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Barfi! (soundtrack)

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Barfi!
Soundtrack cover
Soundtrack album by
Pritam
Released9 August 2012
Recorded2012
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length38:52
LanguageHindi
LabelSony Music India
ProducerRonnie Screwvala
Pritam chronology
Cocktail
(2012) 		Barfi!
(2012) 		Rush
(2012)

Barfi! is the soundtrack album for the 2012 Hindi film of the same name. The music and original score is composed by Pritam and featured lyrics written by Swanand Kirkire, Ashish Pandit, Neelesh Misra and Sayeed Quadri. The film is directed by Anurag Basu and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures, starring Ranbir Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, and Ileana D'Cruz in the lead roles. The film marks Pritam's third collaboration with Basu after Gangster (2006) and Life in a... Metro (2007). The album was under-development, when the film was in post-production stage and was completed only by early-August 2012. All the tracks in the film expresses the feelings of Kapoor's character.[1]

The original soundtrack consisted of ten tunes (six original songs and four alternative renditions of the tracks), also including a promotional single which was not included in the film. It was released on 9 August 2012 by the Sony Music India label and received highly positive reviews from critics and audiences.[2] Due to its critical and commercial reception, the album was hailed by music critics as "one of the best Bollywood albums of the year and decade".[3] It was a recipient of several awards and nominations, including two Filmfare Awards, four IIFA Awards, three Screen Awards, an Asian Film Award, a Times of India Film Award and a Producers Guild Film Award.

Production

[edit]

The soundtrack album consisted of ten tunes – six original songs and four alternative tunes composed for three original tracks: "Ala Barfi", "Aashiyan" and "Phir Le Aya Dil"; the versions consisted of a reprised, redux and solo rendition. The soundtrack was influenced by Brazilian Bossa nova.[4] One of the lead actors, Priyanka Chopra was supposed to sing a track for the film, but her contract with Universal Music prevented her from taking the offer.[5] The album consisted of minimalistic use of instruments in the songs and score (mostly cellos and violins),[6] due to the setting and treatment of the storyline.[7] The soundtrack was conceptualised, when the film was under post-production stage and was ready by early-August 2012. The film only featured few lip-synced songs as they are placed according to the situation and the characters: Barfi (Ranbir Kapoor) and Jhilmil (Chopra) were deaf and mute.[8]

The titular track "Ala Barfi" is a fun-filled number which explores the theme of the film.[9][10] Kapoor recommended Mohit Chauhan to sing the title track of the film, after he received praise for the singing in the A. R. Rahman-composition "Sadda Haq" for Rockstar (2011), which was a chartbuster. He further stated that "Mohit babajee (Mohit Chauhan) has sung the title song Ala Barfi and I am very happy. A singer generally doesn't get the credit for the importance he brings to the career of an actor [...] But if you look at late singers Mohd Rafi, Mukeshji and Kishore Kumar, they used to add a lot to an actor's career."[citation needed]

The ghazal track "Phir Le Aya Dil" consisted of three versions sung individually by Rekha Bhardwaj, Arijit Singh and Shafqat Amanat Ali, based on the moods of the characters.[11] Manish Gaekwad of Scroll.in opined that "The songs are not categorised as happy or sad. Instead, for an age in which songs are remixed, reprised and reduxed, each of the versions has a distinctly new flavour. The ghazal blurs the line between the two polarised states of mind, finding a meeting point to coexist as one. It makes us happy and sad, both at the same time."[11] The musical theme composed for the film, by Pritam, is inspired from the background score from the French film Amélie (2001).[12][13]

Marketing

[edit]

The songs "Ala Barfi", "Main Kya Karoon" and "Kyon" were launched earlier prior to the official album release.[7] On 9 August 2012, UTV Motion Pictures, the film's production company, released the audio under the exclusive license from Sony Music India.[14] The songs were made available to streaming on the digital platforms and were released through audio CDs, few days later.[15] In an attempt to promote the music album, the musical team led by Pritam and the cast and crew, hosted mini-concerts across India.[16] The event that started from 31 August 2012 at Mumbai, continued to be held on Kolkata, Bangalore and Delhi during 1, 3 and 5 September.[16]

