Haider (soundtrack)

Haider is the soundtrack album, composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, to the 2014 Hindi film of the same name. The film, directed by Vishal Bhardwaj, stars Shahid Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Tabu and Kay Kay Menon in key roles. The film is produced by Siddharth Roy Kapur and Bhardwaj. The soundtrack album features nine tracks, and was released on 12 September 2014 (2014-09-12) on the record label Junglee Music. Vishal Bhardwaj and Sukhwinder Singh won the National Award for Best Music Direction of Songs and Best Male Playback Singer respectively.[3][4]

Haider
Soundtrack album by
Vishal Bhardwaj
Released12 September 2014
Recorded2013—14
Studio Satya, Mumbai
The Pierce Rooms, London
Abbey Road Studios, London
Luminous Sound, Dallas, Texas
GenreFilm soundtrack
Length40:56
LanguageHindi, Kashmiri, Urdu
LabelJunglee Music
ProducerKetan Sodha
Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Bhardwaj chronology
Dedh Ishqiya
(2014)		 Haider
(2014)		 Drishyam
(2015)
Singles from Haider
  1. "Aao Na"
    Released: 13 August 2014
  2. "Bismil"
    Released: 24 August 2014[1]
  3. "Khul Kabhi Toh"
    Released: 6 September 2014[2]

Development

The original songs and film score are composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. The song, "Roshe Valle" was sung live at the shooting spot by actress Tabu as it was a part of her act.[5] Actor Sumit Kaul helped actress Tabu get the right enunciations when she sang the folk song.[6] The track's studio recording was completed in August 2014. Shraddha Kapoor has sung the Kashmiri folk part of the song titled "Do Jahaan". The first single "Aao Na" is a composition that dominates electric guitar instrument with the drum kit providing background beats with upbeat rock elements.[7] The track is a narration of protagonist who breaks his own shallows and sets out in Kashmiri valleys for seeking revenge. The track was called "musically energetic, visually it’s vengeful" with composer Vishal Daldani's voice tones ranging from mild to vociferous.[8]Firstpost called the second single "Bismil" as lyricist Gulzar's richly embellished lyrical work with tantalising symbols and innuendo that reflect the story of Haider. According to Bhardwaj, Bismil was the toughest song to compose for the album. It took over four months to compose. He recorded it in Srinagar, Mumbai and London, but wasn't satisfied to a great extent.[9] In Summer 2014, first attempt was made to record the track was at Bhardwaj's music studio in Andheri. He called the track as 'The Mousetrap' (the play within the play) of Hamlet. The song is placed in the film when Haider re-enacts the murder but Bhardwaj chose to portray the situation retaining the poetic flavour.[10] The track marks the point at which Haider (played by Shahid Kapoor) transforms from being conflicted and undecided to being committed to the idea of avenging the injustice meted out to his father. At the crux, Hamlet is a young prince grappling with the knowledge that his uncle and mother have conspired to kill his father.[10] The song was made different from the regular song-and-dance routine, thus the choreography more of performance art than a dance number with Shahid Kapoor's angsty expressions and staccato dance steps.[10] The track employs heavy use of violins and oud with the tune infused with Middle Eastern musical influences while retaining a folksy sound.[10] The drums were replaced with a Rubab prelude followed by ghatam beats for "Bismil".[11] The song was shot at snow-capped Martand Sun Temple, near Anantnag in Kashmir under presence of over 6,000 locals gathered.[10]

Shahid Kapoor and Shraddha Kapoor launched the music of the film along with Vishal Bhardwaj at Radio Mirchi studios in Mumbai in mid-August 2014.[12] The soundtrack had a digital as well as physical release on 12 September 2014.

In Haider, I needed the grave-diggers song, so I made "Aao Na". I wrote some lines, but Gulzarsaab only retained "Aao Na" and changed the rest. You’ll be surprised to know that Gulzarsaab and I have never composed a song, sitting at a place. All our songs have been written and composed at airports or in cars. Most of the times, he is standing in a queue saying the lines, while I sing it back to him on the phone.

— Bhardwaj on composing the songs for the soundtrack album (in an interview with The Indian Express)[9]

Track listing

Songs

The track listing was released on 9 September 2014.[13] The track "Gulon Mein Rang Bhare" is originally composed by Mehdi Hassan and additionally composed by Vishal Bhardwaj.

