Murder

All of Anu Malik's soundtracks may not be classics. But if you've heard what he composed for the mighty J.P. Dutta in "LOC", and more recently for Pooja Bhatt in "Paap" then you know what he is capable of.

With the success of "Main Hoon Na" behind him, Anu comes to us with renewed confidence.

Says Anu: "Everyone accused me of being unoriginal. But nowadays I think I'm the only original composer."

The track "Kaho na kaho" in "Murder" is as original as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's "Pretty woman" in "Kal Ho Na Ho". If the truth be told, the sizzling sensuous chartbuster in "Murder" is an adaptation of a Middle Eastern tune, superbly arranged and refurbished by the ever-resourceful Anu. But the rest of the material is pretty much original and in some vital details, path-breaking.

Anu says he's doing all his arrangements himself these days. If so, "Murder" is a milestone in his career. The orchestration and the arrangement are first-rate. We're swept from one track to the next without stopping for a breather.

Whatever reservations we may have about the Mahesh-Mukesh Bhatt school of filmmaking, the duo has always been the pioneer of a new cinematic sound. Way back in 1990 when film music was reeling and reeking under the impact of Bappi Lahiri, Mahesh Bhatt got Nadeem-Shravan to do "Aashiqui".

Later Anu's career was reinvented with the sounds of "Sir". And that neglected genius M.M. Kreem got his first three major films - "Criminal", "Zakham" and "Jism" - courtesy the Bhatts.

I'd say their "Paap" and now "Murder" constitute a new-millennium post-A.R. Rahman quality of sound. Don't look for the conventional in these songs. If you do you'd be shocked by the ardour of "Bheegey honth tere pyaasa yeh dil mera" where the evocative voice of Kunal Ganjawala sings, "Kabhi mere saath koi raat guzaar/Tujhe subah tak main karoon pyar..."

Can't get any more direct than this! Miraculously Sayeed Quadri's music never gets sleazy or over-the-top. Poetry trickles out with caressing elegance from all the five tracks. "Zindagi iss tarah" about the wages of sin is paced like a swaying boat on the waves of repentance. "Mujhko hai har khataa manzoor apni/Bhool ho jaati hai insaanon se/Ab chupane ko kuch nahi raha/Zakhm dikhne lagi deewaroon mein..."

The lines and sentiments echo Shailendra's "O mere sanam...kuch aur nahin insaan hain hum" in "Sangam".

Then there's the ever-alluring Alisha Chinai doing the rippling rhythms of "Dil ko hazaar baar roka roka roka". The pulsating pace and the irresistible vocal velocity are reminiscent of Geeta Bali's songs for O.P. Nayyar.

The nostalgic references never get in the way of the soundtrack's unabashed forward thrust. "Murder" is an extremely contemporary soundtrack.

The new voices of Amir Jamal ("Kaho na kaho") and Kunal Ganjawal ("Bheege honth" and the sensuous-in-its-own-right "Jaan-a-jaana") as well as the more established vocalists Sonu Nigam and Alisha all get together to create a hefty harmony of sounds, suggesting a unique collaboration of sensuousness and sensitivity.