Yash Raj Music, Rs 160
It is with Taxi No 9-2-1-1 (early 2006) that Vishal-Shekhar really took an upward creative leap. Since then they have maintained a more-or-less steady graph with major assignments like Ta Ra Rum Pum, Cash and Om Shanti Om.
Tashan spells another upward leap, and at the risk of sounding almost blasphemous, I would dare say that compositionally the songs match their work in the popular OSO. Eminently created for the movie’s subject, characters and situations, the music spells uniformity in calibre in the compositions and singing, even if the orchestration though decent is predictable (this is an area where Ta Ra Rum Pum and OSO scored).
The lyrics are written by multiple writers and Kausar Munir’s Falak tak chal saath mere and above all Vishal’s own Dil dance mare re would be the pick. The same two songs score overall as they are excellently composed (Falak tak has an ‘80s feel) and sung, especially Udit and Mahalakshmi in Falak tak chal. A word about Mahalakshmi - she is fast evolving into the finest singer we have on board currently.
Chhaliya and Dil haara are two other compositions that seemed painstakingly created. Only Tashan mein (Vishal-Saleem) has a ‘typically today’ feel but maybe the filming of the song will justify its preoccupation with sound.
For Yash Raj Films, it is also a “recovery” after the catastrophic score that was Aaja Nachle.