MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA movie review: Vishal Bhardwaj disappoints with this predictable tale

Pankaj Kapur, Anushka Sharma, Imran Khan and a bottle of Gulabo swirl impeccably to the steps choreographed by Vishal Bhardwaj. Yet, they fail to take your breath away…

Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola is a movie set in the rustic locales of Mandola (a village in Haryana). And same is a part of Haripool aka Harry Mandola’s (Pankaj Kapur) name, who turns into Hariya after four pegs of Gulabo – a (local) brand of alcohol. Gulabo – either in the form of a bottle or a cow – keeps appearing in the movie every 15 minutes. But try to keep your mind off this (obvious) detail or the movie will become as predictable as a Monday morning.
The movie roughly revolves around the fertile land owned by the dwellers of Mandola that Madam Politician (Shabana Azmi) and Mr Mandola are eyeing for their personal gain. So how does Matru (Imran Khan) figure into all this, you may ask. Matru is Mandola’s rugged man Friday, who tries his best to save the villagers from Mandola’s evil intentions.
Anushka Sharma aka Bijlee plays the role of Mandola’s daughter and is her usual chirpy self who does a great job of prancing around with an ear-to-ear grin pasted on her lovely face.
Then there’s Baadal (Arya Babbar), who is Madam Politician’s son – a dumb, rich kid whose sole purpose in life is to get married to Bijlee so that he and his Mommy can enjoy Mandola’s wealth thereafter.
The movie moves at an easy pace as all the characters get sketched at leisure. Vishal Bhardwaj has taken enough care to incorporate ample songs that allow tiny loo breaks throughout the movie. So, don’t fret if you missed out on popcorn during the interval; you always stand a chance to buy it during one of the numbers where nothing actually gets added to the storyline.
While the pace or twists are nothing to boast of, we appreciate the way Bhardwaj has kept the rustic flavour intact all through the movie. And adding to it all is Pankaj Kapur’s flawless performance that makes us fall in love with him right from the opening scene.
Imran has done a good job at looking rugged, though he did slip into his usual guy-next-door persona a couple of times. But on the whole, commendable.
So if you have an option of watching the movie at a theatre or waiting for it to premiere on television, we suggest you choose the second. Trust us, you won’t be missing out on anything.

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MATRU KI BIJLEE KA MANDOLA music review: An Afro-Haryanvi carnival!

Music: Vishal Bharadwaj

Lyrics: Gulzar

Singers: Vishal Bharadwaj, Sukhwinder Singh, Prem Dehati, Rekha Bharadwaj, Pankaj Kapur, Imran Khan

Rating: ***

 
Vishal Bharadwaj is known to create music that is soulful, meaningful and entertaining at the same time. Whether it was Omkara, Kaminey or Saat Khoon Maaf – the director-music composer has composed some memorable albums that have stayed with us. Has he managed to do the same with the music of Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola? Well…almost.
The album begins with the title song – a high-energy, fun number. The acoustic guitar in combination with the electric guitar and hand drums creates a musical riot. Add to that an African chorus that enters midway through the song and you’ve got one of the most masaledar yet musically superior dance numbers of the year. Gulzar writes earthy lyrics like Aate ki roti, mitti ka chulha that are in sync with the mood of the film. And singer Sukhwinder Singh is in great form after a long time.
Oye boy Charlie is a quirky desi number with Hinglish lyrics sung by Rekha Bhardwaj, Shankar Mahadevan and Mohit Chauhan. It’s a crossover between a Haryanvi folk song and a qawwali. Oye boy’s tune is addictive – the sign of an instant hit!
From a quirky zone, the album moves into a more romantic mood with the next couple of songs. Vishal Bharadwaj sings a romantic number in all his albums -  O Saathi re in Omkara, Bekaraan in 7 Khoon Maaf and now it’s Khamakha in Matru… Vishal‘s sluggish charm makes this song soothing and touching. Gulzar’s lyrics have great imagery – Ubla ubla kyun lagta hai yeh badan, yeh jalan to khamakha nahin – making it a beautifully romantic song. The track ends with Prem Dahati’s Haryanvi chants that are ironic, but obviously situational.
Badal uthiya ri sakhi, a semi-classical song, has two versions – one sung by Rekha Bharadwaj and the other by Prem Dehati. Dehati’s voice is earthy – it smells of the Haryanvi soil, adding depth. Rekha’s version is lighter and soothing. The sitar solos create an interesting folk fusion sound.
Now get ready to move into the socio-political zone. Chor Police is a 58-second long song snippet sung by Pankaj Kapur that talks about scams and corruption, the real theft that happens in the country. A political statement, this song is fast-paced and thrilling.
There are more such numbers. Pankaj Kapur and Imran Khan lend their voices to Char dina ki, a street play-meets-wedding band number. Then comes Shara ra ra – a one-and-a-half minute track sung by Dehati – which is also on similar lines. Once again, it has the quintessential Haryanvi folk music flavour and lyrics that are laced with instruments used in a wedding band trumpets, dhols and cymbals.
There’s another politically charged song by Sukhwinder Singh called Lootnewale. Clashing cymbals, heavy drumming and guitaring light up this song on a farmers’ rebellion. The reprise version is also appealing and has a marching song quality to it.
There’s a Zulu track called Nomvula which means ‘after the rain’ (It is also a famous song by a Afro-pop band Freshlyground). Sung by Umoja (in the film by the African farm workers), it’s typical of Carribean dance music with heavy percussion and a chorus.
All in all, the Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola soundtrack is mix of romance, masala and socio-political messages. Entertaining, quirky and meaningful at the same time, this one’s truly an Afro-Haryanvi carnival!

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TALAASH music review: Slick and groovy!

The Aamir Khan-Rani Mukerji-Kareena Kapoor starrer Talaash directed by Reema Kagti is a thriller; obviously there is not much scope for music at the script level. Ram Sampath, who has become Aamir’s favourite music director now, has been roped in to create a soundtrack that can support the genre the movie belongs to.
First up is the song Muskaanein jhooti hain. Indie artist Suman Sridhar uses her husky voice effectively in this silky smooth number. It’s as lilting as her quirky Hawa hawai from Shaitan. It’s definitely in the zone of Kaisi paheli from Parineeta, but slightly more eerie and haunting than Parineeta’s sweetly seductive track.
Certain portions of Jeele zara will probably be running through the film as part of the background score and should prove to be effective. Vishal Dadlani sings about the growing distance between two lovers in this song as Javed Akhtar writes Phir dil se dil ke pul kyun toote hain. It’s not really a unique melody, but Vishal instills enough passion into the track to keep you hooked.
The next song Jeeya lage na is virtually a jam session between Sona Mohapatra and Ravindra Upadhyay. This electro-folk fusion – techno beats, tabla and break beat samples – is a great attempt to bring new sounds into mainstream Bollywood music. The lyrics are very simple: Jeeya lage na tum bin mora, kya jaane kyun hai, kya jaane kaisi andhekhi si dor. The combination of Sona and Ravindra’s voices and the merging of various sounds makes Jeeya lage na unique.
Lakh duniya kahe starts with a piano piece and Ram Sampath’s soft voice. It’s a straightforward composition with easy lines. The orchestration and arrangement are what lift the track a notch higher.
Hona kya hai has the Aaj ki raat (from Don) hangover, except this one’s heavier. It’s a groovy number packed with beats, but not on par with the rest of the tracks.
Talaash’s soundtrack is slick, groovy and situational, and will work best in the context of the film.

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