The music of Vasan Bala’s Monica, O My Darling has a vibe of its own, instantly transporting us to a fun, wacky world. There’s a song for every mood, composed by Achint Thakkar and written by Achint and lyricist-writer-poet-stand-up comedian Varun Grover. While the film’s original soundtrack is undeniably refreshing, the comedy it evokes alongside the sequences makes it even more special. Vasan Bala’s Mard Ko Dard Nahin Hota also had similar elements. Achint had earlier created the theme track of Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story and is also the man behind the soundtrack of the SonyLIV series Rocket Boys.
Here are the six tracks from Monica, O My Darling that have pushed Vasan Bala’s narrative several notches higher.
Yeh ek zindagi
Music: Achint Thakkar and Mikey McCleary
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Singer: Anupama Chakraborty Shrivastava
Yeh ek zindagi has a vintage ’70s feel to it. It’s also an ode to the time when a cabaret number was common in Bollywood films. We love Huma Qureshi’s Monica celebrating her zest (Yeh ek zindagi kaafi nahin hai) for life, with men swooning over her. The chorus bit of Humein bata de kahaan se aayi, Kahaan ko jaayegi, O Monica takes us back to Sridevi’s Chaalbaaz chartbuster Na jaane kahaan se aayi hai, Na jaane kahaan ko jaayegi.
Love you so much (I want to kill you)
Music and Lyrics: Achint Thakkar
Singer: Sarita Vaz
You need to watch it to believe how this song is picturised with Rajkummar Rao and Huma Qureshi in an intense confrontation. The otherwise grim scenario appears funny because of the hilarious lyrics that go — He like my Insta story, He like all my post, But when I am coming in front of him, He treats me like a ghost — reflecting the vain nature of relationships. The closest you can draw a parallel to this unusual track is to Delhi Belly’s I hate you, like I love you.
Suno jaanejaan
Music: Achint Thakkar
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Singer: Saud Khan
This song vivid with a ’70s feel marks the massive turn of events in the film. Remember the retro films when a lookalike used to surface from nowhere? In this one, too, Huma shows up with a stealthy smile and traipses around her male colleagues, looking like a million bucks. Don’t miss the shock and horror on the face of the characters who were after her life.
Farsh pe khade
Music: Achint Thakkar
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Singer: Sagnik Sen
This song, undoubtedly, is the funniest bit of the film. Rajkummar Rao stands on the edge (quite literally) while Sagnik Sen’s Hemanta Mukhopadhyay-inspired singing goes on. The underlying humour of the song — thodi ki dilkashi, jyada fantasy — echoes the opportunistic motives of the characters.
Bye bye adios
Music: Achint Thakkar
Lyrics: Varun Grover
Singer: Anupama Chakraborty Shrivastava
This song comes at a point when the funeral of one of the key family characters is underway and there is a crosscurrent of emotions on display. It’s weirder because it plays out like a funeral party number, celebrating the absolute truth of life – death.
Hills of Malabar
Music and Lyrics: Achint Thakkar
Singer: Vivienne Pocha
This is the film’s shortest song, which comes at the peak moment. As an audience, you might feel great pity for the way things pan out. If you are a cinephile, it’s the moment when things get a bit clear about who’s up to what next.
