Sanjay Leela Bhansali apart from his grandeur, huge star cast and high-octane drama is also known for beautiful albums. His albums are astoundingly soothing and sometimes disturbing too. For instance, Kahe Chhede Mohe from Devdas fills a sort of anxiety in not only Devdas Mukherjee but also the audience with that sensuous “ishh”.
So is true for Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani, Padmaavat and many more Bhansali films. Heeramandi is a musical costume drama and the music part is something very important to the whole film. It cannot negate that aspect as something less important.
Naturally, there should have been some sort of noise about the album if the makers indeed wanted to drop it. Sadly, the makers quietly just released the album without making any sort of buzz.
But, the album is really really good. It is diverse and large and the songs are everything a typical classic Bollywood lover would want. It presents a new rendition of “Nazariya Ki Maari” which was also used in Kamal Amrohi’s Magnum Opus “Paakeezah”.
It is a nice and sensuous rendition after the playful version we listened to in the legendary 1972 film.
Also, one of the best songs from the whole album is Saiyaan Hatt Jao. It is a really really strong song and one part of the music is a direct inspiration from Paakeezah’s “Alaap” track. You will find uncanny similarities with Alaap when you reach 2 minutes 57 seconds. It is not even an inspiration we guess, it could be a really small ode to the iconic film that stands out as one of the greatest movies ever made. The lyrics could have been better but it is still very very good.
Phool Genwa Na Maro is another track that was previously used as a very fun song by Manna Dey. But, the one in Heeramandi again is very sensuous.
Azadi song might fit very well in the series but it is bound to have a short shelf life. Why? Because the lyrics are essentially something that was meant for the pre-independence India. The lyrics are irrelevant for the people in 2024 and it would result in the song getting irrelevant.
The remaining songs are okay. Tilasmi Bahein is bad. Shreya Ghosal has one song called Chaudhavi Shab which is again a sweet one.
Overall, the album of Heeramandi is beautiful with only one bad song and a few really good tracks. It is not something extraordinary as Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, but at a time when songs are meant only for reels (not real people) then Heeramandi’s album stands as a beautiful break.
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