Barfi! (soundtrack)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Barfi!
Feature film soundtrack
Length38:52
LanguageHindi
LabelSony Music India
ProducerRonnie Screwvala
Pritam chronology
Cocktail
(2012)
Barfi!
(2012)
Rush
(2012)

Barfi! is the

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

.

Production

The soundtrack album consisted of ten tunes – six original songs and four alternative tunes composed for three original tracks: "Ala Barfi", "Aashiyan" and "

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."[11]

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.[12] 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."[12] The musical theme composed for the film, by Pritam, is inspired from the background score from the French film Amélie (2001).[13][14]

Marketing

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.[15] The songs were made available to streaming on the digital platforms and were released through audio CDs, few days later.[16] In an attempt to promote the music album, the musical team led by Pritam and the cast and crew, hosted mini-concerts across India.[17] 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.[17]

The soundtrack album also contains a song titled "Fatafati", sung by

News18-based critic had stated that the shooting of "Fatafati" reminds of the viral Tamil song "Why This Kolaveri Di".[19]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Ala Barfi"
Pritam Chakraborty, Ranbir Kapoor
3:46

Release history

Region Date Format(s) Version Catalogue code Label Ref.
Worldwide 9 August 2012 Standard N/A Sony Music India [15]
India 23 August 2012 CD Standard 88725 47438 2 [16]
7 January 2013 Repress [21]
United Kingdom 17 December 2012 Vinyl Standard DADC000379 [22]

Reception

Critical review

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."[23] Shivi of Koimoi gave the album 4.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "Barfi! is excellent music on all counts. Very rarely does one get to hear an album where you can hear a complete soundtrack without skipping tracks; this is one of them."[24] 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."[25]

Suparna Thombare of

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."[27] Indiaglitz gave 4 out of 5 stars to the album, saying "Pritam is sure to win awards galore with `Barfi' the combinations are unique and impeccable it's a sure shot winner."[28] 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".[29] Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog said "Much like his earlier combo with Anurag Basu in Life in a Metro, Pritam delivers a whopper, again!"[30] 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".[31]

Commercial response

The commercial response to the album led to feature in several year-end and decade-end lists regarding the "Best Bollywood Albums". In 2017,

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.[35] Tatsam Mukherjee's column for Huffington Post about "Top 20 Bollywood Albums Since 2000" (ranked in non-chronological order) listed the album.[36]

"Main Kya Karoon" was listed in the Top 10 Bollywood Songs of 2012, by The Times of India.[37] "Ala Barfi" was listed in India Today's Chartbusters 2012, where it was featured in one among the 25 Bollywood songs.[38] All the tracks in Barfi! were featured in the Top 100 Bollywood Songs of the Decade by Mumbai Live.[39] "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.[40] Four of the tracks from the album were featured in Music Aloud Playback – Top 25 of 2012 in Hindi film music.[41] The album in its entirety topped the first position in iTunes upon its release.[42] 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.[43][a]

Accolades

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 [46]
[47]
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 [48]
BIG Star Entertainment Awards 31 December 2012 Most Entertaining Music
Pritam Chakraborty
Nominated [49]
Most Entertaining Singer – Male Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated
Filmfare Awards 20 January 2013 Best Music Director
Pritam Chakraborty
Won [50]
[51]
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 [52]
[53]
[54]
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 [55]
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 [56]
[57]
[58]
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 [59]
[60]
Papon
(for song "Kyon")
Nominated
Times of India Film Awards
6 April 2013 Best Music Director
Pritam Chakraborty
Nominated [61]
[62]
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 [63]
[64]
[65]
Best Lyricist Neelesh Misra (for song "Kyon") Nominated
Best Male Playback Singer Mohit Chauhan (for song "Ala Barfi") Nominated

Notes

  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.[44][45]

References

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  3. ISSN 0971-751X
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External links