If you have seen Shankar Mahadevan perform classical/fusion, or heard Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s classical-based works in the past, you know that there is nobody else in the industry as well-equipped as they are, to pull off a soundtrack of this kind. The fact that they are playing off each other adds to the beauty of the song, and the icing on the cake are the final two minutes of the song where the composers let the singers go to town with their improvisations! Although Chakraborty is not featured in the Jugalbandi version of the song, it does surely compensate for the length of the original version with two other exceptional singers – Farid Hasan and Mohammed Aman. The seemingly mian ki malhar raga-based song also features some fine sitar solos from Bhagirath Bhatt. Ajoy Chakraborty and Javed Ali (though I could not discern the latter’s voice anywhere), and the former sounds spectacular with his nuanced rendition – a pity this one is just over two and a half minutes. The final song, Garaj Garaj, is also set to the rain theme, as evident from the title, and comes in two versions. Mahadevan’s singing is replete with trademark improvisational bits throughout – one of the best things about the song is its rhythm-shift from the seven beat cycle in the first half to eight beats as the song’s mood switches from expectation to jubilation, leading to the song’s closure in a beautiful profusion of violins, percussions and taranas. Man is equally splendid in Dhara Hogi ( brindavana saranga the raga, I am guessing) which sits smack dab in the Mirzya zone, with its folksy orchestration. Love how the rang rang refrain by the singer is used as a chorus layer throughout the song. You can literally feel the Virah in Shankar Mahadevan’s sublime rendition of the melancholic track that the composers adorn with a fittingly understated backdrop as well. While Shivam Mahadevan is missing from the classical-heavy songs, his father does more than make up for it with his own towering presence in two of the three such compositions, all of which are my favourites from the album. Shankar Mahadevan delivers this one in flawless fashion. SEL’s presentation of the Rajasthani folk song Padhaaro Mhaare Des has a piano layer underlying the arrangement, but largely sticks to its roots, retaining the original melody as well in the process. The arrangement is fab however, highlighted by the harmonium and tabla. Javed Ali is in fine form conveying the pain in Sameer Samant’s lines in Labb Par Aaye that is presented like a qawwali, even though the song itself is a bit bogged down by a dated-sounding tune. The rest of the album pretty much eschews the pop side of things. Mame Khan’s soaring rendition that opens the song is a pleasant throwback to SEL’s stellar Mirzya, though. The series’ theme song too has a fusion aspect to it, though it is too short to stick. A bit bummed that his portions do not extend beyond that verse however, and that he does not feature in any of the other classical songs of the album. Hearing Mahadevan sing classical was one of the things I was most looking forward to in the album, and boy does he ace this – having been a staunch believer that his singing is more aligned to his father’s, it is gladdening to see that become more and more true as he grows older. And Sajan Bin is the album’s proper “fusion” song – Jonita Gandhi’s pulsating pop segment punctuated by Shivam Mahadevan’s classical-flavoured Sajan Bin segment. Very pleasant composition (shades of mohanam raga, I feel) that is delivered beautifully by the two singers. Armaan Malik joins Jonita Gandhi for Couple Goals where the fusion elements start showing up more prominently, both in the arrangement and the melody. That one song is Chedkhaaniyaan (the umpteenth “ –iyaan” song to come out of Bollywood in recent years) that has Baghel and Shivam Mahadevan behind the mic, and twosome have little difficulty dispatching this frothy romantic piece in style. Wonder if Gandhi is the musical voice of the lady protagonist from the series, given that she is the only female voice in the album, aside of Pratibha Singh Baghel in one song. Not the only track from the album to carry echoes of the trio’s past compositions, but that of course does not make the songs any less enjoyable. Mastiyapa, sung by Jonita Gandhi, is likely to remind you of Shankar Ehsaan Loy’s party songs from the past, dating as far back as It’s the Time to Disco. I shall cover the songs in that order, since incidentally that is also pretty much the order in which they worked for me. It comes as no surprise, therefore, that the 11-song soundtrack features songs from both ends of the spectrum and fusion pieces that fall along the way. Songs and complete musician credits at the end.īandish Bandits’ premise appears to be that of a pop singer meeting and collaborating with a classical singer.