The soundtrack album also contains a song titled "Fatafati", sung by Pritam Chakraborty, Arijit Singh and Nakash Aziz, which was not used in the film, but the song was released as a promotional single on YouTube on 10 September 2012 with a video which contains some behind-the-scenes footage and the additional vocals are sung by Ranbir Kapoor.[17][18] The song also has some Bengali lyrics written by Amitabh Bhattacharya.[19] News18-based critic had stated that the shooting of "Fatafati" reminds of the viral Tamil song "Why This Kolaveri Di".[18]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Ala Barfi"Swanand KirkireMohit Chauhan5:19
2."Main Kya Karoon"Ashish PanditNikhil Paul George4:30
3."Phir Le Aya Dil"Sayeed QuadriRekha Bhardwaj5:05
4."Kyon"Neelesh MisraPapon, Sunidhi Chauhan4:26
5."Aashiyan"Swanand KirkireShreya Ghoshal, Nikhil Paul George3:56
6."Saawali Si Raat"Swanand KirkireArijit Singh5:08
7."Ala Barfi" (Reprise)Swanand KirkireSwanand Kirkire5:41
8."Phir Le Aya Dil" (Reprise)Sayeed QuadriArijit Singh4:45
9."Phir Le Aya Dil" (Redux)Sayeed QuadriShafqat Amanat Ali5:03
10."Aashiyan" (Solo)Swanand KirkireNikhil Paul George4:08
11."Fataafati"Amitabh BhattacharyaArijit Singh, Nakash Aziz, Pritam Chakraborty, Ranbir Kapoor3:46

Release history

[edit]
Region Date Format(s) Version Catalogue code Label Ref.
Worldwide 9 August 2012
Standard N/A Sony Music India [14]
India 23 August 2012 CD Standard 88725 47438 2 [15]
7 January 2013 Repress [20]
United Kingdom 17 December 2012 Vinyl Standard DADC000379 [21]

Reception

[edit]

Critical review

[edit]

Barfi!'s soundtrack received positive reviews by critics. Hindustan Times-based critic rated the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and stated that "the soundtrack is a joyride sans flaws". It further wrote "Pritam has given many hits, but like his tunes in Life in a... Metro, this one will be remembered for breaking the monotony in his sound. There are no foot-tapping numbers or remixes here, but the simplicity that makes this album a winner."[22] Joginder Tuteja of Bollywood Hungama rated the album 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated "Barfi!'s soundtrack is quite good and is easily one of the best quality creations by Pritam. He has totally reinvented himself with this album which defies Bollywood norms and boasts of a sound of its own. However the biggest challenge lies in the fact that the album has hit the stands really late in the day. What further distinguishes the album from other 'ready to serve' chartbuster scores is the fact that it carries its own distinct (and very good) sound that requires time to grow and register itself with the audience."[23]

Indiatimes-based critic Anand Vaishnav wrote "Like Kapoor's Rockstar, Barfi too is a high-quality album. But while Rockstar's music wowed us with its complexity and layered sound, Barfi's strength lies in its subtlety and simplicity [...] And though initially, the music may come across as a bit inaccessible, in terms of its sound and flavor; every song feels like it's a part of the story."[24] Jaspreet Pandohar, in his review for BBC, stated with a verdict: "The creative arrangements and beautiful lyrics make for a standout soundtrack which is an easy listening fit for both world cinema and music-loving audiences".[25] Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog said "Much like his earlier combo with Anurag Basu in Life in a Metro, Pritam delivers a whopper, again!"[26] Vipin Nair of Music Aloud gave 9/10 to the album saying it as "the best soundtrack of Pritam, who has been in good form this year".[27]

Commercial response

[edit]

