Music Review: Tamasha!

After all the waiting, the soundtrack for Imtiaz Ali’s Tamasha has finally been released! The music is composed by none other than A.R. Rahman and lyrics are written by Irshad Kamil. This trio has released some great albums in the past, like Highway and Rockstar, so there are definitely high expectations for this one!

Mohit Chauhan is back with a bang in “Matargashti”, which will probably be a chartbuster like his previous success and popularity with “Masakali” from Delhi 6. The video features gorgeous shots of Ranbir, Deepika, and Corsica’s deep blue waters! There are certain phrases in the lyrics of this song – such as “chirkut zindagi” – which lend an added cuteness to this spunky track.

“Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai”, sung by Mika Singh and Nakash Aziz, has a qawwali-esque style that goes totally Punjabi at the end of the song. The picturization in the video is raw yet hilarious and makes us even more excited to watch this film!

“Agar Tum Saath Ho” is a relatively melodious number rendered by Alka Yagnik and Arijit Singh. It has a somewhat similar vibe to the song “Lukka Chuppi” from Rang De Basanti. It’s not the first time that A.R. Rahman and Arijit Singh have worked together, and we get the pleasure of hearing Arijit’s voice in higher octaves for this track.

“Wat Wat Wat” is possibly the funniest song in this entire album. Sung by Arijit Singh and Shashwat Singh, this is a total masti track with awesome fusion Bhangra beats that will make you want to shake those shoulders!

Rendered by Sukhwinder Singh, Haricharan, and Haripriya, “Chali Kahani” has an unexpected start with super fast lyrics that will catch you by surprise. In addition to the nice beat changes, a quintessential Rahman touch, it is nice to hear the Tamil singer Haricharan’s voice in Bollywood.

The next song, “Safarnama” (sung by Lucky Ali), unfortunately pales in comparison to the vibrant intensity of the previous track. It fits into more of a melodious genre and has a pitch change, another Rahman signature.

“Parade de la Bastille” is basically the instrumental theme song for Tamasha. It starts off with a Middle Eastern flavor in the beginning. Then it goes into total European mode, with bagpipes and accordion (like “Matargashti”). The best part about this instrumental piece is the increase in speed at the end.

Sung by Shashwat Singh, “Wat Wat Vengeance Mix” is essentially a totally “technoed out” version of the original organic track from this album. It is probably something that could be played in a nightclub.

The last song in the soundtrack – “Tu Koi Aur Hai” – is a melodious number rendered by A.R. Rahman, Alma Ferovic, and Arjun Chandy. It begins minimalist with very little orchestration accompanying the voice. In general, this is a mellow track with some spurts of opera in between. The layering of violins and group choral singing towards the end make it sound like something beautiful that would be heard echoing in a cathedral.