Namaste Bombay – A Musical Tribute to Hindi Cinema

Award-winning composer, producer and performer Kuljit Bhamra pays tribute to the music of his childhood, that is, Indian film music before that industry came to be disparagingly dubbed Bollywood. This album is the first project of its kind and the first filmi album unrelated to a film and produced exclusively in the UK. Bhamra largely succeeds in reviving authentic music as it used to be when musicians and singers performed together for a recording which conveyed a unique energy and chemistry of its own. It was also a time when lyrics were memorably incisive and meaningful and melody was king, carried by a full orchestra as opposed to pre-recorded beats and loops. Indian film music was always devised for larger-than-life visualisations set in scenic locations with the music conveying its own drama for the big screen and in the pre-home video days, it was not unusual for audiences to see a film again and again, solely for its songs. Conceived during the pandemic, this double album features a total of 38 tracks of original compositions and lyrics with various UK-based vocalists and instrumentalists. Sadly, neither of the two lyricists to whom the album is dedicated – Preet Nihal and Nasir Faraaz – survived to hear the final recordings. Ranging from light-hearted romantic duets and playful dance numbers to soulful solos that encapsulate the pain of separation from a loved one, it’s all about reviving the feel and overall textural energy of film music as it used to be, as opposed to sound-alike numbers of old film favourites lifted from computer templates. The songs are all very much in keeping with the multifarious musical influences – traditional strings alongside jazz, Latin beats and rock riffs – that have given Indian film music a timeless quality through several generations of fans.