Slumdog Millionaire – OST
Slumdog Millionaire OST
On the back of four Golden Globes wins, 11 BAFTA nods and another 10 Oscar nominations, Slumdog Millionaire is far and away going to be one of the biggest films of this year.
So unsurprisingly, a movie of this magnitude has to have a soundtrack to support it – to even colour some of the scenes. On the task is renowned Indian composer A. R. Rahman, prominent composer and musician of Bollywood fame.
Released on M.I.A’s N.E.E.T record label, the Londoner figures as a prominent voice on the record and, apparently, ‘Paper Planes’ was a request of director, Danny Boyle. On the soundtrack, Rahman blends traditional Indian instrumentals and grand melodies with distinctive hip hop beats, plus a touch of electronica thrown in the mix now and then.
As would be expected, the only recognisable track on the album is M.I.A’s ‘Paper Planes’, a song with connotations of wealth that so aptly fit the story. Nominated itself for a Grammy, the track is good, but the DFA remix that is tacked on may split opinion. With the gunshot effect removed, it feels like some of the edge has taken out of the song, replaced with a cheery piano line on top.
The soundtrack leads off with ‘O…Saya’, a song effortlessly mixing M.I.A hip hop-styling with more traditional Indian beats. From what I understand, this track drives the beginning scene of the movie. This is what the majority of the record sounds like. Almost every single song sounds crafted to perfectly fit its companion scene. It is not exactly surprising when considering Rahman’s Bollywood background in music-heavy films. The formula works perfectly throughout the soundtrack, with ‘Mausam and Escape’ and ‘Riots’ summing up action just in their rhythm.
The most traditionally influenced tracks are ‘Ring Ringa’ and ‘Jai Ho’. Both are thickly layered to provide a wholesome song, but Alka Yagnik’s vocals on the former provide the sweet to the otherwise bitter feel of the track, resulting in a brilliant example of how Rahman originally made his name. The weakest point of the soundtrack is perhaps ‘Dreams on Fire’, an over-the-top, soppy song that feels a little too formulaic in comparison to the rest of the album. But, this slight drop is more than made up for with ‘Liquid Dance’, a staggering combination of scat singing from India, mixed with a heavy dose of strings and a DJ’s decks. The vocals are cut up and layered to create an awe-inspiring trance-like effect.
It seems Danny Boyle hasn’t put a foot wrong with this movie, as A. R. Rahman has created yet another wonder in Slumdog Millionaire’s soundtrack.
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