Shiva album: Promise of a Great Film

In his recent interview, when I heard him say that, ‘IlaiyaRaja is the greatest composer’ and that he has ‘learnt the process of background score from him’, I thought Ram Gopal Varma was in his usual flow of crowd-appealing statements. But IliayaRaja’s compositions and music arrangement for Shiva make RGV’s statements true for once.


Shapath….
Singers: IlaiyaRaja & Chorus
Generally, composers don’t prefer lending their voices to their compositions (Himesh Reshmiya, anyhow, is an exception). If they do, the emphasis on the mood is of utmost importance. And when someone like IlaiyaRaja has preferred to sing, just imagine the intense emotion involved in the song. As the chorus voices the oath taken by a sincere police-man, the maestro’s voice narrates the anguish faced by the sincere police-man through his earnest and honest journey along the dirty streets of the corrupted country.

Dheemi dheemi…
Singer: Shreya Ghosal
It would be an understatement to tell that Shreya Ghosal can turn a normal tune magical. IlaiyaRaja takes enough care to keep the tune as normal and simple as possible so as to evoke maximum brilliance out of Shreya Ghosal. The beats, flute, and the violin are pleasant. For people who have thoroughly followed maestro’s compositions for long would identify this number with some of his previous compositions. Anyway, it’s just the feel that carries over to this number; the tune is original.

Saara ye aalam….
Singers: Suresh Wadekar, Shreya Ghosal
IlaiyaRaja and a romantic number are like a divine couple. They never go wrong together. This time the composition threads along the semi-classical lyres. The engaging percussions used and the singers’ apt voices take the mellifluous tune to delightful heights. The lyrics are simple and smooth.

Josh mein…
Singers: K J Yesudas & Chorus
No one can ever expect an aged Yesudas to sing so youthful and energetic, unless one hears ‘Josh mein…’. The lyrics are apt and the composition, brilliant. Technically the tune is a direct lift from IliayaRaja’s own composition from the Telugu film Geetanjali (Jagada jagada…). The rhythm is altered slightly to give an upbeat to the old tune. The orchestration and chorus never let the song leave the feel of the lyrics.

Police police…
Singers: Ninad Kamat, Swetha Pandit
‘Police police…’ is a direct lift from the original Shiva (Botany pata vundi…) with a few contemporary beats. On screen, the situation can keep the song interesting, but on the audio systems, this track is worth a skip.


Though the recording is good, the instruments used were very minimal. So the over-all sound isn’t that enticing for the modern-day music-lovers. It takes a few listens before one can really adore the album. Anyhow, the album, with respect to the compositions, shows a promise of not just a good film, but a great one. Let’s hope Ram Gopal Varma lives up to his reputation.