Mulk – Music Review

Many of the films directed by Anubhav Sinha such as Tum Bin, ‘Aapko Pehle Bhi Kahin Dekha Hai’, ‘Dus’ have boasted of good music. Even his last film ‘Tum Bin II’ had a very melodious but under-appreciated album. Though ‘Mulk’ comes across as an intense courtroom drama without a romantic pair, one is not sure what to expect from the music of the film. As expected, the album is not high on quantity – there are just about three songs. But, will the three songs deliver on quality? Let’s find out.

“Thenge Se” sounds like a playful banter between the members of a family during a celebratory function. Prasad Sashte puts together a nice, hummable tune which is laced with some vastly engaging lyrics by Shakeel Azmi. Azmi contributes greatly towards lending a lucknowi touch to the track by peppering his lines with some chaste Hindi words. The song features a bunch of diverse voices like Sunidhi Chauhan, Swanand Kirkire and Suvarna Tiwari. Each of the three singes put their best foot forward and the chemistry between them is wonderful.

After the playful “Thenge Se”, Prasad Sashte composes a very intense song in the form of “Khudara” which brings out the pain felt by Murad Ali Mohammed (Rishi Kapoor), when he is accused of being a traitor, wonderfully. Prasad does well as a composer but again, Shakeel emerges as the star of the song. Close your eyes and listen to the words carefully. Vishal Dadlani sounds very different from what he usually does. Perhaps, that is because one often hears him singing bouncy and fast-paced tracks. His rendition reminds you of the way he had sung “Chand Chahiye” (Supari) several moons back.

Anurag Saikia’s lone composition “Piya Samaye” turns out to be the best track on the album. Arshad Hussain and the choral vocalists set the tone for this qawalli number which has a strong devotional feel coupled with an equally strong sense of love and mysticism to it. Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan arrives almost two minutes after Arshad and team mesmerise you with the song. After Shafqat comes into the picture, the track gets another wonderful layer to it and by the time it ends, you find yourself completely immersed in it.

‘Mulk’ is a good album. It certainly delivers more than what one had expected from it. The tracks, apart from doing justice to the situation they are set in, work very well as standalone audio tracks. Shakeel Azmi has been writing for several years now and it is high time the industry uses his talent more.