Raazi is the soundtrack album to the 2018 film of the same name directed by Meghna Gulzar and produced by Dharma Productions and Junglee Pictures, starring Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal. The film's musical score is composed by ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy and lyrics written by Gulzar.
As with Meghna's previous film Talvar (2015), the film featured four songs composed by the trio, which was comparatively less than their previous compositions which had more than five songs. All the songs were curated in an organic manner, with the lyrics being written first and the tunes later. They further utilized traditional instruments, staying authentic to the influences of Kashmiri music.
The soundtrack was released under the Zee Music Company label on 19 April 2018 to positive reviews from critics, with the use of minimal numbers in the narrative, instrumentation and soundscape being complimented and Gulzar's lyrics attracted high praise. The album further won two awards each at the Filmfare, International Indian Film Academy, News18 and Zee Cine Awards, as well as three Screen Awards and a Mirchi Music Award for Lyricist of The Year to Gulzar.
ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy composed the musical score and soundtrack to Raazi in their first collaboration with Meghna Gulzar. The album had four songs composed by the trio, comparatively less to their previous films which had more than five to six songs, as "Raazi is not the kind of film that can be packed with songs", according to Ehsaan Noorani, who further added: "[Meghna Gulzar] is true to her film and its script, and will not include a song unless it is absolutely necessary. We could have created a six-song album out of which two would not have been used in the movie, but that would have been a waste." Shankar Mahadevan added that all the songs were composed straight from the heart.
Raazi is set in Kashmir and Pakistan occupied Kashmir which had strong music influences and used in the soundscape of the film. Shankar Mahadevan added that "melodically, the scales that we used had Afghani and Middle-Eastern influences. That's evident in the title track sung by Arijit Singh and Dilbaro, which starts with a Kashmiri folk song." The trio used rabab and Afghani and Kashmiri instruments such as udu pots, hand drums and frame drums; these instruments were earlier used for Mission Kashmir. They also refrained the use of electronic instruments, despite the popularity of electronic dance music during late-2010s.
The song "Ae Watan" was demanded crucial to the story, whereas the title track "Raazi" takes the story forward; Gulzar stated that he wanted "Ae Watan" to become the song of the nation, adding "It speaks for all of us and it speaks without any prejudice. People keep asking what nationalism is all about. Well, one can define nationalism through this song." The composition of "Ae Watan" began first with lyrics, which Gulzar had written first, before the entire track was curated, as the song dictated the melody. All the songs were curated in the organic manner.
The trio composed "Ae Watan" in Gulzar's living room and completed within five minutes, though the portion "Lab Pe Aati Hai Dua" written by Islamic philosopher and poet Muhammad Iqbal, was used later onwards by Gulzar, it was included seamlessly so that "people from both sides of the border can sing it. That is the beauty of it â there is no prejudice of the border in this song. The film might be based on a historical incident, but it does not promote any kind of prejudice or bias."
The song "Dilbaro" is a traditional number, which had influences from Kashmiri folk, which according to Gulzar, reflected the theme of the film. A particular line in the song, "ungli pakad ke tune chalna sikhaya tha na, dehleez unchi hai yeh paar kara de" (), according to Mahadevan, "can apply to any song based on bidaai ()" but in the film's context, "you are talking about a daughter whose father is sending her as an Indian spy to Pakistan. She gets married and crosses the border, not just as a bride, but also as a spy. She tells her father, âÂÂThis dehleez () is too high for me, please help me crossâÂÂ. What a way to interpret two distinct thoughts in the same vein."
The soundtrack was released through Zee Music Company on 11 April 2018.
Vipin Nair of The Hindu described the album as "a gem of a soundtrack". Debarati Sen of The Times of India wrote: "the 18-minute-long soundtrack of Raazi, is a medley of tunes and is a must for music lovers and Gulzar fans." Devesh Sharma of Filmfare rated four out of five, and summarized it as "a short, sweet album well in keeping with the filmâÂÂs theme and makes an effective comeback for [ShankarâÂÂEhsaanâÂÂLoy]." Devarsi Ghosh of Scroll.in stated "RaaziâÂÂs soundtrack is not the sound and the fury one would expect from a collaboration between Gulzar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. Despite appearing to be a utilitarian soundtrack for a thriller with minimal space for songs, it does have its moments."
Suanshu Khurana of The Indian Express rated three out of five and wrote: "itâÂÂs a brilliant effort. But one wishes it had more songs sand more Kashmiri influences. Buy it for Raazi, and its beautiful contours." Devansh Sharma of Firstpost summarized that "While Arijit and SunidhiâÂÂs âÂÂAe Watanâ goes all out in its patriotic overtone, songs like âÂÂDilbaroâ and âÂÂRaaziâ look at the film through a micro lens." Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog said "For their total absence in 2017, Shankar Ehsaan Loy deliver a rich, thematic soundtrack to open 2018."