The cast members of Chalo Let’s Go... at the film’s music launch in South City. Picture by Aranya Sen

Anjan Dutt and his Chalo Let’s Go... team had almost brought the bustling South City to a halt on Friday evening. Shoppers thronged the railings, while many more milled around the team which had gathered in the wide open atrium to launch the music album of the road movie slated for a June 6 release.

From slow easy ballads and nostalgic themes to upbeat country rhythms, there is something for everyone in the album. Apart from eight songs, it includes the Chalo Let’s Go... theme music and a karaoke version of Ei path jodi na shesh hoy.

Taking the mike, Chalo Let’s Go... music director Neel looked more confident than he had during the release of The Bong Connection music, which had marked his debut.

“The music of Chalo Let’s Go... is different from The Bong Connection in the sense that I have refrained from using new-age sounds. There is nostalgia in the arrangement that will give you a feel of the sixties and seventies,” said Neel, who has tried to recreate the charm of golden odlie Ei path jodi na shesh hoy from the Uttam-Suchitra-starrer Saptapadi.

The lines appear as part of the chorus to perk up Ei path, a song in Chalo Let’s Go... written and sung by Anjan along with Srikanta Acharya and Sa Re Ga Ma Pa finalist Ujjaini.

In keeping with the theme of the traveller and his journey, most of the songs exude a feeling of adventure and fun. But Tagore isn’t absent either. Srikanta lends his voice to Aachhe dukkho aachhe mrityu.

On Friday, singer Nachiketa set the ball rolling with a Hindi version of the Christian hymn Amazing grace. Taniya Sen of English band Crystal Grass rendered the original song alongside Nachiketa.

Next up was Fossils frontman Rupam with an unfamiliar sound — he belted out an English number Cross the line written by Anjan.

It didn’t take long for Anjan to woo the crowds with the light and bouncy title track Chalo Let’s Go.... And Rupankar breezed through the show with a mellow romantic number Gaan khunje pai, before sharing the stage with Ujjaini for a duet.

Together they sang a soft and sweet number Chupi chupi raat with a mix of Hindi and Bangla lyrics penned by Anjan and Vibha Singh.

The cast members — Parambrata Chatterjee, Aparajita Ghosh Das, Churni Ganguly, Kaushik Ganguly, Saswata Chatterjee, Neel Mukherjee, Bidipta Chakraborty, Ritwick Chakraborty and Rudranil Ghosh — joined Dutt to croon a few more tracks from the album.

Neel and Anjan Dutt belt out the Chalo Let’s Go... title track. Picture by Aranya Sen