Kill Dil   Producer: Aditya Chopra Director: Shaad Ali Starring: Ranveer Singh, Parineeti Chopra, Ali Zafar and Govinda Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy Lyrics: Gulzar Singers: Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Shankar Mahadevan, Nihira Joshi Deshpande, Arijit Singh, Adnan Sami, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Sunidhi Chauhan, Ali Zafar, Jaaved Jaaferi, Udit Narayan, Siddharth Mahadevan, Rasika Chandrashekhar and Gulzar Audio On: YRF Music    Number of Songs: 8 Album Released on: 10 October 2014 Reviewed by: Anish Mohanty  - Rating: 7.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

The album kick starts with the title track ‘Kill Dil’ and a pleasant surprise await the listeners in the form of Gulzar reciting a couple of lines which describe the two male protagonists Dev and Tutu, played by Ranveer Singh and Ali Zafar respectively. If Quentin Tarantino were to make a film in Hindi, he would have definitely liked to include this number in his film. The song also reminds one of Kalyanji Anandji’s background score of Don (1978). The song sees two of the country’s finest singing talents Sonu Nigam and Shankar Mahadevan joining forces to blow you away with their immaculate rendition, which includes some highly complex notes. The song blends the sensibilities of the sound of a cowboy western flick and a Hindi film song, resulting in a unique and infectious number.

Next, we have the much hyped song ‘Happy Budday’ . The song starts off with Sukhwinder Singh’s booming voice accompanied by strains of the sitar. Techno sounds soon take over and some wonderful orchestration, coupled with some dub step effect thrown in make this an out and out fun outing. Apart from the hook line, the song has a very unconventional compositional structure to it and because of that the song may take some time to grow upon the listeners. That’s a good thing as, these days, most of the so called peppy numbers become hits and then are forgotten in no time. ‘Happy Budday’ may take some time to climb up the popularity charts but once it does, it should stay there for long.

With a couple of verses in Punjabi, a pleasant Sufi vibe and an old world charm to it, ‘Sajde’ turns out to be a delectable number that’s hard to resist. Arijit Singh sings the song with the required passion and intensity. Nihira Joshi Deshpande is heard in the final moments of the track and she lends able support. Incidentally, Nihira had made her singing debut, almost a decade ago, with the song ‘Dhadak Dhadak’ from ‘Bunty Aur Babli’ where one just heard her hum a few lines. She does not really get a raw deal here but how one wishes she was heard for a longer duration.

‘Bel Beliya’ carries forward the feel of ‘Sajde’, in the sense that it is modelled on Punjabi folk music. Percussion instruments like dholak and nagada dominate the musical arrangements. The music and the lyrics, apart from being filled with a lot of spunk and energy, carry some sentimental value. Siddharth Mahadevan and Sunidhi Chauhan complement each other’s voices very well.

The ludic sound of the accordion and Adnan Sami’s spirited singing establish the mood for ‘Sweeta’ , a fun number where Dev (Ranveer Singh) tries to woo Disha (Parineeti Chopra). The song seeks inspiration from the music of Broadway musicals, which is evident by the fact that Adnan modulates his voice to sound like an Opera singer. Even with a short duration of two minutes and twenty seconds, the song leaves an impact.

‘Daiyya Maiyya’ has some terrific wordplay by Gulzar which are clearly the highlight of the song. A situational number, the popularity of the song depends on the way it is picturised. The song has some dialogues recited by Jaaved Jaaferi which are amusing and add to the fun quotient.

‘Zindagi uljha hua sauda hai, umrein leta hai ik pal dekar’- This imaginatively written verse by Gulzar depicts the somber mood of ‘Baawre’ effectively. Shankar Mahadevan and Nihira Joshi Deshpande ‘s singing has semi classical undertones to it but the instruments used are mostly western with the exception of flute and sarangi, which are not heard much but are used at the right junctures. ‘Baawre’ has the kind of sound and melody that Shankar Ehsaan Loy are known for and every time they manage to come up with such sparkling melodies that leave the listeners spellbound. As was the case with ‘Sajde’, Nihira does not get much scope in this song but she makes her presence felt with her heartfelt rendition.

The album culminates with ‘Nakhriley’ , which carries a strong north Indian flavor. It’s the kind of song that, these days, only a few composers like Sajid Wajid come up with. The song boasts of rich orchestral arrangements, largely consisting of Indian instruments. The song can be best described as a qawalli, which does not represent the genre in its purest form but is presented in a specific way to cater to the sensibilities of listeners of Hindi film music. The song does turn into a full fledged qawalli in the concluding moments though. The jugalbandi between Shankar Mahadevan, Ali Zafar and Mahalaxmi Iyer is terrific. With its effervescent sound and populist appeal, the song has the potential to become a chartbuster.

With some brilliantly composed numbers brimming with rich lyrical value, Kill Dil comes across as a solid album. With eight songs that have tremendous mass appeal, ‘Kill Dil’ turns out to be that rare album which is high on both quality and quantity.