Music Review: Saaho (Telugu/ Hindi/ Tamil/ Malayalam)

Composer(s): Badshah, Guru Randhawa, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Tanishk Bagchi
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn (Telugu/ Hindi/ Tamil/ Malayalam)

Back in May, composer trio Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy opted out of Saaho (or so they said) citing they're not comfortable working with multiple composers — which makes the inclusion of Baby Won't You Tell Me all the more perplexing. Was it a demo track which was recorded before their exit? Because that alone can justify the generic blandness coursing through the rock-laced tune that's about as blasé as it can get.

As for Tanishk, Badshah and Guru Randhawa, I'm sure it was a calculated decision on part of T-Series, for no soundtrack of theirs is complete without a song from either of the three artists. But the more I listen to Saaho in four different languages, the more it sounds like a last minute hack job.

It's not only about the atrocious mangling of Tamil and Malayalam, the tracks — while riding heavily on boilerplate EDM — are flat out flavourless fillers that glue together pop music these days. Make no mistake, the jumble of skittering and strobing electronic music is impeccably produced and catchy as the clap (Psycho Saiyaan), at the same time too monotonous to be great but too competent to be atrocious.

It elicits muted bursts of pleasure but never elation, caught in some numb nether region between the mediocre and the genuinely exciting. Strangely enough, the Malayalam version works the best out of the four for what it's worth. Saaho's music aims for a pan-Indian appeal, but is more a mixed bag — serviceable at best, and utterly forgettable at worst.

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