Blue sees Rahman offering his massiest sound in quite some time, but – as always – with enough cues that denote his going the extra step, even within the commercial limitations. Rehnuma is perhaps the best example – starting with a compelling bluesy base, it takes on a dazzling James Bond theme tone soon! Aaj dil and Fiqrana are instantly likeable – the ones that expose a surprising layer every day; they tread conventional patterns, but still hold free-flowing phrases that one unravels rather reluctantly, given our need for symmetry! Bhoola tujhe is sedentary and routine, despite the neat orchestral nuances that Rahman adds thoughtfully. Yaar mila tha is Rahman doing a full-on masala track; but he does deviate, remarkably, in the antara! As for Chiggy Wiggy, this could have been any recent composer in Hindi and from that perspective it is rather distracting – but the track, particularly Sonu Nigam’s vivacious taming-of-Kylie bhangra portion, is addictive! The unexpected winner of this soundtrack is the hyper-energetic Punjabi blast in the Blue Theme, complete with a bouncy orchestration, incredible vocals by 6 singers and that minor, but startling ‘Bi-loo’ call! Blue is not path-breaking; but it is a thoroughly enjoyable, beautifully orchestrated soundtrack.
Keywords: Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan, A. R. Rahman
