There was no more powerful movie
soundtrack in 2008 than that of "Slumdog
Millionaire" - a fact which made itself clear during last
weekend's Academy Awards. Nominated for three Oscars - two for
best original song and one for best original score - this was
the music that stole the show Sunday in front of a global
audience. And it was the music that helped make "Slumdog"
such an awesome, visceral experience.
In the movie's opening montage, as we jump from the TV set
of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" to the slums of
Mumbai, we hear the cascading drum beats of "O Saya,"
which was performed Sunday evening. It's a thumping,
pulsating, sweeping score - a piece of music that is both
exotic, exciting and focused on pushing the action forward.
Much the same can be said for "Paper Planes," the
hit song by rapper MIA that is used twice in the movie, and
"Jai Ho," the rousing final number from the film
that finds the cast dancing in synch - straight out of a
Bollywood epic.
This is exciting music. It's rich in flavor, texture and
variety. In fact, sitting down recently to flip through the
complete "Slumdog Millionaire" soundtrack, I was
struck by the sheer variety of the sound coming from the
speakers. "O Saya" is heavy with drums and chanting,
"Jai Ho" more sweeping with elongated notes and
melodies.
"Latika's Theme," which is the central romantic
mantra of the film, is soothing and somber. "Mausam &
Escape" uses the sattar like I've never heard before,
shifting from a sweet ballad to a thundering, ominous,
bass-heavy theme, used as kids are being chased by thugs in
India. There's also "Liquid Dance," an explosion of
poppy songs and groovy base lines that is at once catchy and
cryptic.
The music has been composed by A.R. Rahman, a Bollywood
legend who is now finally receiving a proper introduction to
Western audiences. He sings on many of the tracks - it's his
voice on "Jai Ho" singing words of praise - but I
was most astonished by the variety he has brought to the film
as a whole.
Rahman has said in previous interviews that he was well
aware of the ways in which director Danny Boyle uses music in
his films - very prominently, and from a wide diversity of
composers. To that end, Rahman focused on approaching each and
every musical cue as if it was being written by someone
different.
The resulting mosaic of sounds and beats and harmonies
leaves the movie crackling with energy and variety. If most
movies have a standard sound - a familiar refrain - then
"Slumdog Millionaire" has six or seven sounds that
denote the various chapters in the lives of its characters. It's
overflowing with musical ideas and themes, and I would contend
that without this brilliance in the atmosphere, something
about "Slumdog" might have felt flat and lethargic.
We've seen stories like this before: Poor kid gets his big
chance to win the girl - the underdog rules supreme. But just
as Boyle gave this movie a look we had never seen before, so
did Rahman give it a soundscape unlike anything we've ever
heard before. This movie is a sensory explosion, one that
screams out to be seen in a darkened movie theater. And so it
should be little surprise that the soundtrack to this year's
best picture is also one of the year's best.
E-mail: SnyderReviews@hotmail.com
'Slumdog Millionaire' Soundtrack
4 stars
Composed by: A.R. Rahman
