Animal Music Review: Sandeep Reddy Vanga Delivers Yet Another ‘Banger-Max-Pro’ Album, A Destined Blockbuster!

Animal Music Review Out! (Picture Credit: T-Series/Youtube)

Animal Music Review Rating: 4/5 (Four stars!)

Music Director(s): Pritam, Harshavardhan Rameshwar, JAM8, Jaani, Manan Bhardwaj, Shreyas Puranik, Vishal Mishra, Ashim Kemson

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With Kabir Singh, Sandeep Reddy Vanga set a musical standard that few can. Forget Hindi filmmakers; imagine a director coming from down South bringing a project that would be remembered not only for its treatment but the music as well. It is an achievement I feel only SRV has achieved to date. Has he repeated the same with Animal’s songs? Let’s analyze!

Animal Music Review – Hua Main

The moment I got done with this track, I realized this exists because Pritam went back to listen to Kabir Singh‘s album and thought, “How would I’ve done if I were a part of it!” And tada ‘Hua Yeh Gaana’ titled Hua Main. Pritam is listed as a singer with Raghav Chaitanya for this one, and my confused a** couldn’t crack if there were two voices.

They have either done so well to match each other that you wouldn’t be able to notice, or it’s a credit error. This is your routine breezy, chill-vibes sesh track because of its energy and the pumped-up music by Jam8 & Pritam. The lyrics by Manoj Muntashir roam around the garden of ‘Kaise Hua’ (FYI, same lyricist) and are pretty hummable. Also, listen to Freddy‘s Kaalaa Jaadu immediately after this song, and you’ll see how Pritam can reuse an almost similar vibe in two polar opposite tracks.

Animal Music Review – Man Satranga

If ‘Hua Main’ was Pritam getting inspired from Kabir Singh, this is Shreyas Puranik channeling her inner Pritam fan to compose a song that sounds straight out of Brahmastra. Siddharth-Garima goes on a poetic roller coaster ride, penning lines like “Jogi Main Aur Ganga Hai Yeh Ishq Re… Mann Maatam Aur Zinda Hai Yeh Ishq Re… Kyu Lahu Mein Hi Ranga Hai Yeh Ishq Re…” describing the contrasting shades of love of the couple.

Yes, the lyrics are good, but it’s Arijit Singh who makes this song what it is. The trademarked innocence he carries in his voice carries the simplicity of its words with all the grace. It starts with the typical Arijit Singh humming and continues to be one memorable track.

Animal Music Review – Papa Meri Jaan

Since the first teaser, many of us can’t stop raving about how electrifying the background score of the film is going to be. The one-man-show behind it is Harshavardhan Rameshwar, and remember his name because Animal will put him on the map like never before. HR has composed only one song in the album (along with the film’s background score), and he makes it stand out from the rest.

Sung by Sonu Nigam, a phrase that could describe Papa Meri Jaan is ‘hauntingly beautiful.’ I don’t know how to explain it, but this immediately took me back to the melancholic world of Sapna Jahan (Brothers), and much of it is because of Sonu’s voice, which passes through your broken soul. Though the lyrics by Raj Shekhar lie mainly in the ‘happy/aspirational’ zone, Harshavardhan’s music maintains the melancholy throughout.

Raj Shekhar is the person who has written three of the most heart-aching songs which won’t make to any ‘Best Tearjerkers Of Bollywood’ list but will always remain my favorite: Yun Hi (Tanu Weds Manu), Jaane De (Qarib Qarib Singlle) and Ratti Ratti Reza Reza (Meenakshi Sundareshwar). Here, too, he has followed his style of keeping the words simple with the intention of having maximum emotional impact.

Harshavardhan Rameshwar has joined the prestigious league of AR Rahman, Pritam, with this song. While listening, notice how the composer uses the theme in three different styles. As a whistle (Davy Suresh Kumar) in the start, as a female choir post the first stanza, and using a solo violin (Sandilya Pisapati) after the second stanza. He then uses all three together, backed with an orchestra at the last minute, ending it on an unimaginable high. Only masters can achieve this level of synchronization, and Harshavardhan Rameshwar is one of them.

Animal Music Review – Arjan Vailly

Presented as the ‘War Song’ of the film, you’ll need to understand the history of Arjan Vailly to connect with it. The ‘Vailly’ in the title translates to a violent person with little regard for the law. Arjan comes from Arjan Singh Nalva, a Sikh Soldier who backed the army in the Second Anglo-Sikh War, and this is a war cry dedicated to his bravery. Ranbir Kapoor’s character is named Arjun Singh and is said to take much from Arjan Singh’s life.

