Talaash Music Review

Read the Exclusive Talaash Music Review

For a suspense-thriller, the Talaash soundtrack is pleasantly bereft of brass-and-horns blaring spy music. After scoring the sparkling Delhi Belly and chiming in neatly for Aamir Khan's popular talk show Satyamev Jayate, composer Ram Sampath rustles up a gratifying soundtrack that enjoys circling around love rather than hover around mystery.

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Tracks: 6 (5 Original, 1 Remix)

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Lyricist: Javed Akhtar

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Music Director: Ram Sampat

The seductive, lingering ambience of Muskaanein Jhooti Hain doffs a hat to the crime noir OSTs via a simple yet charming tune. Deep notes of an upright bass set the tempo for a jazzy, bluesy slow jam, fired up by Suman Sridhar who sounds like a foxy enchantress. Many may feel the mood mirrors Mikey McCleary's Bartender 'Bollywoodreinvented' songs, but Ram sprinkles enough minor notes and smoky synths to cue this one into the whodunit genre. Javed Akhtar's fine lyrics provide the icing: Kal inhi galiyon mein...In masli kaliyon mein...Toh yeh dhoom thi; Jo rooh pyaasi hai... Jis mein udaasi hai...Woh hai ghoomti; Sabko talaash wohi... Samjhe yeh kaash koi. At 3.20 minutes , it ends sooner than you'd want it to but is still the zaniest of the lot.

Hona Hai Kya is the lone 'suspenseful' number, almost screaming out its need to be mysterious. The electronica arrangement though stylishly pulled off may seem a tad overbearing for some, and there's more than a fleeting resemblance to snatches from Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's Don. Ram's vocals are effective but there's little intrigue in this one to keep you coming back for more. The vibrant Jiya Lage Na sounds eclectic in its expansive atmosphere of a free-flowing bandish tempered with racy electronica. Sona Mohapatra sounds endearing as always, Ravindra Upadhyay puts up a cool show and Akhtar's pen lends voice to the longing: Main muskaoon, Sabse chhupaoon, Vyakul ho din-rayn ...Kab se naa aayi naino mein nindiya, Mann mein na aaya chain.

Soft keys, bass and guitars hum a melody of lovesick wistfulness in Laakh Duniya Kahe, which charts a route similar to Delhi Belly's Tere Siva. But the sincerity in Ram's voice and a charming chorus is what takes this standard soft rock ballad a notch higher. Javed Akhtar's lines come off like a lyrical sequel to Tum Ho Toh from Rock On!! but are soothing nevertheless: Laakh duniya kahe, Tum nahin ho...Tum yahin ho, Tum yahin ho.

Again, Jee Le Zaraa is your regular, dime-a-dozen indipop fare that stands out mostly for Vishal Dadlani's smoothly-jagged vocals. The lyrics are an uninteresting spiel on how your heart is asking you to 'live' life, while the remix is strictly passable.

While it's tough to deftly follow up a refreshing, trend-bending album like Delhi Belly, Ram stacks up a sleek, above par track-list for Aamir's next.

Verdict: There may not be standouts here and yet there is much to indulge in, if good music is what you are in Talaash of.
Ratings: 2.5/5