Ra.One (soundtrack)
Encyclopedia
Ra.One is the soundtrack album
, composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar
, to a 2011
Indian
science fiction film
Ra.One
, written and directed by Anubhav Sinha
, and starring Shahrukh Khan
, Kareena Kapoor
, Armaan Verma and Arjun Rampal
in the lead roles. It also stars Shahana Goswami
, Dalip Tahil
and Chinese-American actor Tom Wu in supporting roles, along with Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt
and Priyanka Chopra
making guest appearances. The film is jointly produced by Eros International and Khan's production company, Red Chillies Entertainment
, and was originally scheduled to release on June 3, 2011. However, due to extensive post-production work involving special effects and the 3D
conversion, its release was postponed, and saw a worldwide opening during the Diwali weekend
of October 26, 2011. The album features fifteen tracks, and was released on 12 September 2011 by T-Series.
whilst the lyrics were penned by Atahar Panchi, Vishal Dadlani and Kumaar. In addition to composing the film's soundtrack, the music directors brought together the 200-piece Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to record the film's background score, making Ra.One the first Bollywood film to have its score finalized in an overseas territory. They said, "Shahrukh and Anubhav wanted a particular sound and we have managed to bring it alive for [the film]."
Director Anubhav Sinha
announced that the soundtrack would also feature two songs recorded by Senegalese American
R&B singer Akon
. It is said that Shahrukh Khan
met the singer in New York
and became his "big fan", then he asked him to fly down to India to record a song for the film. Akon
arrived to Mumbai
in March, 2010 for two days to record both the songs Chammak Challo
and Criminal. Shahrukh Khan
, Kareena Kapoor
and Ra.One director Anubhav Sinha
held a press conference to declare the association of the Grammy award winning singer with the film. The song Chammak Challo was co-composed by Akon
himself and was recorded at the Yash Raj Studios. The makers of the film have complied with international copyright laws and have obtained the license to use Ben E. King
's song, "Stand By Me
", on which they have based the song "Dildaara".
The song Jiya Mora Ghabraaye was originally composed as an instrumental piece as a part of the background score, but due to great appreciation from the production team, it was eventually converted into an original track and added to the album. Music producer, Abhijit Vaghani stated: "Our mindset was in the zone of all superhero movies for the score (...) I've taken my engineers in my car along with a mike and recorded sounds from inside my car. The point of this was, one of the pieces, which was the 'chase' sequence was so loved by all that it eventually got converted into a track called 'Jiya Mora'. I also added the 'dub step' in the middle of the track. " Vaghani also revealed that they have created a Spanish piece which he has sung in as well, it consists of an interaction scene between the two people. They have also called a Spanish translator to come up with the lyrics. The piece however, was not included in the soundtrack.
Music rights was bought by T-Series for a record sum of .
The film's music launch took place in a huge set at Mumbai's Film City
where performances were seen by the film's music directors and cast members. The star studded event's telecast rights were sold to a TV channel for . Radio Mirchi
ran a contest through which it gave its listeners a chance to not only attend the music launch event but also meet the stars of the film.
The Tamil
version of the audio was released in Satyam Cinemas, Chennai
on 10 October, 2011. Shahrukh Khan
along with Mani Ratnam
, Suhasini Maniratnam, Santhosh Sivan, Soundarya Rajinikanth
and Abirami Ramanathan
were present in the occasion. The songs of the film have also been dubbed in Telugu. The lyrics for the tamil version have been penned by Vairamuthu
while the lyrics for the telugu version have been penned by Vanamali, Rajshri Sudhakar and Bhuvanachandra. Both the versions of the album have been met by a huge positive response from the audience in south India.
