Everyone who has watched the Gangs of Wasseypur movies has loved them. As someone who has watched the films way too many times, it comes as no surprise that the films are universally loved.
But if one thing particularly stands out about the films, it’s the music. It’s not conventional by any standard, let alone Bollywood.
More often than not, in Hindi films, especially films made in the last decade or so, music is considered something of a promotional strategy. Hence, you have the same two romantic songs, a sad song here and there, maybe a motivational song, and of course, an item number to be played at weddings and processions.
This is where the entire album, which consists of 15 songs BTW, truly stands out, courtesy of Sneha Khanwalkar’s music.
The songs truly stay true to the films and their ethos, the region it’s based in and the characters in them. You have songs like Jiya Tu, which are catchy and modern but still maintain their ethnic feel.
Then you have Hunter, which is a very weird song, even by the standards of this film series. But god damn, if it isn’t cool. It’s raw and wacky and sometimes a bit out of tune, but that’s intentional and what makes it such a catchy song.
Ek Bagal is a personal favourite. It feels like a song out of time but never out of place. And the lyrics just hit you differently. Thank you, Piyush Mishra, for that!
O Womaniya just grows on you as you listen to local singers just celebrate the occasion. Keh Ke Lunga is another such song, that’s just so powerful with its lyrics. Both Amit Trivedi and Sneha Khanwalkar, who lend their voices to this song, make sure that you feel every bit of Sardar Khan’s wrath and motivation. It’s weirdly an Eye of The Tiger of our times.
Then there’s Humni Ke Chhodi Ke, which just breaks your heart into a million pieces. It’s folk music at its best. The only instrument you actually hear is the harmonica, which keeps the focus on the pain in the voice of the singer!
And if you’re looking for romantic songs here, look no further than Moora. It’s just so beautiful.
The word “unconventional” is widely overused in our line of work, especially when we’re describing anything Anurag Kashyap has touched with a ten-feet pole. But this soundtrack is just not something one comes across every day.
It’s a perfect blend of folk music from rural Bihar and UP and the studios of Mumbai. Sometimes, we forget about just how the great the music from Wasseypur is, given the multitude of things that stand out when you’re watching these films but that’s okay.
The music does its job here. It conveys the mood of the situation perfectly. It runs parallel with the story and swings between the decades that the films portray. And that seamless blend is what makes it so beautiful.
