Black Friday: Music Review

Anurag Kashyap, director of ‘Paanch’ has the dubious distinction of a director who has had the longest wait for his debut venture to be seen in theatres. ‘Paanch’ has been stuck in the cans for ages, first due to censor restrictions and then due to a long delay.

The courageous director is now ready with his second bold venture ‘Black Friday’ that again deals with a dark theme - this time on the 1993 Bombay bomb blasts. Starring Kay Kay ( Bhopal Express, Paanch, Chall, Hazaron Khwahishen Aisi, Deewaar ), Pawan Malhotra and other talented theatre artistes in important roles, Black Friday is a hard-hitting drama produced by Arindam Mitra with lyrics by Piyush Mishra and music by the famous band Indian Ocean. Asheem Chakravarty, Rahul Ram and Amit provide the vocals.

Opening track ‘Bandheh’ is a brilliant composition, which is a great fusion mix of pop and rock. A track with philosophical undertones of religion and humanity, it is the second in quick succession after another such track ‘Bulla Ki Jaana’ from the mega-hit album by Rabbi. This number would be lapped up by the youth brigade and would be the latest rage in the college festival circuits.

‘Badshah In Jail’ is the title of the next song that is mainly an indication of the situation of the track rather than the song lyrics itself. Another philosophical song about life, it is slow and depicts pains. Composition is sober and rich in terms of usage of Indian instruments. Lyrics are better than the ordinary while the vocals are attached to the roots. Music too oscillates wonderfully between Indian and later Western that translates into a wonderful experience. Another good fusion track!

‘Bharam Bhaap Ke’ starts with a guitar and then continues for some time with usage of various other instruments with a male vocal in the background. Third philosophical track in a row, it makes the album completely different from the regulars churned in Bollywood every other day.

‘Opening/Pre Blast ‘ begins with a flute that takes a haunting turn in quick time and gives an impression of urgency and alertness. Light continuous beats follow soon after and then take a monstrous turn to get you that Satya/Company effect. This makes a perfect setting for a crime situation underway. Watch out for this one; you may just stop munching your popcorn while the scene is on!

‘Bomb Planting ‘ is another instrumental that makes for a perfect theme narration. The suspense builds up from the word GO and incites one to watch out for the movie. Now this should get Sandeep Chowta on alert as so far it was only him who had mastered this art! But Indian Ocean have arrived - and they do it in a big way!

Kenny G inspired instrumental ‘Memon House’ is another treat to the ears that manages to establish the extravagant mansion and the luxurious lifestyle of the people living in it. If this description is what the composers intended to depict, then it is a challenge well met. ‘RDX’ follows next and the impact is again worthwhile. ‘Training’ is haunting again and manages to set the scene right in front of your eyes. Ditto for ‘Chase’ that pumps up the beats and the effect took it’s toll even on this writer who suddenly found himself typing faster and vigorously than his regular speed!

All these instrumentals in a row set the stage for the composers to win the ‘Best Background Score’ of a movie in the popular/critics awards category for 2005. Black Friday raises the bar for all the movies in 2005 that would follow as it would take an extraordinary effort to beat the background score! The tracks in Black Friday are targeted at those select audience who crave to hear something different and if initial reactions are something to go by, ‘ Black Friday ‘ would be an experiment that would soon be succeeded by more of such ambitious and adventurous ventures. Due to it’s niche appeal, the album may not become the top selling album of 2005, one thing is sure that it would be greatly appreciated and patronized by those looking for quality music. And who knows, word of mouth may take Black Friday to a blockbuster status as well!

Rating: *** 1/2