Planet Bollywood
The Dirty Picture
 
Producer: Shobha Kapoor Ekta Kapoor
Director: Milan Luthria
Starring: Vidya Balan, Naseeruddin Shah, Saksham Malhotra, Tusshar Kapoor
Music: Vishal Shekhar
Lyrics: Rajat Aroraa
Singers: Bappi Lahiri, Kamaal Khan, Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan & Rana Mazumder
Audio On: T Series    Number of Songs: 6
Album Released on: 01 November 2011
Reviewed by: Atta Khan  - Rating: 7.0 / 10
More Reviews and Analysis by PB Critics:
    • Review by Mitesh Saraf - Rating: 5.5 / 10
 
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Opinion Poll: Is "The Dirty Picture" Vidya Balan´s finest performance ever?

After a brilliant comeback in 2010 (I Hate Luv Storys, Anjaana Anjaani and Break Ke Baad), Vishal Shekhar (V-S) have re-created a buzz around themselves thus becoming the biggest draw in the industry when it comes to making HIT music. 2011 has been relatively quiet for them thus far with only the music for RA.ONE making a good impression with the audience. “The Dirty Picture” is their final soundtrack of the year and there's a great talk about the film already thanks to aggressive promotions of the trailer featuring the stunning "Ooh La La" but can the duo make a hit soundtrack as well? Interestingly all the lyrics featured here are written by the film’s story and script writer Rajat Aroraa, which gives an indication of the type of music required for the film…a blast from the 1980s to be precise!

First up is the utterly brilliant retro song “Ooh La La” that has already been a huge hit in promoting the film! The music is a homage and follows the structure of most songs produced in this era (1980s) with a loud and catchy dhol beat hooking you onto the song in no time topped with a striking background chorus, plenty of jugle bandi between the lead singers and later, a disco mix thrown in for good measure! The romantic lines by Rajat might sound satirical but are undoubtedly created with the film’s setting in mind. However the biggest USP of the song are the singers no less! Bappi Lahiri was once a pioneer of disco music in the 1980s and his selection as singer here is a pure masterstroke by V-S and symbolic of the era. His funky and powerful vocals just transport you back to his heyday when he was producing musical hits such as Disco Dancer and Sharaabi. Mind you his co singer Shreya Ghoshal is nothing short of a revelation and never ceases to amaze you. In fact the two sing with such rapport and gusto, it feels like they have known each other for decades, their jugle bandi works superbly well. Overall this is awesome material from the duo and it only looks even better on the big screen; blockbuster!

If you enjoy your remixes then be sure to check out “Ooh La La (Dhol Mix)” by DJ Amyth. The track comes at the end of the album.

Next up is a lovely romantic outing by the name of “Ishq Sufiyana” that contains no retro vibe or homage…this one’s purely from the heart. The melodious number is simple and not particularly innovative but it’s composed beautifully nonetheless, especially the dovetailing of the tabla and hand clapping. Vishal and Shekhar have nurtured singing talent from many a field (Raghu Dixit being a prime example) and Kamal Khan is one of their best finds from last year’s Saregamapa. His sufi vocals portray passion and emotions that bely his age and experience and one can only hope he gets more opportunities in the future. There’s some very romantic lines by Rajat here as well. Not to be undermined, Sunidhi Chauhan oozes finesse in the “Female Version” of this song and once again V-S have to be commended for their choice when they could quite easily have given this to an already on form Shreya Ghoshal.


“Honeymoon Ki Raat” is a teleport to the sizzling nights of the 1980s! Due to the way the song has been written (for the film) by Rajat, this isn’t as instantly likeably as the previous songs but be warned…this one will have you gasping for breath once you have seen Reshma (aka Silk Smitha played by Vidya Balan) in action! Peppy disco beats, horns and classic loops dominate proceedings once again and Sunidhi Chauhan evokes with the sexy charm that is required for this song. Expect it to explode into life on screen!

“Twinke Twinkle” is an even shorter homage to the sexy sirens of the 1980s but makes an impact nevertheless. Shreya’s vocals are frighteningly good, in fact it's hard to imagine a more sultry voice over for Silk! Put simply her sensual vocals are the killer USP of this song and she is ably supported by Rana Mazumder. Rajat’s lines are hot and naughty! Another super song for the film albeit a little on the short side.

Vishal Shekhar are among the most sought after music directors in the industry and the soundtrack to “The Dirty Picture” proves exactly why. They’ve just got that x factor to deliver music that ignites the pulse and at the same time creates a huge impact on the big screen; importantly PRE and POST release. Thankfully the producers have quickly recognised the quality of the music on show which is why it has been promoted aggressively and the results speak for themselves. Let there be no doubt the music is one of the key reasons why this is one of the most talked about films of 2011 e.g. according to reports the trailer featuring "Ooh La La" has managed almost a million hits within days of launching on Youtube! So even with only 4 original tracks to work with, the music for The Dirty Picture is retro cool, stylish and HIT material. Job well done!

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