Slumdog Millionaire - The Music

A.R. Rahman is a musical genius of sorts. Honestly, there isn’t much he, I or anyone else for that matter needs to say- the music speaks! The class and finesse that oozes out of almost all of his songs, only goes on to justify furthermore that Rahman, is undoubtedly, the best music composer this nation has and will see in years. As for the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire, it’s typically Rahman- edgy, upbeat yet true to its roots. I found it to be grand- THIS is the best example of the elaborate sound that is characteristic of his work.

‘O…Saya’ , the opening track of the film is a collaboration of two very different voices and vocal styles. On the one hand, there’s Rahman singing melodies and on the other, M.I.A belting out a husky rap. Keeping in mind that the film is a drama, ‘Riots’ and ‘Mausam & Escape’ are two tracks with dark undertones. The former doesn’t stand out too much- and it’s not meant to- a backing track after all. But what you hear on ‘Mausam & Escape’ is nothing short of spectacular. To single out one best song is a task all right, but if there’s one that takes the cake, it’s the latter. Innovative, creative, stylish, catchy- it’s all packed in 3 minutes and 54 seconds. A clean acoustic guitar intro and the track suddenly transitions from this-is-a-happy-song to a chase. Racy Sitar patches combined with dramatic violin parts makes this one of the most complex songs. That’s the thing; his work is complex yet sounds so simple that it almost baffles you!

‘Paper Planes’ needs no introduction. A playful track with lyrics that show you the harsh reality of slum kids. Whether you like it or not. The DFA Remix is awesome, in the sense- I could dance to it. Now, Alka Yagnik has never really been on my list of best/favourite singers. At one point, I almost couldn’t stand her high-pitched, oh-so-bollywood vocals. Yet what she delivers on ‘Ringa Ringa’ is classic. The whole ‘Choli ke Peeche’ tune with different lyrics is a peppy track. Ila Arun is her usual self on this one. The beat is sick- almost contagious.

‘Dreams On Fire’ and ‘Latikas Theme’ are pretty similar- The first has Suzanne D’Mello singing lyrics while the latter has her humming the same melody. It’s got the makings of a ballad though not entirely- It’s a slow tempo love song that says, You are the laughter from childhood games/ You are the ache I feel in every song/ Dreams on fire/Higher and Higher. At the cost of sounding like a bag of mush, I’m going to have to say- I was infact, all teary-eyed the first time I heard it. And then twenty times after.

Rahman’s fixation with the Violin is pretty evident once you hear ‘Liquid Dance’. It’s got the whole Hindustani sargam by Palakkad Sriram and Madhumita accompanied by heavy bass lines and other effects. Then there’s ‘Millionaire, a track that grows on you- it’s got a haunting effect most times and then suddenly switches to this hopeful, optimistic, victorious tune- In the film, it’s the part where Jamal Malik, the Slumdog, turn into a Millionaire! Tamilian rap artist, BlaaZe is simply fabulous on ‘Gangsta Blues’. It’s got the occasional howls by Tanvi Shah. Blaaze’s rap sort of melts into Tanvi’s voice- or maybe it’s the other way round! Dance-able hip hop beats that make you sing along “Am I ye Am I yo” or something to that effect.

I think the film-makers and Rahman saved the best for the last. ’ Jai Ho’ is so Indian and so awesome, it’s hard to express. Sukhwinder brings back that ‘Chak De’ magic to this track too. Hints of his Punjabi accent and Gulzar’s lyrics make this another favourite. It’s no surprise that this one’s an Oscar nominee! I shouldn’t fail to mention, that Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’s rendition of ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ has also been used in the film.

Electronics are tricky to work with and if overdone/underplayed, songs may turn out disastrous! Rahman shines through brilliantly. A smart move on his part was to incorporate a lot of drum and a lot of bass- these two elements in place and every Indian will dance! With Slumdog Millionaire, he has ventured into a different territory, a different league - a bigger and better one. I always thought that the soundtracks of ‘Roja’ and ‘Dil Se’ were his best- till I heard this. Without making this seem like a rant and unnecessary praise, he really redefines the statement ” Music transcends all boundaries”. Over and over again. Clearly and constantly.