Simply Astounding
h3{ font-family: georgia, sans-serif; font-size:22px; font-weight:normal; color:#000000; Rarely, if ever, does the Western world catch a glimpse into the beauty and majesty of such a dynamic city as Mumbai. Danny Boyle's "Slumdog Millionaire" hits the ground running. This is a breathless, exciting story, heartbreaking and exhilarating at the same time. Simon Beautoy’s script, based on Vikas Swarup’s novel, “Q&A,” touches on the life of Jamal Malik (Dev Patel), an impoverished orphan raised in the slums of Mumbai, who unexpectedly reaches the Rs. 20 Million question on India’s version of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Accused of cheating, he defends himself against the authorities by narrating his life on the streets - a sequence of mesmerizing tales which hold the key to all his right answers. The film stars newcomer Dev Patel and model turned actress Freida Pinto along with Anil Kapoor and Irfan Khan. A.R Rahman provides the music and boy it is sensational. Rahman lifts off with O…Saya, a song that is, much like the rest of the soundtrack, an electrifying detonation of sound and style. Filled with some riveting electronic tones, Rahman ups the tempo with a breath-taking drumming performance that features throughout the backdrops of this flashy and rhythmic track. Also featuring international biggie M.I.A this song takes the cake. Ringa Ringa brings a slight touch of familiarity to his Indian listeners, the track bears resemblance to the early 90s cult-classic “Choli Ke Peeche”. Rahman infuses the number with a sultry blend of old and new elements, couples it with an alluring melody, and ultimately creates a unique sound that is both traditional and progressive simultaneously. Alka Yagnik's vocals and Raqib Alam’s lyrics culminate the musical trinity of the track with class. Next up is the absolutely gorgeous Dreams On Fire, and just like all the other pieces of Slumdog Millionaire, Rahman has provided a steady blend of east and west – a phenomenon that gives the music its universal textures and borderless emotions. Blaaze and Wendy Parr provide awe inspiring lyrics and Suzanne D’Mello's vocals grab your heart's cockles. Jai Ho is an out-and-out dance track and passes with flying colors thanks to the breezy melodic riffs and trans-genre feel in the arrangements, enabling the song to take you wherever you want it to! Sukhwinder Singh and Tanvi Shah provide some awesome vocals backed by Gulzar's lyrics. Riots marks the beginning of a series of powerful and vigorous thematic pieces by Rahman. While the piece is fairly short, it packs a mighty punch. Mausam & Escape is the best thematic instrumental on the lot! Rahman simply shows off as programmer. He synthesizes a mesmerizingly wicked aura of sound that explodes all over you! The enticing guitars, the heart-pounding bass lines, thrilling sitar plucks, the soul-thumping synths and the haunting orchestral strings bring out the goose bumps. Liquid Dance has Rahman’s orchestral strings that give the piece a hauntingly unique signature. Apart from using some very cool new sounds and effects, Rahman once again blends east and west. Latika’s Theme is the instrumental of the very soulful “Dreams On Fire.” However, Rahman realizes that the beauty of the original song lies within the melodic power and vocal gentleness. Ultimately, it is the sweetest of musical fragrances. Millionaire is perhaps the one and only track that sounds conventional in its production and overall treatment. It is another fast-tempo background piece filled with thumps of bass and panning synths. In Gangsta Blues Rahman lays the cement with a Techno-esque hip-hop rhythm, while also adding some Jazz elements, including some Blues organ sounds. Blaaze struts his stuff with a relaxed reggae ‘n’ rap rendition alongside Tanvi Shah and the end result of which is pure entertainment! SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE’S music is a brilliant landscape of cultural textures, global sounds, and cross-genre transformations. You would be a complete idiot to give this album a miss!