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| 'RA.ONE' MUSIC REVIEW |
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Music :
Vishal
Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani |
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Lyrics :
Vishal Dadlani, Niranjan, Kumaar, Panchhi, Anvita Dutt Guptan,
Anubhav |
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Direction :
Anubhav Sinha |
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Producer :
Gauri
Khan |
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Star Cast :
Shahrukh Khan, Arjun Rampal, Kareena Kapoor, Armaan Verma, |
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Satish Shah, Dalip Tahil, Shahana Goswami, Suresh Menon |
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EXPECTATIONS
'Humungous' - That's what described in one word the
expectations one has from the music of Ra.One.
Though this may seem like a simple word, there is a
lot that goes behind the expectations here.
- Ra.One boldly claims itself to be the biggest
movie ever made in the country
- Shah Rukh Khan is returning to the big screen more
than year and a half after his last big screen
outing
- Due to two reasons above, music has to be in line
as well
- Vishal & Shekhar are synonymous with new sound
especially when it comes to biggies. The stage is
all set for them to justify the trust and confidence
shown in them to deliver goods.
- Music of films made by Anubhav Sinha has more
often than not always worked. Remember Dus, Cash,
Tum Bin?
Simply put, there is no margin of error and with the
kind of grandeur that the film promises; music has
to be in accordance too. With expectations of a
loaded experience ahead (Ra.One has 10 unique tracks
with five remixes to further boost the prospects),
one plays on Ra.One. |
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MUSIC
Expectedly, the album begins with 'Chammak
Challo' which was 'leaked' a few months
ago and has been in news ever since then. Well, the
song more than lives up to the huge hype that has
been built around it, courtesy Akon who has been
dragged into the Bollywood music arena. A grand song
by all means with huge production values that would
be assuring enough |
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for Akon to believe that this one can compete at an
international level, 'Chammak Challo' is a fantastic
amalgamation of Indian, Middle East and Western
sound that gives it a distinguished appeal. Written
by Vishal Dadlani and Niranjan Iyengar, the song is
not just about Akon, as Hamsika Iyer lends him good
support as well in the later parts of the song.
A huge winner all the way that Akon would certainly
want to introduce in his international tours as
well, 'Chammak Challo' arrives in an astonishing
five 'remix versions'. Does one feel like being
treated to an overdose of 'Chammak Challo'? Not at
all as whether it is the regular 'remix', 'Punjabi
mix', 'Club Mix' or 'International version' (where
Akon goes solo), the impact is only accentuated as
one is treated to a repeat play of this highly foot
tapping number.
As one comes out of the euphoria of 'Chammak Challo',
Vishal-Shekhar bring on a much sober and melody
inclined 'Dildaara - Stand
By Me' which is written by Kumaar. Now
this is the kind of number that one always expects
in a Shah Rukh Khan starrer and it is pretty much
out there on a platter with Shafqat Amanat Ali doing
quite well in bringing on a romantic number. While
the start by itself is impressive, the song takes a
different dimension altogether once the key word 'Dildaara'
arrives. A love song which is a good fusion of
modern day sound and Bollywood ethos, 'Dildaara' has
Shafqat seeing good support coming from Vishal
Dadlani, Shekhar Ravjiani and Clinton Cerejo as
well. |
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It is back to Akon with 'Criminal'
which is a surprise because all this while one had
expected 'Chammak Challo' to be his sole outing.
This time around Akon sounds more like the way music
lovers have been used to hearing him for last few
years. However, what impresses most is the way
Vishal-Shekhar go on to give 'Criminal' an
altogether different dimension as from a peppy
Western outing, it moves ahead as a high paced
quintessential dance number, only to turn into a |
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full-blown Hindi film song with the arrival of
Shruti Pathak. Also, as a singer Vishal Dadlani does well to
fuse his lines along with that of Akon, hence giving
'Criminal' a unique appeal. Written by Kumaar and Vishal
Dadlani, 'Criminal' isn't a song about crime but is instead
about a man wooing his lady love! The 'remix version' only
adds on to the appeal.
There is a surprise in store though with the arrival of 'Bhare
Naina' which turns out to be a shocker of an
outing. Reason being that the soundtrack completely changes
track with Nandini Srikar making it a semi-classical outing,
courtesy her rendition which is filled with pathos. The song
starts off rather slowly and just when one felt that it
would take an out and out classical approach, Vishal-Shekhar
bring in a fusion sound with Western elements coming in play
as well. In the later portions of the song, they can also be
heard faintly in the background as back up vocalists hence
lending a haunting appeal to this sad song. Written by
Panchhi Jalonvi, 'Bhare Naina' may not attract one's
attention instantly but has in it to create a cinematic
appeal when heard as a part of the film's narrative.
It is a much safer outing though with the arrival of Anvita
Dutt written 'Right By Your Side'.
A peppy feel-good song by Sidd Coutto which is about living
life to the fullest and celebrating an all around bonding
filled with happiness, it is good but seems a rather
ill-placed in Ra.One. The kind of number which is more
suited for a I Hate LUV Storys or a Break Ke Baad or an
Anjaana Anjaani - all being Vishal-Shekhar creations, it may
just find itself lost in the crowd in an album like Ra.One
since the film comes with an altogether different theme,
subject and genre. |
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The real fun begins from this point though as one
gets to hear the real sound of Ra.One with five
tracks in a row that turn out to be theme/background
pieces that truly define what the film stands for.
First to arrive is 'Raftaarein'
which is a killer of a track, courtesy some true
homage paid to R.D. Burman with an old world 70s
style sound of an action thriller. Vishal (who also
writes the song) as well as Shekhar go totally
uninhibited behind the mike and come up with full
throated |
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rendition to make 'Raftaarein' a high energy number
that should turn out to be adrenalin pumping and quite high
impact when seen on the big screen.
Fun continues with 'Jiya Mora
Ghabraaye - The Chase' which, as the title
suggests, is created for a chase sequence. The moment this
near five minute long track begins, one is reminded of
another supremely well orchestrated 'Adrenaline Nitrate'
that Vishal-Shekhar had created for the theme of Dus. This
time around the production is far grander with Sukhwinder
Singh and Vishal Dadlani coming together with a fusion mix
that ends up creating a trance effect. The song also sees
Anubhav Sinha stepping in as a lyricist with Vishal Dadlani
chipping in as well. Yet another track which is made for the
big screen!
Next three tracks that follow last close to 100 seconds each
and are actually the same musical pieces about which much
has been said and written about the 200 piece orchestra that
was put together by Vishal-Shekhar in Prague. International
in appeal and pretty much fitting into Hollywood scheme of
things, 'Comes The Light - Theme'
is the first to come which is just what one would have
expected from a gargantuan superhero flick like Ra.One. 'I'm
On' pretty much takes the album forward with the sound of
'Raftaarein' presented in a contemporary manner instead of
being set in the 70s mode. Last to arrive is 'Song Of The
End' which has a sad feel to it and reminds one of the sound
from Titanic. All said and done, these are the theme tracks
that would have made acclaimed Hollywood composer Hans
Zimmer stand up and notice.
OVERALL
Ra.One has brilliancy written all over it and is clearly a
huge winner all the way. It isn't just the grandest score of
the year but is also one of the hugest ever that has come
out of Bollywood. Music here not just meets the huge
expectations but also surpasses it at various junctures,
hence making it a satiating experience for the listener. Not
just that as it also promises a major cinematic outing once
big screen comes calling. A definite choice of the season. |
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Rating: 4.5/5 |
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