RUDRAKSH

Producer: Nitin Manmohan and Sohail Maklai
Director: Mani Sharma
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Sunil Shetty, Bipasha Basu and Ishaa Kopikar
Music: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar and Shashi Pritam
Lyrics: Sameer, Arun Bhairav and Mast Ali
Singers: Shankar Mahadevan, Mahalaxmi, Shweta, Krishna, Kunal, Chitra, Richa Sharma, Sunidhi Chauhan, K.K, Sandeep Bhaurnik and Gayatri Iyer
Audio: T-Series

The forthcoming thriller Rudraksh promises something new by delving into the science-fiction genre, which is still rather rare for Bollywood. This is director Mani Sharma's most ambitious project yet and stars the likes of Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Sunil Shetty and Isha Koppikar. The producer's of the movie have decided not to rely on specific music composers and have therefore hired three different names for the soundtrack: Shankar-Ehsan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar and Shashi Pritam. Radio Sargam gives its verdict on the album…

(1) Ishq Khudai (Shankar, Mahalaxmi, Shweta and Krishna)
The opening number, Ishq Khudai, features the voices of Shankar, Mahalaxmi, Shweta and Krishna. The track has been sung well and also features some nice raags in the style of the late and great Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, delivered by an uncredited male voice. The lyricist Arun Bhairav writes spellbinding lyrics, which compliment S-E-L's foot-tapping composition. The visuals of the song are currently featuring on television and feature hot performances by Bipasha Basu and Isha Koppikar, as well as the two male stars Sanjay Dutt and Sunil Shetty. It sounds like a chart topper!
Rating: 9/10

(2) Ishq Khudai…Remix Version
This is another version of the Ishq Khuda song with a similar affect as the original.
Rating: 9/10

(3) Ishq Hai Nasha Nasha (Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan)
Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan wow the listeners with their superb renditions of a melodious yet fast paced song, Ishq Hai Nasha Nasha. Sunidhi gives the song one hundred and Shaan also with his vocals. Credit should be given to Shaan for becoming so versatile. He has full control over his vocals and the listener will barely be able to recognize his voice in this song! Vishal-Shekhar fuse drums with other sweet sounding instruments to create an electrifying atmosphere in the background. Sameer impresses with his excellent lyrics and ditto with Vishal-Shekhar, who have done a grand job. The song has been airing on all satellite channels for days and features the likes of Sanjay Dutt, Bipasha Basu, Sunil Shetty and Isha Koppikar in the lead.
Rating: 8.5/10

(4) Kya Dard Hai (Richa Sharma and Shankar Mahadevan)
The next track, Kya Dard Hai, features two of the finest vocalists these days, Richa Sharma and Shankar Mahadevan. Although neither singer is amazing, Richa's husky vocals are decent and Shankar is fairly good too. The composers, S-E-L arrange instruments flawlessly, resulting in a nice, playful melody. Sameer writes commendable lyrics, which add the final ingredients to make the likeable and audible. Eventually "Kya Dard Hai" will serve beautifully to those who love hearing romantic songs.
Rating: 8.5/10

(5) Kya Dard Hai (Instrumental)
An instrumental of "Kya Dard Hai" is also featured on the soundtrack. To really be able to appreciate the mastery skills of the music directors, you must give this instrumental a listen.
Rating: 8/10

(6) Dil Ki Ahen (KK and Chitra)
A slow romantic song "Dil Ki Ahen" is featured next on the album. KK and Chitra have brought life to the song by truly understanding the mood of the number. Mast Ali, a new lyricist, deserves some appreciation for the marginally better work done for this track. Shashi Pritam's composition easy on ears, but the chorus brings down the standards of the song.
Rating: 6/10

(7) Bole Dole (Chitra and Sandeep Bhaurnik)
"Bole Dole" is a romantic duet delivered by the duo of Chitra and Sandeep. Newcomer Sandeep Bhaurnik catches the rhythm well but he copies the style of A R Rehman and that's where he lacks, otherwise he has potential to become a good singer. On the other hand, a special mention is due for Chitra's singing, which is not only sober but also very sweet to hear. We also hear Shashi Pritam's rendition of Bole Dole interludes in the song. Mast Ali tries to improve his expertise of writing good lyrics with this song but his assignment carries no weight. Shashi Pritam as a composer looks in a shaky position and injects no innovation in the music. Only his arrangement of flute and tabla captures the listener's attention. Overall conclusion obviously falls in below average category.
Rating: 3.5/10

(8) Rudraksh…Title Track (Kunal)
The title track features the vocals of Kunal. If you notice the instruments' arrangement, you will find that the flute matches its frequency with the drums beautifully. Talking about the lyrics would not be beneficial at all since Arun Bhairav writes some forgettable and poor lyrics composed badly by Shankar-Eshan-Loy. Overall the song is boringly inaudible irrespective of how brilliantly Kunal tried to overcome the poor works of the lyricist and the musicians.
Rating: 3.5/10

(9) Rak Rak Rak (Gayatri Iyer, Kunal and Shankar Mahadevan)
"Rak Rak Rak" appears as the last track of the album. The hot 'n' spicy singing of Gayatri Iyer adds some extra to the song whilst Shankar and Kunal croon with impressive vocals too. The song has some meaningful lyrics and SEL do well with their trademark style of fast beats.
Rating: 7.5/10

Overall: Using different composers together has emerged as a new trend in the market and it somehow creates magic as can be seen in this soundtrack of Rudraksh, which is laced with some experimental efforts and showcases much variety. SEL, Vishal-Shekhar and Shashi Pritam all have put their minds together to score a chart-busting music and deserve huge applauds for their brilliant efforts.
Overall Rating: 8.5/10

REVIEWED BY GOHER IQBAL PUNN