MUSIC REVIEW: 'LAMHAA' SOUNDTRACK

Each Track May Seem Situational, But Mithoon Comes Through With Masterful Soundtrack

By: Parimal M. Rohit

July 13, 2010

Perhaps the most challenging thing for Bollywood music directors is to oversee the development of a soundtrack for a terrorist-themed action-thriller film. The soundtrack must have a certain weight and emotion to it in order to match the depth of emotion of the subject matter in the film. In crafting the music of Lamhaa, Mithoon did a solid job of keeping peppy or bhangra tunes off the soundtrack. After all, Lahmaa (which is directed by Rahul Dholakia and stars Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, and Kunal Kumar) delves deep into the everyday struggles of living in the Kashmir valley — an area that is decades and generations deep in conflict and despair. Accordingly, the six tracks featured on the Lamhaa album are carefully crooned to deliver a certain emotion and message that is meant to enhance deep passion and sentiment captured on screen.

Overall, the Lamhaa soundtrack is above average. While each tune is well-sung and consistent with the feel of the film, the album as a whole is rather situational. Indeed, it is difficult to separate the heartfelt emotion and message of life from the soundtrack, meaning each track is not meant to be played in an office setting, at a club, or with a loved one (despite the “romantic” feel of some of the beats and rhythms). Nonetheless, Mithoon delivers a solid soundtrack featuring the talented voices of Kshitij Tarey, Chinmayi, Palash Sen, Mika Singh, Mohd Irfan, and Arun Daga.

Recently released under the T-Series banner, the Lamhaa soundtrack earns a recommendation from Buzzine Bollywood, barely surpassing our minimum rating of 3.25 to earn such a “recommended” designation.

The film opens in theaters worldwide on July 16th and is produced by Bunty Walia and Jaspreet Singh Walia.

Buzzine Rating: 3.28 (out of 4.00)

Total No. of Tracks: 6

Total Time Length: 42:11
Music Label: T-Series
Music Director: Mithoon

“Madno”
Singer(s): Kshitij Tarey, Chinmayi
Lyricist: Sayeed Qadri
Length: 8:26
Grade: B

A romantic and well-crooned track, Kshitij and Chinmayi both carry this mellow track quite well. This heartfelt medley is sure to make listeners swoon to the soft vocals and mesmerizing beats. The only problem with the track is it feels out of place in an action film set in Kashmir.

“Main Kaun Hoon”
Singer(s): Dr. Palash Sen
Lyricist: Amitabh Varma
Length: 7:12
Grade: B+

“Main Kaun Hoon” starts with a few suspenseful beats, making it appear as if it is the perfect action-thriller tune. However, after the first minute, you realize the track is best served being labeled as soft rock instead of thrilling melody. To be fair, “Main Kaun Hoon” is a pleasant listen and actually provides the perfect vibe to answer the rhetorical question of the track: “Who am I?” Accordingly, this song is a perfect fit on the Lamhaa soundtrack, as the tune’s message and film’s theme go together like peanut butter and strawberry jelly.

“Rehmat Zara”
Singer(s): Mithoon, Mohd Irfan
Lyricist: Sayeed Qadri
Length: 5:24
Grade: A-

While most of the Lamhaa soundtrack is emotional and heartfelt, “Rehmat Zara” is a powerfully edgy track that has a way of stirring up some of the listener’s pent up emotions. Indeed, it has the potential to be the most memorable tune on the soundtrack. “Rehmat Zara” actually feels as if it belongs in an action-thriller as the blaring police sirens in the tune’s background can attest to. The strong guitar overtones are a great touch. From the get-go, it will be difficult for the listener to not nod their head, snap their fingers, or tap their toes to this edgy track.

“Saajnaa”
Singer(s): Mika Singh, Chinmaye
Lyricist: Sayeed Qadri
Length: 8:26
Grade: B

One would expect that a track featuring Mika Singh on an action-thriller album would be upbeat and pop-ish. Instead, Mika croons quite the romantic melody alongside Chinmaye. While neither artist delivers a standout performance, Mika and Chinmaye both allow a certain emotion to develop throughout the track. What is that emotion? Since music is art, the interpretation is in the ear of the beholder.

“Salaam Zindagi”
Singer(s): Arun Daga, Mohd Irfan
Lyricist: Sayeed Qadri
Length: 6:56
Grade: B

While “Salaam Zindagi” is yet another “slow” song, the track’s title and lyrics are consistent with the theme of the film, which deals with the daily struggles of living life in Kashmir. The addition of the children’s voice-overs is a nice touch. Arun Daga and Mohd Irfan do not deliver memorable performances, but they are not bad either. Overall, “Salaam Zindagi” is a mellow tune with a worthwhile message.

“Zameen-O-Aasmaa”
Singer(s): Kshitij Tarey
Lyricist: Sayeed Qadri
Length: 5:53
Grade: A-

Another heartfelt track featuring Kshitij Tarey, “Zameen-O-Aasmaa” features the most profound peaks and valleys on this album, as the highs and lows are easily felt throughout. While it starts slow, the track begins to take a grip on the listener as it takes them on an emotional roller-coaster. By track’s end, the listener will be so involved in the strong vibe and feel of the tune that they will not realize it is one of the shortest songs on the album.