Director : Madhur Bhandarkar
Starring : Sameer Dattani, Bipasha Basu, Minissha, Kay Kay Menon, Payal Rohatgi, Raj Babbar, Harsh Chhaya, Rajat Kapoor, Javed Akhtar, Deepshikha
Music : Shamir Tandon
Lyrics : Sandeep Nath
The name of Madhur Bhandarkar has always been associated with controversies but also with offbeat movies. He is among these fine directors who is trying to attempt a different genre of cinema. Like Karan Razdan, he has been essaying different topics lately. Music forms such an important part in these movies as the songs play an important role in moving these realistic stories. For Corporate, you cannot expect the usual romantic duet or the hot item number. Shamir Tandon, who earlier composed for Bhandarkar’s Page 3, is repeated again. Sandeep Nath writes the lyrics once again.
Asha Bhosle is very rare these days and her voice is really being missed for some numbers. ‘Lamha Lamha Zindagi Hai’ will have to be one of the finest compositions from Shamir Tandon. It is a soothingly warm number based on a relaxing melody and the music is very much ambient oriented. The voice of Asha Bhosle is genuinely enchanting and complements too well with the music. The instruments used comprise of the electronic piano, an apt use of the saxophone, the haunting flute and some tabla pieces in the background. Arrangements are simple and unsophisticated. The freshness of the song soaked in the above average lyrics of Sandeep Nath is what makes it standout. This one is among the most beautiful numbers of 2006! The sad version is very short and is just the ‘mukhda’ repeated in a depressing mood.
The ‘qawalli’ season is not yet over as ‘O Sikander’ proves to be another winning ‘qawalli’. Opening with pure harmonium music, the track has Kailash Kher in one of his best renditions lately. The talented singer grabs the whole song to display all his singing skills and he delivers! Surprisingly, Sapna Mukherji lends her voice, after a long time. She accompanies Kailash with much ease and does her part well. This ‘qawalli’ has a lively chorus and a nice orchestration. ‘O Sikander’ is repeated many times by the chorus and the ending is a typical Kailash stretching his vocals. The track will not reach the top of the charts but it remains a must listen because of Kailash Kher.
There are two remixed version of the ‘qawalli’. The first one is titled ‘International Dance Mix’ which has more of rap and reggae influences. Though the fused beats and sounds don’t really rock, this mix is far from a smashing dance track. The ‘Desi Mix’ version is much better and this one rocks! The vocal effects of Kailash Kher are well utilized as well as the introductory beats. In this one, Sonu Kakkar replaces Sapna Mukherji and she goes Ila Arun at some places. The two remixes are not meant for the dance floor but they are more of a chilling and ambient style.
The lines; ‘Hello darling, you are fired!’ by Gary Lawyer begin this next zippy title track! Alisha Chinai renders ‘Yahan Sabko Sab’ in her usual style. High on energy, Alisha carries the track till the end without any stumbles. The song is pretty much situational describing how dirty things, are in the corporate world. Music is more of a western pop style with funky sounds. The ‘Easy Mix’ version is no Akbar Sami remix. It’s simply an improved version of the ‘Corporate Title’ track where more beats and catchy sounds are added to the original track. A too easy mix!
These ‘things’ happen in the corporate world. And here, it means ‘affairs’ in the office. Shamir Tandon tries a different situational number with the affair thing in mind. Vasundhara Das arrives with a sexy number in ‘Peele Peele Do Do Ghoont’ and does an average job. Sangeet Haldipur is mainly in the chorus. Lines like; ‘Let’s get hot tonight, move your body right, o yeah o yeah’ say a lot about the track. The number has a very urban feel with a clean orchestration and decent music.
Shamir Tandon delivers an interesting album with variety. The good thing about his music is that you hear only original numbers which are perfectly rendered by selected singers. In Page 3, Amit Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar rendered one number each and it made an enormous difference to the album. Here, we have Sapna Mukherji after a long time. Asha Bhosle is back again and she does a fantastic job with her solo rendering. ‘Lamha Lamha Zindagi Hai’ is one of these rare songs, which really stays in your mind for days. The voices of Kailash Kher, Alisha Chinai, Sonu Kakkar and even Vasundhara Das contribute loads to this album. Only the remixes lack that sound and structure which could have made them hits. Corporate’s music may not reach the charts but the chosen voices, the superior compositions, the different genres and the realistic lyrics, will make it very likeable for connoisseurs of good music.