You are not quite sure what to expect when the album of a digital streaming show, which revolves around a sexologist in a small town and the people around him, drops. But then, you realize the show has been created by Imtiaz Ali who is known to have a good ear for music and you start expecting good things from the album put together for ‘Dr. Arora’. Your expectations shoot up further when you see names like Niladri Kumar, Irshad Kamil and Sunny M. R. being associated with the album.
The album opens with “Mehram”, a gorgeous melody set to tune by Niladri Kumar and written by Irshad Kamil. The song boasts of a very pleasant composition which gives Arijit enough scope to flex his muscle vocals and offer a heartfelt rendition. Though the song is largely driven by electronic beats, Niladri Kumar puts in a beautiful Zitar piece towards the end of the track. The way the Zitar has been used to culminate the song reminds you of “Aahista” (‘Laila Majnu’) which also featured Niladri, Irshad and Arijit.
The retro-sque “Bewafa Mashooqa”, composed by Sunny M.R., catches your attention as soon you hear the accordion playing in the beginning of the song. Sunny, who has largely worked as a music producer in the industry, has arranged the entire track really well. The tune composed by him, too, is quite impressive and gets on one’s lips instantly. The catchiness in this song also stems from the playful verses written by Irshad Kamil. Ravi Mishra does a good job at understanding the space around which the song has been composed and sings it accordingly.
The tune, the lyrics and the way the song has been produced equally contribute towards inducing goosebumps that you feel while listening to “Khaalipan”. One of the best songs that one has heard this year, “Khalipaan” features terrific singing by Abhay Jodhpurkar and Meenal Jain. In this haunting song, too, Niladri Kumar uses the Zitar to some great effect. Listen to the music that begins at the 2:15 mark. “Tumko bhoolna chahta hoon magar, tumko bhoolne ka nahin hai jigar, khaalipan se bhara mera saara sehar” – the sense of melancholy in the song is brought to the fore beautifully by Irshad Kamil through his verses.
The show is set in the late ‘90s, so one shouldn’t be surprised to come across a song that doffs its hat to the kind of music that regaled listeners in that time period. “Ishq Ishq” gives an ode to the ‘90s and has the kind of tune that would instantly strike a chord with those who grew up listening to the melodies of Nadeem – Shravan. As a lyricist, Shloke Lal writes the kind of over-simplistic lyrics, replete with tukbandi, that lyricist Sameer was known for. As a vocalist, he tries to replicate the distinctive singing style of Kumar Sanu consciously. The song works well in context to the theme and setting of the series and is fun to listen to.
“Bedardi Saiyaan”, written, composed and sung by Narottam Bain, starts off with a bunch of characters speaking to each other. The exchange of dialogues lasts for a minute before Narottam starts singing. The song has been designed like a lokgeet or folk song. The rustic track might not appeal to everyone but is authentic and helps the listeners familiarise themselves with the milieu of the show.
‘Dr Arora’ boasts of a consistently engaging soundtrack featuring songs that leave a mark as standalone audio tracks. While Niladri Kumar delivers the most memorable songs (“Mehram” and “Khaalipan”) on the album, Sunny M. R. pitches in with two fun tracks as well. Imtiaz Ali, yet again, proves that he knows his music well.