The Ginny Weds Sunny soundtrack is a lot like Mithoon’s album for Khuda Haafiz, which was released in August. The composers are neither breaking new ground nor embarrassing themselves while trying to pull off something as basic as a Hindi rom-com album with a smattering of Punjabi.
Directed by Puneet Khanna, the movie stars Yami Gautam and Vikrant Massey. Singer Payal Dev is credited with composing three songs. Two of these are older hits reworked, which are such fun that you wish Tanishk Bagchi would retire.
LOL is the name of the wedding song inspired by the Punjabi folk tune Jind Maahi, which gave us Teri Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (Suhaag, 1979) and Paape Pyaar Karke (Pyaar Ke Side Effects, 2006). LOL is a fine study in how to let a tune do the talking and calm down on the production. But that feat needs good tunes in the first place.
Payal Dev also reworks Mika Singh’s 1990s hit Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag. Singh has created another version for the upcoming Indoo Ki Jawani. Dev’s take is better. She plants the tune on a pulsating beat, but mindfully eschews sonic stunts. For a change, Neha Kakkar doesn’t make you reach for the skip button.
The best part about Dev’s recreations is that the bits she composed are almost as good as the hooks she has borrowed. Dev had previously composed the melodramatic but excellent torch song Tum Hi Aana in Marjaavaan (2019). Dev reunites with lyricist Kunaal Vermaa and singer Jubin Nautiyal for the similarly pathos-packed Phir Chala.
The one song that’s the least bit ambitious is Gaurav Chatterji’s Phoonk Phoonk. He smoothly merges a Punjabi wedding song with sufi rock. Chatterji’s melody never sags throughout this mostly cheerful number, which is melancholic for a while before returning to base. The crisp production could fool someone into thinking this is a Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy product.
Rubaru is composed by Jaan Nissar Lone. It deals with the heartache of estranged lovers, but is never cloyingly sentimental like the sort of stuff you hear in Vishesh Films productions. It kicks off like a John Mayer song. You hope Nikhil D’Souza will start singing around a campfire. When Khan’s folksy voice appears and eases into these heartland blues, it’s a pleasant surprise.