The other Big Shaheed project 23rd March 1931 Shaheed is racing Rajkumar Santoshi´s The Legend of Bhagat Singh to the cinema halls. And now with the music for both films finally released, the race has officially begun. Made by the Deol clan, the music for this film stays true to the Punjabi flavour, thanks to Anand Raaj Anand´s ear for northern music. However like it´s competition, this one is no masterpiece either. It seems where Rahman succeeded (the marches) Anand fails, however the opposite is true as well. Anand Raaj Anand has scored some melodious numbers which cater to the audience and don´t deviate too much to be considered peppy and modern. Plus the songs go well with a story set in Punjab, which Rahman didn´t quite get right. One just wishes they had credited the vocals to each song on this album, because it´s difficult to distinguish who is who.

Of the three songs the two biggies (and almost all other Bhagat Singh soundtracks, recent or not) share it´s definitely Pagadi Sambhal which scores! Rahman´s version was upbeat no doubt, but it was too modern and didn´t sound as serious as it should be. This version starts off on a great note! A singing chorus chants traditional Punjabi boliyan to the backbeat of celebrating dhols. Anand Raaj Anand does a great job creating a Punjabi ambience. However once the booming vocals of the main singer take over the composition takes a more serious tone. The song's composition gets dramatic, and the vocals are sung with energy. There are several parts where the vocals do falter and just manage to hit the note, but this track is definitely powerful thanks to the vocalists strong voice and meaningful, patriotic and powerfully written lyrics. It beats out the rest.

Mera Rang De Basanti Chola is composed on a very rustic and folksy level. With slight dhol rifts floating in the background as well as instruments such as the dholaks, flutes and the sarangi, Anand keeps the composition simple yet effective. The only place he stumbles is when he throws in a piece from Tera Yahan Koi Nahin from Prem Rog in one of the bridges. Being the song that Bhagat Singh and his inmates sang in prison before their execution, you can expect powerful lyrics here again with generous doses of patriotism. Although the song is melodious, it carries a sad theme well expressed through Dev Kohli´s lyrics. The vocals are aggressive, but good. Of the voices you can really pinpoint Udit Narayan´s voice, but everyone involved in this song does a good job singing from the heart.

1931 Shaheed´s version of Sarfaroshi Ki Tamanna is not up to the mark. While Rahman did falter by making his slower version too classical based to sound Punjabi, his march version was certainly good. The problem with Shaheed´s version is that it starts off way too loud and strong to begin with. As it progresses it seems to get louder. The song is too heavily orchestrated with horns and percussion instruments. The vocals all carry personality in their voices, however they have to compete with the instruments to be heard. So as you may begin to enjoy the song, it gets too loud and triumphant. The original lyrics by Ram Prasad Bismil have been kept in tact and they are still overpowering to this day. They paint a vivid picture which really brings dimension to the song.

There are other marches present on the album as well. Aye Watan is chock full of patriotism. Lyrics are courageous and strong keeping the films theme in mind. The composition mainly relies on a lot of snare drums to create the march atmosphere. The composition also incorporates violins, clarinets and other percussion and horn oriented instruments. The vocals on this track come on a bit too strong, and this is definitely not a song that anyone would really want to listen to repeatedly.

Watanparaston Ki is a short intense song with vocals by Hans Raaj Hans. He does a good job with his small part, but the song is much too loud. Anand Raaj Anand goes overboard with violins and drums in this song making it almost unbearable. The lyrics reflect the intensity of the song and are different but somewhat disturbing.

Another short song on the album is the very sad Khush Raho. Ironic that such a happy title is given to the song telling of the freedom fighter´s death. Vocals carry the sadness in them making the rendition more effective. With the chorus chanting Vande Mataram and beautifully penned lyrics this slowly composed song is definitely a triumph.

Deshnu Chalo is a melodious patriotic number that can be listened to a few times. The song carries a northern feel from it´s composition to it´s lyrics. The wording to the song is patriotic and powerful but nostalgic, with a rustic appeal. To add to the rustic appeal Anand incorporates the sarangi, bells and flute to play at different levels of the composition. At times, especially in the musical bridges, the composition gets too loud with the blaring horns, the background vocals, and violins. The vocals are very unique and likeable. The singer has done a great job.

The sole romantic number on the album will be picturized on Aishwariya Rai. Sung by the dependable Alka Yagnik, Jogiya Ve is a melodious number. With a traditional wedding tune as the background Alka´s beautiful voice brings joy and pain to the rendition. Her pronunciation of the Punjabi lyrics is commendable. The simple yet very romantic lyrics carry a strong Punjabi flavour and aptly reflect the character´s state of mind. As for the composition it too carries a northern feel. With a wedding backdrop, Anand Raaj Anand brings in soft percussion rifts and the flute to highlight the dholak filled composition. This one begs for a rewind.

The life of Bhagat Singh doesn´t really offer too many instances for chart topping numbers. Most of the numbers on this album or any other album with the same theme are situational and don´t really make for great listening. Anand Raaj Anand almost looses his touch on the album by choosing too many instruments in his songs and pushing the vocalists levels to higher octaves. However thanks to Dev Kohli´s lyrics and some great singing, 23rd March 1931 Shaheed scores slightly better than The Legend of Bhagat Singh´s soundtrack. Songs like Jogiya Ve, Mera Rang De Basanti Chola and Deshnu Chalo show that by keeping his compositions simple and rustic, Anand Raaj Anand brings a more authentic feel to his songs. However his marches could use improvement. And one really wishes that the songs were credited to it´s singers. Their voices are hard to distinguish although some voices are recognizable. All said and done the album is simple and an enjoyable listen, but not something that you will remember for years to come.