All lyrics are written by Gulzar, except the tracks "Gulon Mein Rang Bhare" and "Aaj Ke Naam" which were penned by Pakistani poet Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

Haider (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
No.TitleArtist(s)Length
1."Aao Na"Vishal Dadlani04:16
2."Bismil"Sukhwinder Singh06:06
3."Khul Kabhi"Arijit Singh06:09
4."Gulon Mein Rang Bhare"Arijit Singh05:16
5."Ek Aur Bismil"Sukhwinder Singh04:03
6."Jhelum"Vishal Bhardwaj04:27
7."So Jao"Bashir Lone, Muzamil Bhawani, Bashir Bhawani02:06
8."Do Jahaan"Suresh Wadkar, Shraddha Kapoor04:25
9."Aaj Ke Naam"Rekha Bhardwaj04:15
Total length:40:56

Original score
Haider: Original Motion Picture Score
Film score by
Vishal Bhardwaj
Released24 October 2014
Recorded2013—14
GenreFilm score
Length42:02
LabelTimes Music
UTV Records
ProducerVishal Bhardwaj

All music is composed by Vishal Bhardwaj.

Haider (Original Motion Picture Score)[14]
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Haider Theme"Vishal Bhardwaj1:24
2."Conflict"Vishal Bhardwaj2:15
3."Operation Bulbul"Vishal Bhardwaj1:17
4."Crackdown"Vishal Bhardwaj3:29
5."Threat"Vishal Bhardwaj0:23
6."Election"Vishal Bhardwaj2:49
7."Mukhbir"Vishal Bhardwaj3:06
8."Roohdar"Vishal Bhardwaj2:59
9."Graveyard"Vishal Bhardwaj1:49
10."Mama2"Vishal Bhardwaj1:29
11."The Past"Vishal Bhardwaj2:28
12."Downtown"Vishal Bhardwaj2:36
13."Prayer"Vishal Bhardwaj1:20
14."Execution"Vishal Bhardwaj1:52
15."Liyaqat's Return"Vishal Bhardwaj1:28
16."Duel"Vishal Bhardwaj2:50
17."Attack"Vishal Bhardwaj1:04
18."Freedom"Vishal Bhardwaj1:53
19."Sacrifice"Vishal Bhardwaj5:31
Total length:42:02

Critical response

The soundtrack as well as the score gained mostly positive reviews from music critics.

Songs

Suanshu Khurana wrote in The Indian Express, "What works for most of the album is that Bhardwaj puts out great moments with subtlety." She called the album a "A master stroke" giving 4 stars (out of 5)[15] Kasmin Fernandes at The Times of India felt that director-composer Vishal Bhardwaj had ingeniously infused the flavours of Kashmiri folk songs and instruments while lyricist Gulzar had brought in the nuances of Urdu into the film's soundtrack. She gave the album 4 stars out of 5.[16] Surabhi Redkar for Koimoi gave the album 4 out of 5 stars stated, "The soundtrack of Haider is bold and expresses sorrow at its best without making the listener morose. This is a brilliant album that brings out the best works by composer Vishal Bhardwaj, lyricist Gulzar and the extraordinary singers as well. It is hard to say which is the best song in this album as almost every song has its own special charm. If only all composers knew how to convey angst, sorrow and love in such a beautiful manner."[17] Deccan Music named it as the Best Hindi album for the year 2014.[18] For Bollyspice, Prathna Tiwari wrote, "There’s been a distinct effort to deliver a variety of genres, which is extremely commendable. Above and beyond that you appreciate the makers brilliance of ensuring the theatrical essence of the script at hand is the sole driving force of the entire album."[19] On the contrary, writing for Bollywood Hungama, critic Rajiv Vijayakar felt, "The music is acutely disappointing for the status of the music people involved in the enterprise, and will not contribute to the appeal of the film. Maybe the songs will fit in somewhat better in the film, but that will not make much difference in this case."[20]

Original score

Writing for The Hindu, Sudhish Kamath called the score rocking and music loaded lyrics.[21]Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN stated, "Bhardwaj lines up his instruments, employing camera, music, and artful production design to deliver a moody drama that feels consistently authentic."[22] Writing for Deccan Chronicle, Kusumita Das noted, "The score is as intense as it is gorgeous, underplayed when needed, deftly supporting the story and its characters all the way. Our own Bollywood’s Bard even sings Jhelum, one of the most haunting tracks in the film. Another standout is Bismil for just the way it narrates the story of treachery in neat and crisp verses."[23] Critic Subhash K. Jha who praised the score, felt, "Mr. Bhardwaj's background score rises and falls in swelling tides of blood soaked undulations."[24] Critic Raja Sen of Rediff stated that the score is gorgeous, underscoring the narrative perfectly.[25] Faheem Ruhani for India Today lauded the score, "Bhardwaj's use of background score to heighten the dramatic tension between the characters is something that you have already seen before in his past work. In Haider, he serves a haunting score that leaves you in awe."[26] Zee News's critic Ritika Handoo reviewed, "The background music is enchanting, and the songs too will leave a mark."[27] Srijana Mitra Das of The Times of India stated that the elaborate background music frames some scenes too richly.[28] Sweta Kaushal for Hindustan Times noted, "The music and background score go hand-in-hand with the narrative and scaringly haunt you throughout."[29] Critic Shubhra Gupta at The Indian Express summarized, "The drama is pumped up by swelling orchestral background music, calling attention to itself. Vishal Bharadwaj film knits the poetry and music so integrally and beautifully into his films."[30] Writing for Filmfare magazine, Rachit Gupta felt, "Couple with Bhardwaj's music and you're guaranteed a haunting experience. "[31]

