Mukkabaaz song: Caste divide, inferiority presented quirkily in 'Mushkil Hai Apna Meil Priye'

There is a great buzz around Anurag Kashyap's earthy tale, Mukkabaaz (2018), with the trailer evoking a largely positive response. His films are dark, but Kashyap often manages to produce out-of-the-box, funny, cheeky soundtracks to support his stories.

Following in the footsteps of Dev.D (2009) and Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), Kashyap’s music department has managed to produce another quirky gem, 'Mushkil Hai Apna Meil Priye', for his upcoming film. 

Mukkabaaz is the love story of an aspiring boxer Shravan (Vineet Kumar Singh) who dares to love a girl from an upper caste. The track highlights this very divide and the inferiority complex present in the pugilist. This does not stop him from wooing Sunaina Mishra (Zoya Hussain).

Nawazuddin Siddiqui played a rustic band singer in the song 'Emotional Atyachar' from Dev.D (2009). The actor returns in a similar avatar, grooving to some outlandish lyrics in the song.

'You are MA first division, I’m Matric fail, you run like a deer, I walk like a tortoise, you smile like Madhuri Dixit, I’m like a profane policeman' are examples of the similes that make up this song. The caste divide and the antithesis have been nicely put together in the lyrics, penned by Dr Sunil Jogi. Siddiqui appears in the latter half of the song when the joyful absurdity of the lyrics and music reaches a crescendo.

'Mushkil Hai Apna Meil Priye' is a signature Anurag Kashyap track that underlines the grim story of the film in a very subtle way. Rachita Arora has scored a desi peppy track that will strike a chord with the masses from the Hindi hinterlands. But such music is revered by metro audiences too, and might see it grow more popular.

One doesn’t look for perfection, sur-taal (pitch and rhythm) in such tracks. A singer simply needs to bring out the humour of its lyrics and the visuals through his voice. In doing that, Brijesh Shandilya doesn’t disappoint.

You can’t help but adore the million-dollar smile of Zoya Hussain. Vineet Kumar Singh displays the craziness of a passionate lover from Uttar Pradesh. 

'Mushkil Hai Apna Meil Priye' is a song that is meant not just to be heard but also enjoyed visually. 

Mukkabaaz is set to be released on 12 January.

Click here to watch the track. And click here to try and predict the film's box-office performance.