Music Director – Vishal-Shekhar
Director – Vivek Sharma
Our Rating – 2.5/5
The music composer duo Vishal- Shekhar has made a good first attempt to strike a chord with kids with their masti-filled compositions in Bhoothnath.
The USP of the album are the renditions by Amitabh Bachchan and Juhi Chawla, which lift the product a notch above the ordinary. Also, the down to earth lyrics by Javed Akhtar aimed at addressing the target audience – kids, give this album that definitive edge.
Hey buddy is a peppy song meant for kids with light lyrics by Javed Akhtar. The voice of child artiste Armaan Malik aptly suits the theme of the song, well synchronized with the hip hop element in it. As the name suggests, the lyrics of the song also talk about the friendship between the Big B and the kid. Although this is not the first time that Big B has lent his voice for a song (remember Mere Paas aao. from Mr Natwarlal?, the uniqueness lies in the fun-filled theme of the song.
After the masti-packed songs by the children and Amitabh, Samay ka pahiya is a philosophical track with the opening lines by Sukhwinder. The song has been wonderfully delivered in the soulful voice of Hariharan. The phrase recited by Amitabh Bachchan in the song gives it a personal touch. The song has thought provoking lyrics and a depressing touch too, with the concluding lines going, “Asma mein jagmag tare mere ankh mein jhilmil aasu, Kaha chupa hai koi ishara toh dede”.
Banku Bhaiya is again a fun filled number explaining the naughty frolics of a character named Banku Bhaiya. It is a bubbly number and sung by the husky voiced Sukhwinder Singh with a touch of folk music to it. The repetitions are too many with an overuse of ‘Banku Bhaiya’ which makes the song annoying after a point. Overall, the song doesn’t add to the value of the album and is just an average number.
Hum to hai Aandhi is a song oozing with enthusiasm rendered by kid singers Koushtuv Ghosh, Aparnaa Bhaagwat, Shravan Suresh and Sneha Suresh making it sound very trendy. The opening beats distinctly reminds you of the song, Lucky lips from the movie Lucky: No time for love. The electronic guitars used give a sporty ,effect and the additional beats in between makes it sound pleasant. The chorus by the kids bestows a special quotient to the way the song sounds and is undoubtedly one of the best compositions by Vishal-Shekhar in this album.
Chalo jaane do is a romantic number with simple lyrics sung by Amitabh again and Juhi Chawla, who doesn’t sound like an amateur at all. This track, if nothing else, will be remembered for the rendition by Juhi. The lyrics of the song suggest befriending the annoyed loved ones and strikes an instant chord with the listeners.
The Bhoothnath theme is a two minute horror effects filled background music by Salim- Suleiman. Like their past background scores, it is an impressive piece by the Merchant duo.
Although Vishal- Shekhar have tried to create magic with numbers like Hey buddy and Hum to hai, the songs lack lasting appeal. It’s indeed a challenge to compose music targeting kids, something a Vishal Bharadwaj did so admirably in Makdee.
With the summer vacations, the lure of the Big B and the premise of a ghost story, Bhoothnath’s score might just click with kids. Wait and watch.