Personnel

Credits adapted from CD liner notes.[32]

  • Music producer: Ketan Sodha (All songs)
  • Additional music producer: Tushar Parate (for the song "Do Jahaan") | Simaab Sen (for the song "Jhelum")
  • Recording engineer: Salman Khan Afridi
  • Mixing engineer: Steve Fitzmaurice (All songs except the track "Jhelum") | Tre Nagella (for the track "Jhelum")
  • Assistant mix engineer: Darren Heelis
  • Mastering engineer: Christian Wright
  • String engineer: Steve Price (at Angel Recording Studios, London)
  • String engineer assistance: Jeremy Murphy
Musicians

For the track "Bismil"

  • Choir arrangements: Neuman Pinto
  • Choir vocals: Neuman Pinto, Bianca Gomes, Francois Castellino, Vivienne Pocha, Rajiv Sunderesan, R. N. Iyer, Kaustubh Date, Mandar Apte, Arun Ingle

For the track "So Jao"

  • Choir vocals: Mayukh Sarkar, Aalaap Majgavkar, Sourabh Joshi

References
  1. Haider song Bismil was challenging for Shahid The Hindu Retrieved. 21 August 2014
  2. Watch: Shahid and Shraddha get intimate in 'Khul Kabhi Toh' teaser Deccan Chronicle Retrieved. 9 September 2014
  3. "62nd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR 2014" (PDF), 62nd NATIONAL FILM AWARDS FOR 2014, 1 (1): 1–17, 2015, archived from the original (PDF) on 4 April 2015, retrieved 26 March 2015
  4. "62nd National Film Awards: List of Winners". NDTV. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
  5. Tabu turns singer for Haider Mumbai Mirror Retrieved. 21 August 2014
  6. Sumit Kaul: My inputs for Haider were properly developed and used in the film
  7. Aao na / Rocking beats
  8. Haider 'Aao Na' song review: Shahid's rancorous act and boisterous music fit the bill
  9. Singh, Harneet. "'Kashmir is the Hamlet of my film,' says Vishal Bhardwaj on Haider". The Indian Express. Retrieved 8 October 2014.
  10. Watch Bismil: Angsty Shahid and Arabic music make this Haider song a treat Firstpost Retrieved. 9 September 2014
  11. "Sukhwinder Singh after winning National Award: You can't be sane and deliver Bismil". The Indian Express. 26 March 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2015.
  12. Shahid, Shraddha launch music of 'Haider' in Mumbai Yahoo!. Retrieved. 21 August 2014
  13. Haider Album- by Vishal Bhardwaj Retrieved. 14 September 2014
  14. "Haider (Background Score)". Gaana.com. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  15. Music review: Haider – A master stroke The Indian Express. Retrieved. 19 September 2014
  16. Music review:Haider The Times of India. Retrieved. 19 September 2014
  17. Haider Music Review Koimoi. Retrieved. 26 September 2014
  18. 2014 Best of Hindi Film Music Deccan Music - 12 December 2014
  19. Haider Music Review Bollyspice. Retrieved. 19 September 2014
  20. Haider Bollywood Hungama. Retrieved. 26 September 2014
  21. Haider: Beyond the line of control The Hindu. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  22. Movie review CNN-IBN. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  23. Movie review: Haider Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  24. Jha, Subhash (3 October 2014). "Haider Movie Review". NDTV. Retrieved 2 October 2014.
  25. Sen, Raja (1 October 2014). "Review: Haider may be Vishal Bhardwaj's best film". Rediff.com. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  26. Movie review: Haider is a film you should not miss India Today. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  27. 'Haider'review: Vishal Bhardwaj's eulogy to Shakespeare's 'Hamlet' Zee News. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  28. Mitra Das, Srijana (1 October 2014). "Haider movie review". The Times of India. Retrieved 1 October 2014.
  29. Movie review Hindustan Times. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  30. Haider review: Fails to fully keep you with it The Indian Express. Retrieved. 3 October 2014
  31. Movie Review: Haider Filmfare. Retrieved. 8 October 2014
  32. "Haider CD liner notes". ASIN B00NQAENUO. Missing or empty |url= (help)
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