Due to the extremely positive response for the album, especially the song Chammak challo, Akon
decided to branch out and make tracks especially for Bollywood
projects and now wants to have a dedicated branch to into producing music for Bollywood with local talent
.
gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, concluding: "Ra.One has brilliancy written all over it and is clearly a huge winner all the way. It isn't just the grandest score of the year but is also one of the hugest ever that has come out of Bollywood. Music here not just meets the huge expectations but also surpasses it at various junctures, hence making it a satiating experience for the listener. A definite choice of the season." Accrording to Devesh Sharma from Filmfare
, who gave the music a rating of 5 stars from 5, the album is "worth every penny!" further adding: "A truly international album for a truly international film. The orchestration, programming and vocals fuse together to make it a truly world class album. Vishal-Shekhar
have raised the bar and Ra.One would be a tough act to follow, not only for them but for others as well." Indo-Asian News Service
rated the album favourably and said: "To cut a long story short, the album delivers big-time as composer duo Vishal-Shekhar pack a killer punch. Ra.One, therefore, lives up to expectations and perhaps even surpasses some. It's more than worth it, it's a winner all the way." The Times of India
gave it a thumbs up and added: "The album of the film lives up to the expectations, thanks to composers Vishal-Shekhar for packing a musical punch for the sci-fi movie. The album is worth buying and offers some interesting and entertaining tracks. Kudos to the music composers!" Vivek Warrier from Koimoi.com gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said: "The music of Ra.One has all the elements to make it a commercial hit. Obviously, director Anubhav Sinha and the music composer duo of Vishal-Shekhar have applied their minds and skill to understand what works for the audience. Hence not only are the songs almost flawless, even the mastering of the song has been amazingly done." . The Hindustan Times
gave the album 3.5 stars from 5 and elaborating: "Shahrukh Khan
's RA.One has been generating curiosity since beginning and expectations have been high from its music as well. The album of the film lives up to the expectations, thanks to composers Vishal-Shekhar for packing a musical punch for the sci-fi movie (..) On the whole the album is worth buying and offers some interesting and entertaining tracks. Kudos to the music composers!" Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com
gave it 3.5 stars and noted: "Vishal-Shekhar eventually succeed in emulating that all-important larger-than-life appeal. There's no denying this. Ra.One, with all its pomp and pizzazz, is a thoroughly enjoyable soundtrack. It's grand. It's great. It's, well, give it a shot."
Soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television program. In some cases, not all the tracks from the movie are included in the album; however there are rare cases of songs in the trailers that do not appear in...
, composed by the duo Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar are a music directing duo for Hindi films and are among the leading music directors in the industry today...
, to a 2011
Bollywood films of 2011
A list of films produced by the Bollywood film industry based in Mumbai to be released in 2011. The year 2010 has numerous films in production to be released in 2011 and beyond, as well as films that have announced release dates but have yet to begin filming. Some films in production do not have...
Indian
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
science fiction film
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
Ra.One
Ra.One
Ra.One is a 2011 Indian science fiction superhero film written and directed by Anubhav Sinha. The film features Shahrukh Khan in dual roles, and also stars Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma and Arjun Rampal in the lead...
, written and directed by Anubhav Sinha
Anubhav Sinha
Anubhav Sinha is an Indian film director known for his work in Tum Bin and Shahrukh Khan starrer Ra.One.-Biography:...
, and starring Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
, Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
, Armaan Verma and Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal
Arjun Rampal , born 26 November 1972, is an award-winning Indian actor who appears in Bollywood films, as well as a fashion model.- Film career :...
in the lead roles. It also stars Shahana Goswami
Shahana Goswami
Shahana Goswami is an Indian actress who works in Bollywood films.-Career:Shahana had a single-minded focus on professional acting since childhood. She moved to Mumbai to complete her graduation and to explore the possibility of taking up acting as a career. In Mumbai, her first steps in acting...
, Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil
Dalip Tahil is an Indian film, television and theatre actor. He did his schooling from the elite Sherwood College in Nainital, India and later graduated from Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.-Films:...
and Chinese-American actor Tom Wu in supporting roles, along with Rajinikanth, Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is an Indian Hindi film actor and politician. Dutt, son of Hindi film actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt, made his acting debut in 1981.-Personal life:...
and Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress and former Miss World. Before starting her acting career, she worked as a model and gained fame after winning the Miss World title in 2000. She is often referred to by the nickname "Piggy Chops", which was given to her by co-stars on the set of the film...
making guest appearances. The film is jointly produced by Eros International and Khan's production company, Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment
Red Chillies Entertainment is an Indian motion picture production and distribution company, based in Mumbai. The company was founded in 2002 by Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan and his wife Gauri Khan...
, and was originally scheduled to release on June 3, 2011. However, due to extensive post-production work involving special effects and the 3D
Stereoscopy
Stereoscopy refers to a technique for creating or enhancing the illusion of depth in an image by presenting two offset images separately to the left and right eye of the viewer. Both of these 2-D offset images are then combined in the brain to give the perception of 3-D depth...
conversion, its release was postponed, and saw a worldwide opening during the Diwali weekend
Diwali
Diwali or DeepavaliThe name of the festival in various regional languages include:, , , , , , , , , , , , , popularly known as the "festival of lights," is a festival celebrated between mid-October and mid-December for different reasons...
of October 26, 2011. The album features fifteen tracks, and was released on 12 September 2011 by T-Series.
Production
The soundtrack of Ra.One was composed by Vishal-ShekharVishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar are a music directing duo for Hindi films and are among the leading music directors in the industry today...
whilst the lyrics were penned by Atahar Panchi, Vishal Dadlani and Kumaar. In addition to composing the film's soundtrack, the music directors brought together the 200-piece Prague Philharmonic Orchestra to record the film's background score, making Ra.One the first Bollywood film to have its score finalized in an overseas territory. They said, "Shahrukh and Anubhav wanted a particular sound and we have managed to bring it alive for [the film]."
Director Anubhav Sinha
Anubhav Sinha
Anubhav Sinha is an Indian film director known for his work in Tum Bin and Shahrukh Khan starrer Ra.One.-Biography:...
announced that the soundtrack would also feature two songs recorded by Senegalese American
Senegalese American
A Senegalese American is an American of Senegalese descent or a Senegalese who has American citizenship. In surveys of 2007, some 9,624 people claimed Senegalese descent in the United States.-History:...
R&B singer Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
. It is said that Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
met the singer in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and became his "big fan", then he asked him to fly down to India to record a song for the film. Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
arrived to Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
in March, 2010 for two days to record both the songs Chammak Challo
Chammak Challo
Chammak Challo is a song composed by musical director duo Vishal-Shekhar as a part of the soundtrack for the 2011 Bollywood film Ra.One. The song, along with the rest of the soundtrack, was officially released on September 12, 2011. However, the song faced controversy when the rough version was...
and Criminal. Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
, Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor , often informally referred to as Bebo, is an Indian actress who appears in Bollywood films. During her career, Kapoor has received six Filmfare Awards, among nine nominations, and has been noted for her performances in a range of film genres; these include her work from contemporary...
and Ra.One director Anubhav Sinha
Anubhav Sinha
Anubhav Sinha is an Indian film director known for his work in Tum Bin and Shahrukh Khan starrer Ra.One.-Biography:...
held a press conference to declare the association of the Grammy award winning singer with the film. The song Chammak Challo was co-composed by Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
himself and was recorded at the Yash Raj Studios. The makers of the film have complied with international copyright laws and have obtained the license to use Ben E. King
Ben E. King
Benjamin Earl King , better known as Ben E. King, is an American soul singer. He is perhaps best known as the singer and co-composer of "Stand by Me", a U.S...
's song, "Stand By Me
Stand by Me (song)
"Stand by Me" is the title of a song originally performed by Ben E. King and written by King, Jerry Leiber, and Mike Stoller, based on the spiritual "Lord Stand by Me,", plus two lines rooted in Psalms 46:2-3...
", on which they have based the song "Dildaara".