The commercial response to the album led to feature in several year-end and decade-end lists regarding the "Best Bollywood Albums". In 2017, Film Companion listed the album in the 57th position regarding the Top 100 Bollywood Albums,[28] and also listed in the 6th position, in the 10 Best Hindi Film Albums of the Decade.[29] Akshay Manwani of Firstpost too hailed it as one of the Best Hindi Film Albums of the Decade; calling it as a "delectable treat", he further wrote " Music composer Pritam, though, merits the biggest pat on the back as he imbues every composition in Barfi! with feeling, a quality sorely lacking in so many contemporary film albums".[30] On the special edition released on World Music Day (21 June 2021), Devesh Sharma of Filmfare who wrote for the column, titled "World Music Day Special: Best Bollywood albums of last decade" included Barfi! as one of the list.[31] Tatsam Mukherjee's column for Huffington Post about "Top 20 Bollywood Albums Since 2000" (ranked in non-chronological order) listed the album.[32]

"Main Kya Karoon" was listed in the Top 10 Bollywood Songs of 2012, by The Times of India.[33] "Ala Barfi" was listed in India Today's Chartbusters 2012, where it was featured in one among the 25 Bollywood songs.[34] All the tracks in Barfi! were featured in the Top 100 Bollywood Songs of the Decade by Mumbai Live.[35] "Aashiyan" and "Kyon" from the album, were listed as one among the Best of Hindi Film Music in 2012 (in #2 and #13), by Milliblog, which further included the album in the second-most position.[36] Four of the tracks from the album were featured in Music Aloud Playback – Top 25 of 2012 in Hindi film music.[37] The album in its entirety topped the first position in iTunes upon its release.[38] A report from Ormax Media, had included the album along with Ae Dil Hai Mushkil and Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani among the Top 10 Best Bollywood Albums of the decade.[39][a]

