Music Review : Tanu Weds Manu Returns

Like Tanu Weds Manu had Sadi Galli, Tanu Weds Manu Returns too has one guest composition, by Tanishq andVayu. Like the former, this one too follows the techno-folk mix route, and this one too is a fun ride. Some interesting use of folk instruments in the backdrop (the flute, and  that harmonium towards the end deserve a mention), even asBrijesh Shandilya & Swati Sharma do the vocal honours very well, of lyrics written by Vayu (particularly loved theBanno Tera Swagger Laage Sexy line). Lead composerKrsna and lyricist Rajshekhar take over the reins from here on (incidentally both of them debuted in part 1 of the movie). And their first song is Ghani Bawri, a richly arranged (Haryanvi?) folk piece full of energy. Something that works perfectly to singer Jyoti Nooran’s strength, and she owns it. Stripped off all its folk instrumentation, Aditya Dev’s remix doesn’t hold your interest much.Mat Ja Re has a nice tune, but the arrangement sounds dated (cannot take the combination of dafli + melancholy any more). Ankit Tiwari sounds better than he usually does, singing this one.

There is something odd about Anmol Malik’s (Anu Malik’s daughter, for the uninitiated) accent in Old School Girl at times, but the song is nicely done otherwise – in terms of tune, singing and arrangement. Truly an old school jazz piece, like its title, with some excellent trumpet solos by Joseph Monsorate. Krsna sticks to the same tune but changes the instruments for Haryanvi Version – mandolin (Tapas Roy), guitars (Sanjoy Das) and accordion (Lewis Kane) take the lead here – Sanjoy is especially fab. The Haryanvi-accented singing by Kalpana Gandharv too is brilliant !

As multiple people have pointed out since the song came out a few days back, Move On has a very Bol Beliya (Kill Dil) type feel to it – dark, frenetically paced, possibly have their base in the sameraga and both have Sunidhi Chauhan. That is not to say the song is any less entertaining – the energy is infectious and Sunidhi does as brilliant a job as ever. Rajshekhar’s peppering of the lines with English words adds a touch of lightness to the somber piece – like in Banno, the wording of the title hook (Miya Move On) is the winner here too! It is in the two melodic pieces that the composer truly hits it out of the park.

First there is Ho Gaya Hai Pyaar, a breezy guitar-led track that is sung splendidly by Dev Negi. Love how the tabla (Ishteyak Khan) makes its guest appearance. And the last song is O Saathi Mere, an even more gorgeous melody (touches of pilu perhaps) that is wonderfully written by Rajshekhar. Sonu Nigam makes the rendition sound effortless as always, and he is backed up well by the chorus, while the strings section (Mumbai Strings Orchestra) gives the song a rousing effect in the right places, and the flute (Humtoo Dey) and guitar (Sanjoy Das) act as nifty additions at some other points.

Their debut work is still a better one, but Krsna and Rajshekhar’s work in Tanu Weds Manu Returns almost matches the first edition!

Cheers !

Jeetendra Mehra AKA The BUNNYMAN