Anurag Kashyap: an ear for music

Anurag Kashyap has blazed a trail in directing movies and writing them. Every since Satya, his skills have never been in doubt. He brought a fresh perspective in the bubblegum movies of late nineties with the hard hitting Sayta, which he co-wrote with Saurabh Shukla. With Paanch, this grittiness was given a visual feel by him.
Since then, AK has gone on to make movies he believes in, mixing stories with his levels of real-life slices and his trademark drug trips (go through movies directed by him, and there will be a pot-smoking sequence).
But what many have missed, is his ability to get good music in his movies. For a Bollywood, having a good ear for music is as essential as having an eye for a good face. A look at the best directors shows that they usually have nice music in their films, with a few exceptions (Raj Kumar Santoshi seems to be completely tone deaf). Right from Paanch onward, the music in his film stands out, like his films as being off beat, but also catchy. Paanch had the superb Yeh Kaisa Hai Shehar as well as the moody Pakaa Mat. All in all, Paanch is a nice compilation, with immense repeat value. His next was Black Friday, which had music by Indian Ocean, once again an offbeat choice by Bollywood standards. Bu the quality of songs delivered is something else. Each song on that album is a gem. From Bandeh, which is a plea to the terrorist to stop, to Karam Bhaap Ke, which portrays the aftermath of committing a sin, it covers a range of emotions. Next up was Dev D, which people remember Emotional Atyachar and Pardesi. But the entire album is filled with gems, that cover a range of emotions and feelings. Dev lamenting with Saali Khushi, Paro rejoicing with Dhol Yaara, Chanda feeling happy with Aankh Micholi. I haven't seen or head That Girl in Yellow Boots, so can't comment on that movie (did it have a soundtrack?). With Gangs of Wasseyour, AK again shows his ear for music. He has gotten Sneha Khanwalkar to churn out music that is rustic, earthy, but at the same time, accessible to everyone.
Truth be told, it seems that AK has a monopoly in this kind of music, an earthy, true-to-roots kind of music, which melds with the movie.  But it takes a certain belief in yourself to go against the tide and do your won thing. The common thread amongst all his music has been that they have a certain melody to them, and fit neatly into the stories. No rock anthems for GOW, and not classical songs for Paanch, cos they would not fit.
In future, if there is a retrospective of AK, he should be mentioned in the same breath as Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Guru Dutt, Subhash Ghai. Looks like for all his rebelliousness, he is turning out to be one of them!