When a film is set in the Hindi music industry of the 1940s, you expect good things from its soundtrack. Your expectations soar higher as you realize the music of ‘Qala’ has been scored by Amit Trivedi. Though Amit has not been in great form of late and has shown signs of creative fatigue, one has been still expecting him to deliver an album that would be as good as a ‘Fitoor’ (2016) or a ‘Manmarziyaan’ (2018). Though Anvita Dutt, who has directed ‘Qala’, is a lyricist herself, she has got a plethora of lyricists to write the songs for her second directorial feature. Anvita, Swanand Kirkire, Amitabh Bhattacharya, Varun Grover and Kausar Munir have written a song each for this eight-track album.
Amit Trivedi draws inspiration from Shankar – Jaikishan and O.P Nayyar to create “Ghodey Pe Sawaar”, a song that instantly takes you to the ‘40s and ‘50s. The instrumentation plays an important role in transporting you to that era. Looking at the way the song has been structured, one assumed it to be an in-film song, that is, a song that the young singer Qala (Triptii Dimri) would be singing for a film. Amit puts together a playful tune that registers an impact as soon as you hear it. Amitabh Bhattacharya complements the composition with his smart alec writing. Newcomer Sireesha Bhagavtula, who has been a contestant on a popular reality show, gives a very good account of herself as a vocalist.
“Rubaiyaan”, written by Swanand Kirkire, is the most lyrically-strong song on the album. “Kisi raagini mein ghazal ki shaql mein aaunga mein tumse milne huzoor, khwaabon ki bandish ki lau bujhakar dunga dhakal ban yaadon ka noor, komal suron sa haule se aa kar chumunga main tera teekha guroor….” – Swanand writes the kind of lines that linger in your mind long after you have finished listening to the song. Again, this sounds like a song that has been recorded for a film within the film. This time, we get to hear a male voice in the form of Shahid Mallya. Amit puts together a gorgeous composition while being fully mindful of the time period the film is set in. The song is playful and intensely romantic in equal measures. Shahid sings the song beautifully. One also hears a female voice towards the end but strangely, no female vocalist has been credited on the track.
A sense of pathos is conveyed by Sireesha Bhagatvula’s voice as she renders “Phero Na Najariya”. Amit composes a semi-classical tune and layers it with a bunch of instruments like sarangi/esraj, sitar, tabla and harmonium. The composition keeps you thoroughly immersed and the instrumentation, too, is very impressive. As a vocalist, Sireesha does very well. Her diction is quite good. She, however, mispronounces ‘laanghungi’ as ‘laaghungi’.
“Bikharne ka mujhko shauq hai bada, sametega mujhko tu bata zara….” – “Shauq” begins with these wonderfully poignant lines written by Varun Grover. Varun writes some gorgeous lines while ensuring the conversational quality of the song remains intact. Amit composes a tender melody which all three vocalists (Swanand Kirkire, Shahid Mallya and Sireesha Bhagatvula) do complete justice to. There is a certain ‘thehraav’ in the song which Amit masterfully brings to the fore with the orchestral arrangements.
Sant Kabir’s “Nirbhau Nirvair” is being recited in places of religious importance for centuries. Amit creates a brand new tune for Sant Kabir’s poetry and uses the kind of instrumentation that justifies the spiritual element associated with it. While traditional instruments have been used, this is the only track on the album that has a sparsely modern touch to it. As a vocalist, Shahid Mallya does complete justice to the track.
“Udh Jaayega”, Sagar Desai’s sole contribution to the track, is one of the best songs on the album. You get goosebumps as you hear Shahid Mallya sing an aalaap towards the beginning of the song. As the song proceeds further, you discover the many beautiful layers in it. This is one of the poems by Sant Kabir that have been used in films and other mediums frequently. If Sant Kabir was around, one is quite sure that he would have been impressed with Sagar’s work as a composer here. The orchestral arrangements, too, are brilliant.
‘Qala’ is that album that serves as a reminder of the fact that Amit Trivedi is a gifted composer who just needs the right director (and perhaps, adequate time and space) to bring the best out of him. It had been a while since the composer delivered an album that could be described as a brilliant effort. Amit creates a bunch of sparkling emotions while ensuring his music remains in sync with the era the film is set in. A special mention must also be made of Sagar Desai who composes one of the most spectacular songs on the album. Here’s hoping one gets to hear his more often in mainstream Hindi cinema.