Bhupinder Babblal, known for his folklore performances in Mirza Sahiba and Kavishri, writes and performs this to justify the angst RK’s Arjun feels in the film. Manan Bhardwaj, the man behind songs like Shiddat (Title Track) & Aaj Ke Baad (Satyaprem Ki Katha), has composed Arjan Vailly, and it only exposes the boundaries his talent possesses.

Animal Music Review – Pehle Bhi Main

A song that sounds average compared to the rest of the album and still works, on the whole, has to be this one. This will individually get lost in the hoard of many gems this has, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad song per se. It sounds like Hua Main and this one had a competition to make it to the final album, but Sandeep Reddy Vanga thought it’s anyway a 3-hour-21-minute film, so why not include both?

The composition & the singing (Vishal Mishra), and the lyrics (Raj Shekhar) – all three don’t match up to the high standard set by other tracks, sounding like yet another song that got rejected from being in Kabir Singh’s final album. It would be interesting to see how both this & Hua Main are used in the film and whether they’ll be different situations to serve.

Animal Music Review – Kashmir

WOW! Shreya Ghoshal is a gift that would never stop giving. If you can lift a track without music with just your voice, it’s not the song you’re into; it’s the soul of your voice. This song is OUT-FCKIN-STANDING (Pardon my French). Manan Bhardwaj’s managing to make an impact in a song relying so heavily on Shreya is an achievement in itself.

As mentioned, there’s no background music during the entire song, and it’s just a serendipitous conversation between two lovers who want to escape from the chaos to find peace in Kashmir. The composition kind of reminded me of the way Piyush Mishra pictures Pakistan in Husna, albeit I missed a certain depth in Manan Bhardwaj’s lyrics. Don’t get me wrong, I’m all in for simplistic lyrics like the guy saying, “Le toh chalu main tujhko wahan pe (Kashmir), lekin wahan sardi badi hai” but then maintain the same range and don’t get all philosophical about drinking love from a ‘Neela Jharna.’ Apart from this single complaint, this song will surely stay and haunt me in my playlist for a long time.

Animal Music Review – Saari Duniya Jalaa Denge

The ‘money song’ of the film perfectly portrays the rage of Ranbir Kapoor’s Arjun of how he’ll burn the world down to ashes if anyone tries to mess with his father, and who could’ve been better than B Praak to showcase this emotion?

NO ONE gets B Praak better than Jaani, and they prove it again with this song. The soothing treatment of the BGM allows the singer to shine like never before, only accentuating his voice. The music shifts the gears at a time when the singer has already left a mark with the tone.

Again, a little history lesson about this one. Before anyone comes to you and tells you that this song is copied from Chitta (Shiddat) or the viral Tik-Tok track Lamberghini, share this wisdom with them. This tune was first commercialized by the legendary OP Nayyar With Mohammed Rafi and Asha Bhosale in the 1958 Madhubala film Phagun for the song Tum Rooth Ke Mat Jaana (1958).

Later, Jagjit & Chitra Singh used this for Punjabi Tappe – Kothe Te Aa Mahiya in 1979. Then Pakistani singer Musarrat Nazir memorialized this tune as a wedding folk song with Chitta Kukkar in 1987. After that, many singers have come up with their rendition; remember Atif Aslam’s “Kamre vich baari hai, tu mainu vekh leya, hun meri vaari ae”? Surprisingly, no one has converted this into a war-cry-kinda song, and that’s where this one excels.

Animal Music Review – Haiwaan

If you loved Kabir Singh’s songs, you might remember a beggar singing, “Dil todke na jaavi mutiyare ni, dil ae fakir jatt da… Vaade todke na jaavi mutiyare ni, dil ae fakir jatt da.” The name of that singer/actor is Ashim Kemson, who has now gotten a chance to own a solo, trippy song that will voice the ‘haiwaan,’ the animal in Ranbir Kapoor, and he completely kills it.

Ashim mixes the Punjabi folk music using Tumbi’s tune, mashing it up with the electronic beats, making it sound sick. The Punjabi lyrics will take some time to get on you, but the composition is addictive enough to groove on despite understanding what’s happening.

Animal Music Review: Last Word

All said and done, Animal is a ‘Banger-Pro-Max’ album whose songs will only get more significant after its release. It is an accomplished package balanced with romance, drama, and unmatched energy & everything a good set of headphones would only take up a notch.

Four Stars!