The song Jiya Mora Ghabraaye was originally composed as an instrumental piece as a part of the background score, but due to great appreciation from the production team, it was eventually converted into an original track and added to the album. Music producer, Abhijit Vaghani stated: "Our mindset was in the zone of all superhero movies for the score (...) I've taken my engineers in my car along with a mike and recorded sounds from inside my car. The point of this was, one of the pieces, which was the 'chase' sequence was so loved by all that it eventually got converted into a track called 'Jiya Mora'. I also added the 'dub step' in the middle of the track. " Vaghani also revealed that they have created a Spanish piece which he has sung in as well, it consists of an interaction scene between the two people. They have also called a Spanish translator to come up with the lyrics. The piece however, was not included in the soundtrack.
Music rights was bought by T-Series for a record sum of .
Release
The soundtrack was heavily promoted pre-release. Originally scheduled to release on 12 September 2011, the film's entire music album was leaked online two days earlier. Four months prior to this, the rough version of "Chammak Challo" was leaked on the internet in May 2011. In August, T-Series sent a legal notice to a jewellery brand for illegally using the unreleased song at the India International Jewellery Week 2011, asking for a compensation of 2 crore.The film's music launch took place in a huge set at Mumbai's Film City
Film City
Film City is an integrated film studio complex situated near Sanjay Gandhi National Park at Goregaon, Mumbai in India. It has several recording rooms, gardens, lakes, theatres and grounds that serve as the venue of many Bollywood film shootings. It was built by the state government to provide...
where performances were seen by the film's music directors and cast members. The star studded event's telecast rights were sold to a TV channel for . Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi
Radio Mirchi is a nationwide network of private FM radio stations in India. It is owned by the Entertainment Network India Ltd , which is one of the subsidiaries of The Times Group....
ran a contest through which it gave its listeners a chance to not only attend the music launch event but also meet the stars of the film.
The Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
version of the audio was released in Satyam Cinemas, Chennai
Chennai
Chennai , formerly known as Madras or Madarasapatinam , is the capital city of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, located on the Coromandel Coast off the Bay of Bengal. Chennai is the fourth most populous metropolitan area and the sixth most populous city in India...
on 10 October, 2011. Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
along with Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam
Mani Ratnam is an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter and producer. He made his directorial debut with the Kannada film Pallavi Anu Pallavi starring Anil Kapoor in 1983...
, Suhasini Maniratnam, Santhosh Sivan, Soundarya Rajinikanth
Soundarya Rajinikanth
Soundarya Rajinikanth Ashwin is a film graphic designer, producer and director in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India who has contributed in several Tamil films. Soundarya Rajinikanth is most popularly known for her work in Anbe Aaruyire...
and Abirami Ramanathan
Abirami ramanathan
Abirami Ramanathan is an exhibitor and distributor of films in India.- External links :* http://www.abirami.in/aboutus.html* http://abirami.in...
were present in the occasion. The songs of the film have also been dubbed in Telugu. The lyrics for the tamil version have been penned by Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu
Vairamuthu Ramaswamy Thevar is an award-winning Tamil poet and lyricist.Debuting in the film Nizhalgal with the lyrics for the song "Ponmalai Pozhudhu", he has now about 5800 songs to his credit as of January 2009. His partnership with the composers Ilaiyaraaja, and later A. R...
while the lyrics for the telugu version have been penned by Vanamali, Rajshri Sudhakar and Bhuvanachandra. Both the versions of the album have been met by a huge positive response from the audience in south India.
Due to the extremely positive response for the album, especially the song Chammak challo, Akon
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Thiam, better known as simply Akon , is a Senegalese American R&B recording artist and songwriter.According to Forbes, Akon grossed $21 million in 2010, $20 million in 2009 and $12 million in 2008. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of "Locked Up", the first...
decided to branch out and make tracks especially for Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
projects and now wants to have a dedicated branch to into producing music for Bollywood with local talent
Music of India
The music of India includes multiple varieties of folk, popular, pop, classical music and R&B. India's classical music tradition, including Carnatic and Hindustani music, has a history spanning millennia and developed over several eras. It remains fundamental to the lives of Indians today as...
