Music Review: Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!

Coming to theatres near you in the first week of April is Detective Byomkesh Bakshy!, a crime thriller set in the 1940s featuring the fictional Indian detective Byomkesh Bakshy. Set against the backdrop of the a Calcutta (now Kolkata) torn by WWII, Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is pitted against an evil genius with the support of nothing but his wits and instinct. Produced by Dibakar Banerjee and Aditya Chopra, and directed by Banerjee, the film stars Sushant Singh Rajput as the titular character of Byomkesh Bakshy. Supporting Rajput in this endeavour is Anand Tiwari as Ajit Bandyopadhyay, the sidekick of Bakshy, Swastika Mukherjee, and Divya Menon.

The soundtrack of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy! is quite unique as it is almost entirely made up of songs composed by Indian Indie bands. Most of these bands are unknown to the usual Bollywood fans, but they are quite reputable in the indie circuits. The very talented Sneha Khanwalkar is the main composer who worked with these bands all over the country. Banerjee and Khanwalkar have managed to bring Indie music to the Bollywood scene, a feat unheard till now. We, at BollyCurry, decided to check out this new combination of Indie with Bollywood and here is our review!

 

The album opens with the song "Calcutta Kiss", a foot tapping swing jazz track. Imaad Shah and Saba Azad, also known as Madboy-Mink, recreated their song "Taste Your Kiss" from their album All Ball into "Calcutta Kiss". This duo is not just the composer and singer, but also wrote the lyrics of the song. The music is quite fast paced and energizing and we definitely won't be surprised if the song soon becomes a favorite among party goers. The lyrics are quirky and Azad's refreshing voice makes this song one of the best in the album.

 

The second song in this album is "Bach Ke Bakshy". Penned and composed by Sneha Khanwalkar and Dibakar Banerjee, this fast paced song is actually a narration of the murder that takes place in the film. The singers of this song are Gowri Jayakumar, Big Deal, Thomson Andrews, and Trevor with a rap by Smokey the Ghosht and Craz Professa. While this song does not win any points right away, it does grow on you after a while!

 

Third in line is the song "Byomkesh in Love". Composed by alternative rock band Blek, this song is a lot slower than the aforementioned songs, but has its own charm. The song is an interesting Indo-Western fusion piece featuring classical Hindi female vocals intermixed with a more westernized male sound. The overall effect of this unique fusion makes for an interesting listen. The lyricist is Rishi Bradoo, a member of Blek, while the song is sung by Rishi and Anil Bradoo, and Usri Banerjee.

 

"Jaanam" is the next song in this album, which happens to be quite similar to "Calcutta Kiss". Composed by the Delhi based psychedelic rock band Peter Cat Recording Co. (PCRC), the song is sung and penned by the vocalist of the band, Suryakant Sawhney. This song is recreated from PCRC's track with English lyrics "Pariquel" from their album Sinema. While the music is quite lively and cheerful, don't let it fool you! The lyrics are fairly deep and it might take a few listens to decipher the metaphoric meaning. This song may not be a hit among party buffs, but it will join many playlists across the country for its breezy music.

 

Fifth in the list is the song "Chase in Chinatown", another recreation of the alternative music track, "andov.a". The makers of this track, Mode AKA, a Bangalore based electronica band, took their creations "andov.a" and "Chick.n" and recreated "Chase in Chinatown". Voiced by members of the band, Vyshnav Balasubramaniam, Sandeep Madhavan, and Manas Ullas and penned by Madhavan, this fast paced song is sure to become a part of DJ mixes and party playlists!

 

The second to last song in this album is "Life's a Bitch". Released as a background score for the first trailer of the movie, this track has already garnered positive attention from the audiences. Composed by a popular Delhi based nu-metal band Joint Family, the song has been penned and sung by the main vocalist of the band, Akshay De. The lyrics are something that the younger generation would connect to, and the music definitely strikes a chord. In other words, this is a song that has the potential to rule the charts for a while!

 

The last song in this album is "Yang Guang Lives", which has been composed, written, and sung by IJA. Out of all the bands mentioned till now, IJA is the least known and the song is also the least enjoyable. Its slow pace and subtle lyrics won't endear it much to the Bollywood crowd, especially those who would enjoy the stylings of above six songs. It does pick up its pace a little bit, but compared to the others, this is the weakest song in the album with not much to offer.

 

While the soundtrack of Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is quite different from the usual Bollywood fare, we surely enjoyed the auditory journey to a totally different acoustic world. The album does a fabulous job at introducing us all to the vast and ever-growing indie music scene in India. The album definitely deserves a 3.5 out of 5 stars for its freshness and its brave attempt to provide the listeners with a new music style.

Detective Byomkesh Bakshy is releasing on the 3rd of April at your nearest theatres. If you are a lover of film noir or movies based on novels, or simply a fan of Sushant Singh Rajput, then don't forget to watch the movie. Till then, check out the songs of this album and let us know what you think! Do remember that BollyCurry loves to hear from you!

 

Writer: Kalpana K.C.

Editor (s): Ritchelle C. and Gunia K.

Graphics: Komal P