Music review: Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi

Album: Manikarnika: The Queen of JhansiGenre:

Bollywood

In a world where multi-composer albums are the order of the day, there still are some filmmakers, who stick to one composer for the entire soundtrack of a movie. And when you listen to those OSTs, you know how much of an impact this makes on an album. Case in point — 'Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi'.

The highly-anticipated historical war drama, directed partly by Krish and the lead actress Kangana Ranaut, is based on the life of Rani Laxmibai of Jhansi and comprises an eight-song playlist, penned by Prasoon Joshi and composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. The trio’s (who gave us gems like 'Soorma' and 'Raazi' last year) deep-rooted passion for Indian classical and folk sounds comes across in the tracks that they have created for this film.

Their skill as composers shines through when you listen to the tracks in their album, some of which feature melodious live orchestration, while others have been crafted with minimal music.

The first song, 'Bharat; sung by Shankar, is a beautiful amalgamation of not just musical depth and melody, but has the added drama of the emotions that one feels for their motherland. Prasoon’s simple, powerful lines, ‘Main rahoon ya na rahoon Bhaarat yeh rehna chahiye’, say it all.

The next, 'Vijayi Bhava' showcases the indomitable spirit of the warrior queen, Rani Laxmibai and is a majestic, high-tempo song of war preparation. SEL’s orchestration and use of live percussion makes sure that this patriotic number and its hookline, packs a punch and makes a rather solid impact. The flute sound is melodious and touches you to the core. Watching the song, as opposed to just listening to it, adds to the experience as well.

Sukhwinder Singh is exemplary in 'Bolo Kab Pratikar Karoge' — the beats used in this track, are not new though, but remain catchy. The singer’s powerful grip over classical ragas comes across when you listen to his rendition. The rap part in this track provides good fusion as a contemporary feel compliments the old-school gusto of this period drama.

'Rajaji' is a melodious love song and

Pratibha Singh

Baghel showcases the full range of her singing ability, nailing in the sweetness with deft nuances. Ravi Mishra does the chorus too in this duet, and despite having a few lines, he still leaves a positive impact.

'Shiv Tandav' is another upbeat, high tempo number that pumps up spirit — it is like a fast-paced mantra recitation, but Shankar in his own unique way makes it sound like a song.

'Tak Taki' is a minimal track with strong classical-folk influences. It almost sounds like a lullaby and SEL’s call to let Pratibha’s voice rule while the melody reigns in the background is a smart decision.

The next, 'Dankila' is all about a fab, folk soundscape — a track with some cool, familiar, recognisable beats — it’s a desi dance song. The last track in the album is Prasoon’s moving recital of 'Bharat'.