.
Reception
Critical reception
Upon release, the album was met by overwhelmingly positive reviews from critics. Joginder Tuteja from Bollywood HungamaBollywood Hungama
Bollywood Hungama is a leading Bollywood entertainment website, owned by hungama.com....
gave it 4.5 out of 5 stars, concluding: "Ra.One has brilliancy written all over it and is clearly a huge winner all the way. It isn't just the grandest score of the year but is also one of the hugest ever that has come out of Bollywood. Music here not just meets the huge expectations but also surpasses it at various junctures, hence making it a satiating experience for the listener. A definite choice of the season." Accrording to Devesh Sharma from Filmfare
Filmfare
Filmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
, who gave the music a rating of 5 stars from 5, the album is "worth every penny!" further adding: "A truly international album for a truly international film. The orchestration, programming and vocals fuse together to make it a truly world class album. Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar
Vishal-Shekhar are a music directing duo for Hindi films and are among the leading music directors in the industry today...
have raised the bar and Ra.One would be a tough act to follow, not only for them but for others as well." Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service
Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is India's largest private news agency. The IANS is run by a group of professional journalists.The IANS was founded by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the India Abroad News Service. It was later renamed the Indo-Asian News Service...
rated the album favourably and said: "To cut a long story short, the album delivers big-time as composer duo Vishal-Shekhar pack a killer punch. Ra.One, therefore, lives up to expectations and perhaps even surpasses some. It's more than worth it, it's a winner all the way." The Times of India
The Times of India
The Times of India is an Indian English-language daily newspaper. TOI has the largest circulation among all English-language newspaper in the world, across all formats . It is owned and managed by Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd...
gave it a thumbs up and added: "The album of the film lives up to the expectations, thanks to composers Vishal-Shekhar for packing a musical punch for the sci-fi movie. The album is worth buying and offers some interesting and entertaining tracks. Kudos to the music composers!" Vivek Warrier from Koimoi.com gave it 4 out of 5 stars and said: "The music of Ra.One has all the elements to make it a commercial hit. Obviously, director Anubhav Sinha and the music composer duo of Vishal-Shekhar have applied their minds and skill to understand what works for the audience. Hence not only are the songs almost flawless, even the mastering of the song has been amazingly done." . The Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times
Hindustan Times is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded in 1924 with roots in the Indian independence movement of the period ....
gave the album 3.5 stars from 5 and elaborating: "Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan
Shahrukh Khan , often credited as Shah Rukh Khan, is an Indian film actor, as well as a film producer and television host. Often referred to as "the King of Bollywood", Khan has acted in over 70 Hindi films....
's RA.One has been generating curiosity since beginning and expectations have been high from its music as well. The album of the film lives up to the expectations, thanks to composers Vishal-Shekhar for packing a musical punch for the sci-fi movie (..) On the whole the album is worth buying and offers some interesting and entertaining tracks. Kudos to the music composers!" Sukanya Verma from Rediff.com
Rediff.com
Rediff.com India is a news, information, entertainment, and shopping portal. It was founded in 1996 as "Rediff On The NeT" and is headquartered in Mumbai, India with offices in New Delhi and New York City, USA....
gave it 3.5 stars and noted: "Vishal-Shekhar eventually succeed in emulating that all-important larger-than-life appeal. There's no denying this. Ra.One, with all its pomp and pizzazz, is a thoroughly enjoyable soundtrack. It's grand. It's great. It's, well, give it a shot."
Track listing
Album charts
| iTunes World Album Charts (2011) |
Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australia | 4 |
| Canada | 5 |
| Germany | 1 |
| New Zealand | 10 |
| United Kingdom | 1 |
| United States of America | 5 |