#21 Dev.D: Top 100 Bollywood Albums

Music: Amit Trivedi 

Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya

Label: T-Series

Director: Anurag Kashyap

Whenever I listen to the music from Dev.D, my mind goes back to this amazingly foresighted post by singer Shriram Iyer on OM The Fusion Band's Orkut page, way back in 2007. Om was of course, the early 2000s band that Amit Trivedi was part of. Apart from Amit and Shriram, two more members of the band switched to Bollywood subsequently – Amartya Rahut, guitarist-composer of the band (the man composed songs for the recently released Tu Hai Mera Sunday), and lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya. While technical delays prevented it from becoming Trivedi's first released work (that honour went to Aamir, where too the composer's fresh approach received critical acclaim), it was indeed Dev.D – Anurag Kashyap's contemporised take on the Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay classic – that made the composer the talk of the town, like Shriram predicted. Dev.D's eighteen songs featured a mindboggling variety of genres, irreverently tongue-in-cheek lyrics and non-mainstream singing voices (including the composer's own), constituting what rates as one of the most experimental soundtracks to have ever come out in Hindi film music.

Best Song of Dev.D: Among the many unconventional voices Amit Trivedi tried out in Dev.D was Tochi Raina, a singer with whom he went on to produce a bunch of oustanding songs in subsequent years. Pardesi remains the best in that set though – a folk melody set to a trippy, ambient backdrop that sees some excellent use of sitar and bass (upright bass, perhaps). Shellee's Haryanvi-tinged lyrics were delivered to perfection by Tochi, and Anurag Kashyap created a splendidly choreographed video to suit the whole vibe. 

1. Emosanal Attayachar (Singers: BandMaster Rangeela and Rasila)
2. Duniya (Singer: Amit Trivedi)
3. Nayan Tarse (Singer: Amit Trivedi)
4. Pardesi  (Singer: Tochi Raina, Lyrics: Shellee)
5. Saali Khushi (Singer: Amit Trivedi)
6. Paayaliya (Singer, Lyricist: Shruti Pathak)
7. Mahi Mennu (Singer: Labh Janjua, Lyrics: Shellee)
8. Aankh Micholi (Singer: Amit Trivedi)
9. Yahin Meri Zindagi (Singer: Aditi Singh Sharma)
10. Dhol Yaar Dhol (Singer: Shipla Rao and Kshitij Tarey, Lyrics: Shellee)
11. Ek Hulchul Si (Singer: Joi Barua)
12. Hikknaal (Singer: Labh Janjua, Lyrics: Shellee)
13. Dil Mein Jaagi (Singer, Lyricist: Anusha Mani)
14. Emosanal Attayachar (Rock Version) (Singer: Bonnie Chakraborty)
15. Ranjhana (Singers: Shilpa Rao and Kshitij Tarey, Lyrics: Shellee)
16. Mahi Mennu (Sad Version) (Singer: Labh Janjua, Lyrics: Shellee)
17. Dev-Chanda Theme 1 (Singers: Neuman Pinto and Bianca Gomez)
18. Dev-Chanda Theme 2 (instrumental)

Listen to Pardesi from Dev.D here: 

(With contributions by Praveen VR, co-founder of musicaloud.com)

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