Madholal - Keep Walking 2010 Music Review

Movie: Madholal - Keep 2010 Walking Music Review

Nope, there aren't any expectations that one carries from the music of Madholal Keep Walking. Belonging to art house cinema, neither is this film a musical by any means nor has music being projected as any of the highlights here. Also, it doesn't even have music as a talking point in the bare minimum promotion which is happening around it. No wonder, one barely manages to play on this album which has music by Nayab Raja with Saani Aslam as the lyricist.

'Naina Lage' is a song which appears in three versions right from the beginning till the end of the album. First to come is 'Madholal's Theme' where Bhupinder Singh lends his vocals. A semi-classical track, 'Naina Lage' has a sad undertone to it. While it narrates the tale of the protagonist who is waiting for someone special, it only turns out to be a sad outing, both for him as well as the listener, with an all around depressing show.

Same holds true for the 'Wife's Theme' as well as the 'Daughter's Theme', the second and the third version of 'Naina Lage' respectively, where Parveena and Mitali Singh come behind the mike. One doesn't expect a feel good atmosphere in each and every song which is churned out in Bollywood. However, in the times when composers make an extra effort to make even a sad number easy on ears and catchy, a track like 'Naina Lage' doesn't make you long to hear it again.

As indicated in the title words itself, the song 'Falsafa Yeh Zindagi Ka' takes a philosophical route. With an old fashioned feel to it, this Altaf Raja sung track could well have been composed a decade or two back. Yet again, it is the lack of freshness which makes 'Falsafa...' totally passé. A song about every man living for his own rather than worrying much about the world around him, 'Falsafa...' is in line with the theme of the film.

Next to come is 'Khuda Ke Vaste' and compared to the other numbers in the album, this one still makes for a reasonably catchy outing. A 'qawalli' by Aslam Sabri, 'Khuda Ke Vaste' is about bridging distances and uniting for the sake of peace and togetherness. Of course, there isn't anything spectacularly phenomenal about this track but when compared to what one has heard so far, this one still manages to hold your interest till the very end at the least.

However, it is back to dull times with 'Yeh Dharti' which only sinks you further in depression. While the song touches upon the goodies that this earth has to provide with references to 'dharti', 'nadiyan' and 'pahaad', it only ends up seeming like a call for preservation more than anything else. A song that bores for those four minutes that it plays; 'Yeh Dharti' has Raja behind the mike who doesn't do much to salvage one's interest.

Surprisingly, there is a rock number that looks at rounding up Madholal Keep Walking which hasn't provided anything so far that could have elevated the proceedings. Even the title song here doesn't succeed in doing so even as Raja Hassan tries to get into a rock mood. Written by guest lyricist Sahil Fatehpuri, this title song of Madholal Keep Walking seems like a last minute addition to fill in the space as a theme track. However, the end result doesn't leave you with the sense of having gained something.