learning Vearning ) the lyrics ( Swanand Kirkire shows his entire oeuvre here with a worthy follow up to BARFI! ) are quite inventive . An infectious chorus that goes " Aflatoon ! English Vinglish ! Hai Junoon ! English Vinglish ! Morning Noon ! English Vinglish ! " ensures this song is gonna be a chart buster. The sonorous vocals of Shilpa Rao are the perfect icing on this delicious cake of a song.
Dhak Dhuk Sung by a very mellow Trivedi, this is the song of the album. The use of dhol set to a catchy rhythm clearly finds inspiration in Dandiya Raas, a traditional folk dance form home to Western India ( more than a subtle nod to Trivedi’s Gujarati roots, me thinks ) and is quite brilliantly off set by the flute used here. In the promos, we see Sridevi cosying up to another character played by an unknown foreign actor. Quite the romantic song with soothing lyrics, this could very well be the song to fit that situation. Yet its immensely hummable ( if there is such a word ) tune sets it apart from all the other songs here which are somewhat restricted by the situation they seem set in.
Manhattan This song is sure to stand apart from all the previous tributes to the city of New York. And the mood is set right at the start where the character of Shashi ( unmistakeably voiced by Sridevi ) innocently wants to know what Manhattan means. The way in which the duo of Amit and Swanand have set this to tune truly defies description and is best enjoyed when heard. Suffice to say that this ingenuity bodes well for us the audience. Clinton Cerejo and Bianca Gomes ( using her vocal repetoire to the hilt ) ably evoke all the striking visuals that the city is so loved for. The line " Sheher ko nazar ka teeka to lagao " , especially with reference to the not- so-recent tragic turn of events there lingers on even after the song is over.
Gustakh Dil Here Amit Trivedi creates an emotional love song set to a slow tempo which builds to a crescendo. Add to this the masterful rendering by Shilpa Rao backed by mesmerising violins, electric guitar and drums. And you have the perfect recipe for a rock ballad. Also the lyrics here again are thankfully not cliche-ridden. Left to lesser mortals, this song might have just another of those Judaai-waala-gham type of song. But with these guys, fat chance!
Navrai Majhi A pucca situational song with a generous sprinkling of Marathi all over, this song has Mr Kirkire himself lending his voice along with the ever effervescent Sunidhi Chauhan in tow. Notably the warm vocals of an older woman in here ( strangely uncredited on most websites ) belongs supposedly to Neelambari, the lyricist ’s real life mother. How to forget Natalie Di Luccio, the Canadian singer who ( if it is actually possible ) sounds even better than she looks. Of course, the recently released promos of this song have further whetted the audience’s curiosity with Sridevi dancing like the diva that she once was.
ENGLISH VINGLISH ( Male version ) Amit Trivedi who earlier lent amazing supporting chorus vocals in the Shilpa Rao version of this song gets to reprise this one all by himself. This is a common enough thing in movies where there is a male lead protagonist ( referred to irritatingly as the ’ hero ’) with marquee value. That strikes one as a bit odd for in the context of this film, Sridevi seems to clearly be the ’ hero ’ So if this song is retained in the film, who will it be picturised on ? My guess is worse than yours. Then again, with Amit Trivedi in his element here, we are not complaining.
Verdict : It is Amit Trivedi’s best this year easily surpassing both EK MAIN AUR EK TU & ISHAQZAADE. Comparisons to Dev D are totally odious. For that one will have to wait for Bombay Velvet, Anurag Kashyap’s magnum opus with Ranbir Kapoor in the lead. But for now, this will do just fine. Over to you, Sri !!