Accolades

[edit]
Award[b] Date of ceremony[c] Category Recipient(s) and nominee(s) Result Ref.
Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Awards[d] 16 February 2013 Best Music Director Pritam Chakraborty Nominated [42]
[43]
Best Lyricist Sayeed Quadri (for song "Phir Le Aya Dil") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Nikhil Paul George (for song "Main Kya Karoon") Nominated
Best Sound Mixing Debajit Changmai Won
Asian Film Awards 18 March 2013 Best Composer Pritam Chakraborty Won [44]
BIG Star Entertainment Awards 31 December 2012 Most Entertaining Music Pritam Chakraborty Nominated [45]
Most Entertaining Singer – Male Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Filmfare Awards 20 January 2013 Best Music Director Pritam Chakraborty Won [46]
[47]
Best Background Score Won
Best Lyricist Swanand Kirkire (for song "Aashiyaan") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Nikhil Paul George (for song "Main Kya Karoon") Nominated
IIFA Awards 6 July 2013 Best Music Director Pritam Chakraborty Won [48]
[49]
[50]
Best Lyricist Sayeed Quadri (for song "Phir Le Aya Dil (Reprise)") Nominated
Swanand Kirkire (for song "Aashiyan (Solo)" & "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Nikhil Paul George (for song "Main Kya Karoon" & "Aashiyan") Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer Rekha Bhardwaj (for song "Phir Le Aya Dil") Nominated
Shreya Ghoshal (for song "Aashiyan (Duet)") Nominated
Best Sound Design Shajith Koyeri Won
Best Sound Recording Eric Pillai Won
Best Mixing Debajit Changmai Won
Best Background Score Pritam Chakraborty Won
Mirchi Music Awards 7 February 2013 Album of the Year Barfi! Nominated [51]
Music Composer of the Year Pritam Chakraborty (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Pritam Chakraborty (for song "Phir Le Aya Dil") Nominated
Lyricist of the Year Neelesh Misra (for song "Kyon") Nominated
Upcoming Male Vocalist of the Year Nikhil Paul George (for song "Main Kya Karoon") Nominated
Nikhil Paul George (for song "Aashiyan") Nominated
Arijit Singh (for the song "Phir Le Aya Dil") Nominated
Technical Programmer and Arranger of the Year Jim Satya, DJ Phukan Nominated
Technical Background Score of the Year Pritam Chakraborty Nominated
Screen Awards 12 January 2013 Best Music Director Pritam Chakraborty Won [52]
[53]
[54]
Best Background Music Won
Most Popular Music Won
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Nikhil Paul George (for song "Main Kya Karoon") Nominated
Best Lyricist Swanand Kirkire (for song "Aashiyaan") Nominated
Best Story Anurag Basu, Tani Basu Nominated
Best Screenplay Nominated
Best Sound Design Shajith Koyeri Nominated
Stardust Awards 26 January 2013 New Musical Sensation Singer – Male Nikhil Paul George (for song "Main Kya Karoon") Nominated [55]
[56]
Papon (for song "Kyon") Nominated
Times of India Film Awards 6 April 2013 Best Music Director Pritam Chakraborty Nominated [57]
[58]
Best Lyricist Swanand Kirkire (for song "Aashiyan") Nominated
Best Playback Singer – Male Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Nikhil Paul George (for song "Aashiyan") Nominated
Best Playback Singer – Female Shreya Ghoshal (for song "Aashiyan") Nominated
Best Background Score Pritam Chakraborty Won
Zee Cine Awards 7 January 2013 Best Music Director Pritam Chakraborty Nominated [59]
[60]
[61]
Best Lyricist Neelesh Misra (for song "Kyon") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Both films had Ranbir Kapoor playing the leading role
  2. ^ Awards, festivals and organisations are in alphabetical order.
  3. ^ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
  4. ^ Also known as Star Guild Awards.[40][41]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "'Barfi!' songs express Ranbir's character's feelings". News18. 12 August 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Anupama Chopra's review: Barfi". Hindustan Times. 15 September 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  3. ^ Nair, Vipin (30 December 2019). "Bollywood music: A decade of highs and lows". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. ^ Holla, Anand. "On Record – Yum this Barfi!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 11 April 2013. Retrieved 11 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Why did Priyanka Chopra refuse to sing for 'Barfi!'?". NDTV. 7 August 2012. Archived from the original on 14 September 2015. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Review: Don't miss 'Barfi!'s magic for anything". DNA India. Archived from the original on 16 December 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Barfi!: Welcome back, Pritam Chakraborty". News18. 3 August 2012. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  8. ^ Chopra, Anupama (16 October 2017). "Pritam Interview On His Process Of Creating Music". Film Companion.
  9. ^ "5 reasons why we still love Barfi!". filmfare.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  10. ^ "From Barfi, Jalebi Bai to Garam Chai Bollywood Songs Inspired by Street Food". PINKVILLA. 4 August 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  11. ^ a b Gaekwad, Manish (30 July 2016). "What has changed in the emotional landscape of the happy-sad song in Hindi film music?". Scroll.in. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  12. ^ "'Barfi': The thin line between inspiration and plagiarism". CNN-IBN. 27 September 2013. Archived from the original on 20 November 2012. Retrieved 28 December 2012.
  13. ^ "Barfi's soundtrack is just like French film, Amelie, in the trailer". Firstpost. 7 July 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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  15. ^ a b Pritam – Barfi! (2012, CD), retrieved 7 January 2022
