The brothers Kalyanji and Anandji Shah composed hundreds of Bollywood soundtracks over their career, mostly for masala action flicks. Bombay the Hard Way is a collection of their 1970s funk-heavy work, curated, produced, and remixed by San Francisco legend Dan the Automator. It’s not an earth-shaking album, but good enough to generate curious smiles and get some heads bobbing at a Sunday barbecue. I’m not sure how exactly Dan changed the original tracks—the liner notes are scanty—but I feel a Bay breeze blowing through the hard Bombay beats. Or maybe music made near bays just has a common vibe. Whatever; the one rule of masala movies is to not think too hard. Pass the pav bhaji and let’s get down. 7
Kalyanji-Anandji and Dan the Automator. Bombay the Hard Way: Guns, Cars, and Sitars. Motel, 1998. Reviewed August 14, 2025. Notable tracks: “Theme from Don,” “My Guru,” “Bombay 405 Miles,” “Satchidananda.”