Film: "Ram-Leela"; Music Director: Sanjay Leela Bhansali; Singers: Bhoomi Trivedi, Shail Hada, Aditi Paul, Osman Mir, Shreya Ghoshal, Arijit Singh, and Aditya Narayan; Rating: ****
Packed with 10 culturally nourished songs, the "Ram-Leela" soundtrack has no remix or reprised version, but it's a feast for music lovers. Director Sanjay Leela Bhansali, known for making many a magum-opus, adds grandeur to the album with his compositions but at the same time gives enough space to his singers to shine. Barring a few, all the songs are worth listening to.
Aditi Paul and Shail Hada soulfully sing the first track "Ang laga de". You are enchanted once the beautiful and slow number unfolds. Seldom does one find such a soothing, slow-paced romantic song.
Next in line is "Dhoop". This is a singer's track and Shreya Ghoshal is the heroine of the song. Shorter than the earlier one, it might not be among the best songs of the album.
Dipped in Rajasthani flavour, "Mor bani thangat" boasts of colourful culture. Sung by Osman Mir and Aditi Paul, it is a happy, naughty and fun song. Do not confuse it with the fast paced dance number. One might find it difficult to understand the language, but the passion in the music hooks the listeners.
"Ishqyaun dhishqyaun" is all about fun and frolic. Slightly lengthy, its music has a little disc spinning.
The next track will blow you off. Singer Arijit Singh surprises with "Lal ishq". It starts with temple bells and has a spiritual feel to it. It can strike an instant chord with the emotional audiences. The singer takes the song and the music to another level.
"Lahu muh lag gaya" is high on music, but not attention grabbing. The end of the song is interesting as it gets high on emotional content.
The dance number "Nagada sang dhol" is sung by Shreya Ghoshal and Osman Mir. As the name suggests, it is high on dhol beats and is a dance number.
You might be personally looking forward to the song "Ram chahe Leela" as actress Priyanka Chopra makes a special appearance. Singer Bhoomi Trivedi's rustic voice definitely suits the genre. It is an unusual item song, but the regional flavour adds to its magic.
Shail Hada has gone behind the mike again for the track "Poora chand", another soft romantic number in the album.
The last track "Tattad tattad" is the one that features in the trailer of the movie. A fun filled song with good beats, it talks about god Ram and his characteristics. It is entertaining.
The strong point of the "Ram-Leela" album is the soft romantic songs. Bhansali has put his best 'musical' foot forward. It deserves to be heard and enjoyed.
(Yashika Mathur can be contacted at yashika.m@ians.in)
