Dharma Productions' 'Kurbaan' is among the much awaited movies of this year, especially for its theme and its dream casting of Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor. The film, which is directed by Rensil D'Silva, is not a conventional love story, hence, its music cannot be conventional. Composers Salim Suliaman and lyricist Niranjan Iyengar have collaborated brilliantly in this album to give us music which is unconventional and haunting. This is an album which will call for repeated hearing only because of the different sound of its music. Salim Sulaiman, all due credit to them, have not fallen into the trap of trying to make their music commercial or taken to catering to any kind of populist fad, The music Of 'Kurbaan' is authentic and passionate.
The album which has five original numbers and one remix, begins with a number called ' Shukran Allah' which has been sung by Salim Merchant, Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal. This is probably the perfect opening for the album as this is a number which is steeped in romance and melody. Sonu is perfect for this song and he gives an impeccable rendition. Shreya joins the proceedings a little later and with the three of them, what we have is a number which is definitely way above your typical, romantic ditty.
The second number, 'Dua Hai', promises a lot because it sees Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher coming together to create a number which sees a fusion of many elements like sufi, pop and rock. Sukhwinder and Kailash kind of set the stage on fire with their renditions and that too in a wonderful manner in which their energies combine, so distinct and yet so similar. Marianna D'Cruz chips in with the English portions. But the song truly belongs to the Kher and Sukhwinder.
The third song in the album, 'Ali Maula', has Salim going solo with a very pensive number. It is devotional to a degree, but it would be more true to say that it is a song which is more like a conversation between God and his devotee. The lyrics are really powerful and have been penned by Irfan Siddique. This song seems to have been tailor made for Salim, whose voice has just the right amount of angst to carry the emotion of 'Ali Maula' through. This number also appears in a remix format.
This next number is a real gem. 'Rasiya' sung by Shruti Pathak is one of a kind. It is a slow, romantic track with a strong undercurrent of sensuality running through it. The trick is to keep the balance right and Shruti does just that and makes it an almost sublime experience. She pitches her voice just right for this softly sung number and easily travels the route of Indian classical, specially in the manner in which she pitches the word, 'Rasiya'. One cannot think of anyone else who could have so got into the soul of this number as this young singer does. This is definitely one of the highlights of this album.
The last song on this album, 'Kurbaan Hua', has been sung by Vishal Dadlani and signals a change in the serious, pensive mood of the earlier numbers. There is a lot of energy in this number, which so typical of Vishal. This number is the title track of the movie and has its moorings in the rock genre. Vishal really raises the bar with his energetic rendition and gives the album a fitting conclusion.
The music of 'Kurbaan' would definitely be counted as being among the highlights of Salim Sulaiman's career as composers. The composers have taken recourse to originality in this album and that accounts for the authentic sound of 'Kurbaan'. The highlight of the album would definitely be 'Rasiya' and 'Shukran Allah,' but this is not to put down the other numbers. Each number that Salim Suliman have composed for this film, has a power of its own. But the beguiling power of 'Rasiya' and the opening number is too overpowering. In all, an album which definitely calls for repeated hearing.
