Film: Apna Asmaan

Director: Kaushik Roy

Music Director: Leslie Lewis

Lyrics: Mehboob

Cast: Rajat Kapoor, Shobna, Irfan Khan, Anupam Kher

Rating: 3/5

There was a time when music director Leslie Lewis burst into the music scene in a rather unstoppable fashion when he paired with Hariharan to churn hit tracks, one after another. And now after long, Lewis is back to compose for a film, this time teaming up with lyricist Mehboob. Filling the album with his trademark classical-fusion works, the music of the film is soft, touching and a pleasant change.

While the album in itself has its share of lyric fused wonders, there are six instrumental tracks, titled Apna Asmaan; dawn, day, midnight, twilight, night and dawn again. Each lasting not more than a few minutes the track is superbly arranged and extremely affecting.  Each song has been arranged differently and is blessed with a dissimilar tune, representative of moods during the course of a day. If you have heard albums like Earth, Mitti and the likes, then these tracks are what you have been longing for. If you enjoy this genre, you could go on listening. A personal favourite amongst the lot is Apna Asmaan (Night), the way it builds up is fantastic, a definite hear out.

Shreya Ghosal’s soulful voice blends perfectly with Mehboob’s lyrics and Lewis’s score and creates a heartrending song. While the tabla is heard eminently, the track is layered with sounds of other western instruments like the guitar and synthesizer. The beauty of this song also lies in its duration, being five minutes long, you enjoy just about as much as you ought to. Kudos to everyone who imparted the song with a beautiful soul.

Soon after Ghosal projects her voice, Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan spin their magic in Dil ka Tarana, a five and half minute track. Undoubtedly this is a moving track and is hear-worthy. However the track does not spark the magic it ought to, simply because you have heard the singers croon in a similar fashion in tons of tracks.  Recommended an ear, but as far as creating that impact, sorry.

The thing with Chitra’s voice is that besides being one of the best in the country, it is also instantly identifiable. The purity of it is unparalleled and her voice lends meaning to each word. In the track Jhanana Jhanana, she brings excitement to the track while there’s also a sense of composure that flows through it. The fusion laced musical score and Chitra’s crystal clear voice amalgamates into one helluva song. The music is fantastic and this track in particular is outstanding.

Sukhwinder Singh as usual sweeps you off your feet while singing Katra Katra. The song starts soft and in an instant picks up pace and builds up into one moving song. The album also contains a reprise of the same track, however the overriding sounds of the instruments does nothing. In comparison, the initial song clearly aces over the reprise.

You gawk in shock at the music player when you hear the track Shezada. Sung by Shaan, this track is like a golf ball on a snooker table, it just doesn’t fit. There are so many elements in the track that the result is confusing. While it is not only a misfit in the entire album, even as a stand-alone-track it is all tempo. Though the arrangement makes it hearable, there is absolutely nothing that is going for it.

Good music goes a long way not just to promote a film but also enhances the mood, emotions and cinematic experience. If you seriously enjoy fusion music and classical overtones, then grab a copy of Apna Asmaan, it’s superlative.