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User Not Found | May 31, 2016
It’s not just about the Tashan, this album has serious substance
It’s one of the most anticipated movies of the year. From India’s best-known production house that has made the studio system a reality in this country, comes a movie that is all about “The Ishtyle. The Goodluck. The Pharmoola.” And the recently released music of the film captures this spirit perfectly. But make no mistake, this is not music that is just about the Ishtyle, nor is it based on clichéd Pharmoola, nor are the talented music directors Vishal-Shekhar riding only on Goodluck. The music of Tashan, like the film itself, takes familiar elements and cooks up something totally unique, and completely entertaining.
Starting off the album in style is Sukhwinder Singh with “Dil Haara”, a song that has hit written all over it. Picturised on Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor, “Dil Haara” starts off with driving guitars and aggressive lead and backup vocals that immediately get the adrenalin pumping. But moments into the song, Sukhwinder Singh segues seamlessly into a soft and gently melodious avatar that transports this romantic number to another realm altogether. This interplay between the jangling bass guitars, rhythmic drum beats and the artistry of Sukhwinder’s voice, make this a uniquely Tashan-ful yet soulful number.
The next track is the first of the spoken word pieces – of which there are four, one by each of the lead actors, Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Anil Kapoor. In the first one, called “Pooja Ka Tashan”, Kareena Kapoor sets out Pooja’s worldview in emphatic yet entertaining fashion.
Sunidhi Chauhan follows up next with “Chhaliya” along with Piyush Mishra, in a song that is all about beauty expressing confidence that she can rule over any beast! Peppy and funky, Sunidhi Chauhan’s expressive voice carries the song along and is lent ample support by the jazzy contrast of the background vocals and the disco-ish background tracks. This is a solo number picturised on Kareena who is looking her sensational and sizzling best ever.
Next up is Saif Ali Khan, declaiming “Jimmy ka Tashan” – an early insight into the character of Jimmy Cliff, a call center executive, whose key achievement in life is having the maximum number of girlfriends from class 5 to graduation and whose key aim is to simply stay alive!
The contrasting yet complementary voices of Udit Narayan, Sukhwinder Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan, bring up the next track, “Dil Dance Maare” a buoyant celebration of life through dance, shot in Ladakh. Music director Vishal adds another feather to his cap by penning the lyrics of this number that cleverly combines elements of Arabic and Indian folk music with Hinglish and heartland Hindi lyrics! Visualize Akshay, Saif and Kareena thrown in a riot of colours sporting blonde wigs against the stark blue and brown background of Ladakh and what you get to see is the biggest funkiest item dance number of the year.
“Bachchan Pande ka Tashan” comes up next, ably voiced by Akshay Kumar in his avatar as the desi wannabe gangster whose main aim is to become a killer.
The melodious and romantic number “Falak Tak” comes up next. Picturised on Akshay and Kareena and shot across the length and breadth of India, it is voiced by Udit Narayan and Mahalaxmi Iyer. Poetic lyrics, sparse instrumentation and above all, the magic of two mellifluous voices make this a romantic song for the ages.
Then it’s the turn for Anil Kapoor to bring in “Bhaiyyaji Ka Tashan”, in an entertaining piece completely befitting the character whose main aspiration is to “speak Inglish like George Bush”.
The album is brought to a fitting close with the title track “Tashan Mein”, sung by Vishal and Saleem, a genre bending song, much like the movie itself. It moves in-between Indian classical and folk influenced vocals to jazz influences to outright rock sounds and points once again to the virtuosity of the composers.
All in all “Tashan” looks set to become an enduring contribution to the legacy of great music that Yash Raj Films has built up over the years, appealing equally to the young and the old, and as likely to be a rage in nightclubs as a favourite at homes across the world.
The music of “Tashan” is also available for download in a digital format (as a single song or entire album) through the Yash Raj Films Website and also on popular sites like iTunes among others.
