The soundtrack of Stree 2, composed entirely by Sachin-Jigar, has all its tracks reach the top ten on Spotify India's Weekly Top Songs chart, marking a 100% strike rate. This success underscores a trend favoring single-composer albums in Bollywood amid shifting industry practices. As the film's music dominates charts, it prompts calls for treating soundtracks as cohesive albums rather than compilations.
Stree 2, the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2024 and all time without inflation adjustment, has surpassed Jawan from 2023 in box-office earnings. Its soundtrack stands out for its uniform success, with every track composed by duo Sachin-Jigar landing in Spotify India's top ten weekly songs. This achievement is rare in recent Hindi film original soundtracks (OSTs), prompting reflection on the merits of single-composer approaches.
Looking back at the past five years, major hits like 2023's Jawan, scored by Anirudh Ravichander, held the top spot on Spotify's India Album chart for seven weeks—the longest that year. Similarly, 2022's box-office leader Brahmastra: Part One - Shiva, with music by Pritam, was the most streamed new release of its year. In contrast, 2020's Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior and 2021's Sooryavanshi featured multiple composers and produced fewer chart hits; Tanhaji had no major successes, while Sooryavanshi relied on recreations for two of its three smashes.
Exceptions exist among multi-composer efforts. The 2020 top album came from the underperforming Love Aaj Kal, again by Pritam. Shershaah in 2021, a non-theatrical release, had five songs by five composers and nearly matched Stree 2's strike rate, excluding a promotional track. Outliers include Sandeep Reddy Vanga's films: Kabir Singh (2019) saw all seven tracks hit Spotify's top 11, becoming the platform's most streamed album in India over nearly six years, while Animal (2024) placed five of eight in the top 15.
The rise of multi-composer OSTs stems from streaming's focus on singles, reduced song integration in films, and cost efficiencies from labels recycling older hits. However, single-composer consistency aids cinematic universes, as seen with Sachin-Jigar for Maddock's four Supernatural films and Vishal-Shekhar for four of YRF Spy Universe's five entries. Rohit Shetty's Cop Universe, using multiples, has yielded fewer chartbusters.
"It's high time Bollywood goes back to treating soundtracks like albums rather than compilations," the article argues, warning that pigeonholing composers by genre could deepen creative stagnation. Veterans like A.R. Rahman often avoid such projects, favoring solo gigs. While multi-composer setups persist, successes like Stree 2 highlight the value of unified artistic vision.