  16. ^ a b "Barfi!: The team of 'Brafi!' to start music concerts - Times of India". The Times of India. 6 September 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Barfi mania: Ranbir Kapoor turns singer with Fatafati!". India Today. 11 September 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  18. ^ a b "Barfi: What the f*** is 'Fatafati'?". News18. 13 September 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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  21. ^ Pritam – Barfi! (2012, Vinyl), retrieved 7 January 2022
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  26. ^ "Barfi (Music review), Hindi – Pritam by Milliblog!". 10 August 2012. Archived from the original on 18 July 2017. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
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  28. ^ Nair, Vipin (7 November 2017). "Top 100 Bollywood Albums". Film Companion.
  29. ^ Ghosh, Sankhayan (16 December 2019). "The 10 Best Hindi Film Albums of the Decade". Film Companion.
  30. ^ "Best Hindi film albums of this decade, from Gully Boy, AR Rahman's Rockstar to Amit Trivedi's Manmarziyaan". Firstpost. 22 December 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  31. ^ "World Music Day Special: Best Bollywood albums of last decade". filmfare.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  32. ^ "The 20 Best Hindi Film Albums Since 2000, Ranked". HuffPost. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  33. ^ "Top 10 Bollywood songs of 2012 - Times of India". The Times of India. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  34. ^ "Chartbusters of 2012". India Today. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  35. ^ "Top 100 Bollywood Songs of the Decade (2010-2019)". Mumbai Live. 21 December 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  36. ^ "Milliblog Annual Music round-up 2012 by Milliblog!". 16 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  37. ^ "Music Aloud Playback – Top 25 of 2012". Music Aloud. 26 December 2012. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  38. ^ "Barfi! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". www.top-charts.com. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  39. ^ "Music Composer Pritam Gets 3 Albums Listed In The Top 10 Best Of The Decade". Koimoi. 31 January 2020. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  40. ^ "Watch: Was Salman Khan joking or just being rude?". CNN-IBN. 29 March 2013. Archived from the original on 5 August 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  41. ^ "Tata Elxsi Bags Awards". Box Office India. 2 April 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  42. ^ "8th Apsara Awards Nominations". Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  43. ^ "8th Apsara Awards Winners". Apsara Film & Television Producers Guild Award. Archived from the original on 30 September 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  44. ^ "Asian Film Awards: Nawazuddin wins Best Supporting Actor". CNN-IBN. 19 March 2013. Archived from the original on 20 December 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  45. ^ "Big Star Entertainment Awards 2012". Big Star Entertainment Awards. 31 December 2012. STAR India.
  46. ^ "58th Idea Filmfare Awards nominations are here!". Filmfare. 13 January 2013. Archived from the original on 27 December 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  47. ^ "Winners of 58th Idea Filmfare Awards 2012". Bollywood Hungama. 20 January 2013. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 21 January 2013.
  48. ^ "Nominations for IIFA Awards 2013". Bollywood Hungama. 22 April 2013. Archived from the original on 25 April 2013. Retrieved 8 May 2013.
  49. ^ "Winners of IIFA Awards 2013". Bollywood Hungama. 7 July 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  50. ^ "IIFA 2013 Technical Awards Winners". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  51. ^ "Mirchi Music Awards Hindi 2012 nominations". The Times of India. 7 February 2013. Retrieved 8 February 2013.
  52. ^ "Nominations: 19th Annual Colors Screen Awards". Bollywood Hungama. 2 January 2013. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  53. ^ "Winner's of 19th Annual Colors Screen Awards". Bollywood Hungama. 12 January 2013. Archived from the original on 25 September 2013. Retrieved 13 January 2013.
  54. ^ "Screen Awards 2013: Hall of Fame". The Indian Express. 18 January 2013. Retrieved 10 June 2015.
  55. ^ "Nominations for Stardust Awards 2013". Bollywood Hungama. 21 January 2013. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  56. ^ "Winners of Stardust Awards 2013". Bollywood Hungama. 28 January 2013. Archived from the original on 31 January 2013. Retrieved 28 January 2013.
  57. ^ "TOIFA 2013 nominations". The Times of India. 8 February 2013. Archived from the original on 8 April 2015. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  58. ^ "TOIFA 2013 Winners: Barfi! Wins Top Honors". Times Internet. 8 April 2013. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  59. ^ "Nominations for Zee Cine Awards 2013". Bollywood Hungama. 29 December 2012. Archived from the original on 2 January 2013. Retrieved 4 January 2013.
  60. ^ "Winners of Zee Cine Awards 2013". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 27 December 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  61. ^ "Zee Cine Awards 2013". Zee Cine Awards. 7 January 2013. Zee Entertainment Enterprises.
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