Music Review: Gangs of Wasseypur

Anurag Kashyap's Gangs of Wasseypur, recently well-received at the Cannes film festival, has one of the most innovative music score that I have come across in recent years. Composed by Sneha Khanwalkar (of Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! fame) for the most part and Piyush Mishra, this fourteen track OST begins on a folksy note with Jiya Tu as Manoj Tiwari's brilliant vocals and Sneha's funky techno orchestration make it all the more engaging. While Hunter (Vedesh Sokoo, Rajneesh, Munna, Shyamoo) is interesting for its Caribbean touch, O Womaniya Live is one hell of a folk song. The other version O Womaniya, embracing the fusion genre, is even more impressive and the lead singers Khusboo Raaj and Rekha Jha bring an authentic feel to the songs. Sung stupendously by Amit Trivedi and Sneha Khanwalkar, Keh Ke Lunga is a stunning listen and leaves you mesmerized with its mighty inventive arrangements.

Sneha's skills come to the fore once again in the impressive Bhoos (Manish Tipu, Bhupesh Singh). Bhaiyaa sung by The mushahar of Sundarpur is bouncy but quite okay'ish when compared to the others. Tain Tain To To (Sneha Khanwalkar) is groovy and pure madness; likewise Soona Kar Ke Gharwa's (Sujeet) and Aey Jawanon's, also in another version as Loonga Loonga,(Ranjeet Baal Party) unpolished folk style deserve a special mention. Humni Ke Chhodi Ke, backed by harmonium in the backgrounds, is ear-pleasing. Piyush Mishra's contribution in the form of just two tracks in comparison to Sneha's twelve may seem measly but both stand out remarkably well. The haunting and slow Ik Bagal (Piyush Mishra) takes you back to the age-old times as Usri Banerjee's splendid rendition of Manmauji continues the old-world charm with its understated, yet brilliant, tune. The composers give a whole new meaning to the word versatile with this bloody versatile OST! Definitely worth listening for the sheer amount of variety brought to the table.