Music Review: Revolver Rani

Music Director: Sanjeev Srivastava

Music Label: T Series


Reviewing the music of Revolver Rani is like asking a food critic to review chappan bhog – everything looks nice but you might get indigestion tasting those 56 dishes. The main weakness of the OST is that it’s too long – 15 songs are too much for the palate. Another thing is that newbie music director Sanjeev has put in everything he likes – from folk to rock to Michael Jackson pop to RD Burman to Nadeem Shravan in this goulash of an album. Coming together, one feels like one has taken a musical journey from the ’60s to the present.


The album starts with the title song by Usha Uthup. The crooner brings all her club experience in this back to the ’70s cabaret song so full of RD’s rhythm and percussion arrangement it feels like Sanjeev has unearthed an unknown tune of the master.

Piyush Mishra brings to life Thaayein kare, a zany folk song that reminds you of the brutal nature of UP badlands. He’s sung another track with lots of bite called Chal lade re bhaiya, which goes Saanso mein hi daudta rahega kya khoon/ Rotiyaan hi todta rahega kya khoon. Mishra’s earthy voice suits the minimal orchestration and makes it a winner.


Kaafi nahi chaand has forever young Asha Bhosle bringing back her magic. The arrangement and the vocal treatment bring to mind her evergreen Raat akeli hai from Jewel Thief (1967). Asha Tai still has it in her to deliver a hit and we wonder why other young composers hesitate to use her voice.

Sanjeev and Gorisa croon the rock ballad Sulgi huyi raakh with the required vim. Just when you think the album is going contemporary, comes the traditional wedding song Banna banni sung by Rekha Bhardwaj. Rekha was born for such songs, she knows the nuances of UP folk and gets them right. Sanjeev comes back to the mike in the song I’m brutal. He’s modulated his voice this time (like RD used to do) to suit the tempo of the song. It speaks of the hero’s ‘macho’ qualities and has a certain hillbilly quality to it.


Saawan ki aaye hawa perks up our interest because Rahul Gandhi is listed as the singer and the rapper does have a husky voice much like the congress leader. Garima Aneja sings the desi portions of this love duet.


Avi Dutta does a Kumar Sanu, even going off key in places like the legendary singer and Anwesha does an Alka Yagnik in this homage to Nadeem-Shravan of a song called Bol rahi hai payal. The typical ’90s riffs and arrangement makes you go hunt for your Aashqui cassette. The same instrumentation is present in the lullaby Chanda ki katori hai and its reprise as well. Garima has sung them well enough but they seem lost in this myriad landscape.


Sameera, Gorisa, Keka and Manjeera sing the josh filled Pehle lohe ki chingaari, which talks about the strength of women and how they can turn into a primordial force to cleanse the society of its sins. It sounds like a song meant to be played in the background when Kangana goes on a killing spree.


Sanjeev does have a knack of choosing singers with unusual names, as the next track, We mix you Michael Jackson is sung by someone named as Salim Javed. A google search shows there is actually a Punjabi pop singer by that name. So it needn’t be a spoof. He sounds like Gurdass Mann attempting MJ style pop in a village gathering. Again, it might be deliberate to suit the demands of the film. It’s pure thrash if it isn’t.


The composer has reserved the last for the best. Zardozi lamhe is a fine ghazal styled composition sung Moin Sabri. The modern interpretation to the genre is soothing to the ear.

All-in-all, as said earlier, this OST is a goulash. Whether you get the better bits or are left with the yucky ones depends on your luck. But try it you must as it offers much in the way of memorabilia and variety.