Bhootnath, which is directed by Vivek Sharma, promises to be a treat for kids, what with Amitabh Bachchan playing the bhoot in the movie. The superstar lends his voice as well to two of the songs in the film, and they definitely are the highlight of the film's music album. The music of the film, which has been composed by Vishal Shekar, keeps its target audience the kids in mind for the most part. It would be a little too easy to compare the film's music with Aamir Khan's Taare Zameen Par, whose lyrics (Prasoon Joshi) and music (Shankar Ehsaan Loy) have created a kind of standard for films about and for children. The team of Vishal Shekhar and Javed Akhtar have done a marvelous job with the lyrics and music of the film as well.
The album begins with 'Mere Buddy' sung by Amitabh Bachchan and Armaan Mallik. The song is extremely catchy and both vocalists do a very good job of conveying the playful mood of the song. The voice to watch out for is definitely that of the Big B. He manages to steal the attention in this song as well as he goes and renders a song which has a few rap elements in it as well. Armaan Mallik gives him good company in this song. He has a melodious voice and catches on to the fun element in the song superbly. The song occurs twice in the album.
'Hum To Hain Aandhi' sung by Koushtuv Ghosh, Aparna Bhagwat, Sharwan Suresh and Sneha Suresh is an out and out children song. It is almost like an anthem for kids. The kids who have sung the song, have done so with gusto and a lot of 'josh.' The song has the kids describing themselves and the havoc that they are able to wreck. A word here for the lyricist, Akhtar, who has captured the world of children wonderfully in this number.
With Banku Bhaiyya, the songs of the film shift in focus from kids to the world of adults, one of who one presumes is Banku Bhaiyya. The song is sung by Sukhwinder Singh, who manages to impart a rustic feeling to the song. The song has been very cleverly written. It goes ahead to extol, in an exaggerated fashion, the virtues of Banku Bhaiyya. Sukhwinder captures the mood of the song very well and gives it just that light rustic touch. His full-throated style of singing goes well with the song.
Sukhwinder makes his second appearance in the album with the song 'Samay Ka Pahiya' where he keeps singer Hariharan company. It is an interesting duet as the composers manage to create a contrast with the soft, velvety, polished vocals of Hariharan set against the rustic, slightly rougher voice of Sukhwinder. The song marks a shift from the earlier light hearted songs that went before. It is a more emotional song, with a philosophic touch imparted to it by the lyricist. Hariharan does full justice to the song as he is able to convey the emotional sub text of the song excellently without making it sound maudlin. The music for this piece is wonderful. It is not the kind of song which will be noticed much because of its slow movement and serious tone, but it is definitely an exquisite song composed by Vishal Shekhar. The closing bars are excellent, as they impart a dramatic element to the song.
The Big B comes together with Juhi Chawla to sing a very touching song, 'Chalo Jaane Do.' This is probably the second gem of this album. But one is sure that its fate will be brighter than "Samay' because of the Big B factor, and also because of its simplicity. 'Chalo Jaane Do' is a slow song, and both the Big B and actress Juhi Chawla pitch in for a duet. It is a simple composition with hardly any frills and the two actors manage to negotiate the notes very well indeed. Juhi's voice is as sweet as her screen persona and she does her bit very well indeed. There is not much that needs to be said about the Big B's voice. He can work magic with it and he does that with this song as well. The simple music, and the meaningful lyrics go a long way in making this the best number of this album. The album ends with the Bhootnath theme music, which has been has the right amount of mystery and eerie feeling to it without going overboard.
